And the law is not of faith: but,
The man that does them shall live in them.
All Commentaries on Galatians 3:12 Go To Galatians 3
Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
And the law is not of faith. The law neither teaches nor gives the grace by which we fulfil the law and live righteously. But, as is said in Ezekiel 20:11, the man that doeth what the law commands shall live, i.e, shall not be punished with the death threatened by the law for transgressors, but he shall enjoy life and an abundance of temporal goods, as the law promises to those who keep it. The same was said in Romans 10:5, which reminds us of the close relationship between that Epistle and this, the latter being a compendium of the former.
Observe the antithesis between "faith" and "law." Of the former, it is said that the just, because he is just, shall live by it, i.e,shall enjoy a life of grace and glory, which is the perfect and blissful life. But as to the latter, it is not said absolutely that he who keeps the law shall live by it, but only in it, i.e, he shall live the life, and enjoy the goods promised by the law, viz, abundance of corn, wine, and oil.
