Galatians 3:26-27
GALATIANS 3:26-27
Before THE faith came .....
This is not 'belief' - but the revealed faith, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Now that the gospel has come, we (Christians) are no longer under the law (schoolmaster)
FOR...
This is a conjunction (not a preposition); and its lexical significance is "to introduce the reason." The REASON we are no longer under the law is that we are NOW Children of God through Jesus Christ.
Compare Gal. 3:1, 11, 12, 18
Thayer states: "it adduces the cause or gives the reason of a preceding statement" - page 109.
Dana and Mantey state on page 242-2443 of their text book, "gar", may express a) a ground or reason...(1) it is most frequently used in the illative sense, introducing a reason. At such times it means "for".
ARE..
There is a change of TENSE. In verse 26 the verb is in the present tense, "ye ARE all sons of God in Christ Jesus. However, in the verse following (Galatians 3:27), the verb changes to the past: "For as many of you as were baptized (past tense) into Christ did put on Christ." We would conclude "therefore you ARE because you WERE -- you ARE children of God because you WERE baptized into Christ.
FOR..as many of you as were baptized.....
Again, for is a conjunction, just as it was in verse 26. As it did there, it here introduces the reason that they are children of God by faith... FOR - FOR THE REASON THAT - BECAUSE .... as many as (and not any MORE than that) were baptized INTO Christ have put on Christ.
Verse 26 gives us the 'location' of our salvation - IN Christ,
Verse 27 tells HOW it is reached - by being baptized into HIM.
If salvation is IN Christ (and it is)
and one is by faith BAPTIZED INTO Christ (which he is)
Then baptism is necessary for being saved.