Some commentaries understand the grace of God to refer to the Law itself as God’s gift to Israel. Elsewhere, Paul has affirmed that the Law has a function, but he has denied vehemently that the Law was intended to be the instrument by which God puts man right with himself. Here he is affirming that he is not rejecting the Law, but that he understands the Law’s function to be quite different from what the Jews have made it to be.

On the other hand, it is possible to interpret the grace of God as referring to God’s gift in Jesus Christ, that is, God’s gift of new life. This interpretation has the merit of connecting this sentence with what precedes and also what immediately follows.

In a number of languages grace in the sense of the grace of God may be expressed as “loving kindness” or “love which expresses itself in kind deeds.” Accordingly, one may translate I refuse to reject the grace of God as “I do not throw away God’s loving kindness to men,” or even “… the way in which God loves and is kind to men.”

A person is put right with God translates the word “righteousness”; it should be taken in the same sense as the verb “to justify” (see 2.16-17).

The phrase through the Law as an expression of means for justification must be somewhat amplified in a number of languages, for it is not the Law as a set of regulations but obedience to such regulations which would constitute a presumed means of one’s being justified. Therefore the condition in this sentence may be rendered as “If a person can get right with God by means of doing what the Law says, he must do.”

For nothing translates a word which could mean “freely,” “without payment,” or “undeservedly,” but here it has the meaning of “uselessly,” “needlessly,” or “without purpose” (compare Knox “Christ’s death was needless,” New American Bible “Christ died to no purpose!”).

What Paul is saying in this verse is that he is not rejecting God’s grace by rejecting the Law as an instrument of justification. Indeed, if the Law could function as such, then Christ died for nothing. The implication is that the fault lies with those who assign such a function to the Law, who in effect are rejecting God’s grace, and who cannot see any purpose in Christ’s death. Understood this way, this verse serves as a good summary of Paul’s discussion in the entire second chapter, and it constitutes a prelude to his subsequent arguments in the next two chapters.

Quoted with permission from Arichea, Daniel C. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1976. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .