Galatians 3:20 is one of the most debated short verses in Paul’s letters. In plain terms, Paul is saying that a mediator works between two parties, but God acted alone in giving the promise to Abraham, so the promise rests on God’s own word rather than on a go-between’s agreement. Paul wrote this sentence to the churches of Galatia, a group of congregations in what is now central Turkey, who were being pressed to add Jewish law to faith in Christ.
Now a mediator is not between one, but God is one.
Galatians 3:20 (WEB)
What Galatians 3:20 Means
The verse begins with “a mediator,” a word for someone who stands between two sides to arrange or ratify an agreement, such as Moses between Israel and God at Sinai. Paul’s point is that a mediator implies more than one party who each have obligations. The phrase “is not between one” means that the promise to Abraham was not made in that two-sided way. Only one party, God, is the source of the promise, so its reliability depends on God alone.
The final clause, “but God is one,” is the heart of the verse. Paul is not arguing about the number of gods in a theological sense. He is saying that the promise originates with one God who speaks and keeps his word without needing a second party to secure it. The verse does not say the law was bad or that mediators are useless, and Paul goes on in the next verses to affirm that the law is not against God’s promises. It explains why the promise and the law function differently.
The Context of Galatians 3:20
Galatians was written by Paul, traditionally dated to the late 40s or 50s AD, to Gentile and Jewish believers in Galatia who were being persuaded that circumcision and the observance of the Mosaic law were needed to belong fully to God’s people. Paul argues from Abraham, whom God promised blessing long before the law was given at Sinai, which Paul places 430 years later.
The verses just before Galatians 3:20 show that Paul is asking why the law was given at all, and he answers that it was added because of transgressions until the promised offspring arrived. The verse about the mediator is his way of underlining that the law came through angels and a human intermediary, while the promise came directly from God. Reading the verse inside that argument shows that Paul is contrasting two arrangements, not condemning God’s law.
Key Phrases in Galatians 3:20
Hebrews 6:17
In this way God, being determined to show more abundantly to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath…
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This verse describes God’s unchangeable purpose and his willingness to confirm his promise with an oath, which echoes the idea that God alone guarantees what he promises to Abraham’s offspring. It helps readers see the same divine initiative that Paul highlights in Galatians.
Romans 4:13
For the promise to Abraham and to his offspring that he should be heir of the world wasn’t through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
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Paul’s own explanation in Romans shows that the promise to Abraham and his offspring came through righteousness by faith rather than through the law. Reading it alongside Galatians 3:20 strengthens the picture of a promise that rests on God’s gracious word.
A Short Prayer From Galatians 3:20
Lord, you spoke your promise to Abraham and kept it, and you are the one who does not change. When I feel the pressure to prove myself or to secure every outcome by my own efforts, remind me that my hope does not rest on a fragile arrangement between people. Steady my heart in your faithfulness, help me to act with wisdom and integrity, and let my confidence come from you alone. Amen.
