Gal 3:15-29[1]
Rolling Hills Church, 11 July 2010
We are in Galatians 3 today, where Paul is supporting his argument that all we receive from God – forgiveness, freedom, pardon, power, the Holy Spirit, eternal life, an inheritance, adoption, imputed righteousness – comes through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law. To support that, he talks about how covenants work, and he gives us the place of the covenant of law in regard to the covenant of promise (law=Moses, promise=Abraham).
Scriptures
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.
16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ.
17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.
18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
If we are Christians, it is because we are people of promise, not people of the law. This truth better be known, believed, and held fast and close in our hearts, church. While we're thankful for Moses and the law, our hope is completely and fully in Christ, and the covenant of promise. Let's pray, and let's unpack this text. I need to move quickly this morning, in order to finish by 11:10.
The Promise is better than the law, 15-18
Better because it's one-sided. Paul's illustration here is simple; a covenant isn't messed with by people after it's made; you either fulfill it or you don't. Obviously these were the good old days when you didn't have herds of lawyers to 'interpret' the contract. But here is the point; God is faithful to His promise, since He alone made this promise to Abraham; it wasn't mutual. It's better by far to trust God than to trust God and man, wouldn't you agree?
Better because Christ is the central figure of the covenant of promise. Let's look at this text Paul refers to. Gen 22:18 "…and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." Context is this; Abraham had offered his firstborn, the child of promise on the altar by faith in God's promise. Now God spared Abraham's son Isaac, knowing He would not spare His OWN Child of promise Jesus Christ, who would die on that cross. So Paul, under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, teaches us that God meant Christ in this verse. The only way that all the nations are blessed through Abraham (Gen 12:3) is through Christ.
Better because it was before and lives on after the law. It was meant to be permanent, bringing eternal life to all who would believe in Christ; the law was not permanent.
Better because our inheritance comes through promise. The law cannot impart life, and the promise, received by faith in the Offpsring, does give life! So this first section shows us that the promise is better than the law.
The Purpose of the law, 19-24
This section is Paul's anticipatory response to the argument the Judaizers would throw at the Galatians, so he answers it as he writes. Two questions hi-light this section. "Why then the law?", and "Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?".
Let me address this intermediary question, in vs 19-20. "it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one." As best as I can tell, Paul is referring to the angels who met with Moses on the mountain as the Angel of the Lord. So when Paul writes of intermediaries, he is saying the law came through angels to Moses to the people of Israel. The covenant of promise came from God to Abraham; there were no people yet. Now let's consider how Paul answers the 'why the law' question; after all, many of us are unclear on why God would give a promise, then the law, then fulfill the promise and the law saying the law is no longer necessary. Here is why God gave the law, according to Paul here:
Because sin is in our hearts and in the world. We need restraint; otherwise the wrath of God would destroy us all. Think flood, folks. Sin from the garden to the Egyptian captivity, and sin that still runs rampant in our hearts apart from the Holy Spirit's restraint now! God hates sin, and without restraint of law, we would not have lasted before Him! These were to be God's people, and an unholy people misrepresent God – as they ultimately did, and were destroyed, time and time again!
To offer us civility by restraining sin. What hope does man have of a civil society apart from laws, rules, from standards? I ask the question of humanists who would toss out God's moral laws wholesale today – what hope of civility do you offer in the moral vacuum you propose to build? They have no answer; anarchy, chaos, death. They fight to save mosquitoes and owls and slaughter babies to make room for them. It is the lies of the devil, straight from the garden. Nothing new there. The law offers civility to a society. Not righteousness; civility.
To teach us right from wrong and then point us to the only one who was right and could save us!
Who knew sin until the law pointed it out to us? Surely there was the law written in our hearts, but we harden our hearts, we sear our conscience to the point of deafness. The law raises the standard to a place we can't reach. Man wonders – who can reach that standard? Christ alone.
To show us our wretchedness so we could look to God and His faithfulness to His promises! Perhaps we could, apart from the law, convince ourselves that we are just and that God should accept us on our own merit.
To show us our slavery to sin and make us thirst for freedom. This law is ever pointing out our short-comings and failures. We can't keep it. We are slaves to sin. We can't buy our way out; we can't beg our way out; we can't bluster our way out. We can't work our way out. We are shut up under sin; we are slaves, and we beg – who will rescue us from this body of death! Praise to the law?!? NO, praise be to Christ Jesus who sets us free by the promise of faith!
Faith in Christ justifies and makes heirs by promise, 25-29
The church doesn't need the law for justification. This is so the main point of this book; the Galatians did not need circumcision! They did not need to become Jewish in order to become Christians, and having become Christians, there was no need to go back to and through the law! The law is good, it is wise, and it is helpful; it will never save. Remember; perfection allows no exception! And there isn't a law powerful enough to save, church (3:21).
What we receive, we receive through Christ by faith. Our salvation, our inheritance in the promises of Abraham, is by faith in Christ. Our freedom, our eternal life, our hope, our inheritance – all are in and through Jesus Christ, the Central Figure of the Covenant of Promise! Faith has come, and the law has been fulfilled, superceded by faith!
He was the central figure in the promise, and He is the central figure in the church! Indeed, it was through Christ that the inheritance of Abraham is truly offered! You see, when God makes a promise to Christ and we are in Christ, we receive the benefit of that promise even though we haven't earned it. That is why we rejoice at being IN CHRIST, church.
In Christ distinctions are humbled and unity is exalted. We lower our distinctions and we raise our unity – Christ! We are distinct in many ways; but we are one in Christ. We are different in gender, culture, skin color, experience, language, status, work, wealth and education. We are unique in musical preferences, art leanings, TV show preferences, politics, values, and hobbies – and all this means so little when it comes to being a Christian. We're
This doesn't teach a new leadership structure in the church. Some have used this verse to push a place for women in ministry. My brothers and sisters, you see the context; this is about saving grace coming to all through faith in Jesus Christ alone! It is not about who can or who cannot preach, teach, or exercise authority over men. Let's toss out that weak argument, and let's let the clear message of this text stand out – we are saved, justified before a Holy God, only through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. And when we are, we stand side by side justified with women, men, Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, and any people from any people group of any skin color or nationality or background under the son – One in Christ. We are His church through faith in Him. Our unity displays His love and grace to all people. Our distinctions, while real, are downplayed and our unity is held up high! So…
If we are Christians, it is because we are people of promise, not people of the law. Do you want to be people of promise, or people of the law? Again let me say, there is a measure of self-satisfaction, self-gratification when one looks to law for justification. It swells when we look at others who don't keep the law as well as we do. It puffs us up, and even when we thank God for our righteousness, we still take credit for that righteousness in our hearts. Luke 18:9-14. But when that one law we break is brought up before God, do we want a cross between us and God (complete payment, in full), or do we want our filthy-rag righteousness? Think, church – be honest with yourself! Humble yourself, and believe in Christ!
Are you in Christ?
There is repentance from sin, and there is faith in Jesus Christ as the only way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus, the seed of Abraham.
Church, let us believe Christ. Let us persevere in believing Christ! Let us receive our inheritance by faith in Jesus, who His shed blood on that cross makes us right with God, sons and daughters of God, who are just by faith.
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
Galatians 3:7
[1] All Scripture, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved
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