"The Changeless Promise" Galatians 3:15-18

Galatians 3:15-18
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but some may ask then what is the purpose of the law??? We will get to that next week. This study is one where we try to keep questions and comments to the weekly passage, but this is an open book study and reading ahead is a good idea as it will answer many, if not all, of your questions. Also, read Romans as it is a great letter that will give many answers to our questions on the law and on grace.

Review:
Paul takes the Old Testament, which the Judaizers claim to believe and study and use to support their view of works, and he turns it around to show them that the Old Testament, in fact, teaches salvation by grace through faith. If you go back through our previous teachings in this series, you will find Paul quoted MANY Old Testament scriptures to prove his points.

Let's take a look at these 4 verses in today's study.

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men [in a human analogy]:Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.

In Genesis God made a promise to Abraham. This promise, or covenant as Paul called it here for the first time, was unconditional! No ifs, ands, or buts; no strings attached. When Moses delivered the law it contained burdensome requirements, a code of behavior that makes demands and issues threats. Quite a difference between a covenant promise and the law!

I here quote John Macarthur: “ Let me show you the difference [Abraham’s Covenant and Moses’ Law]. To Abraham, God said, "I will. I will. I will." To Moses, He said, "Thou shalt. Thou shalt. Thou shalt, or else." There is quite a difference. The promise set forth a religion for God; the law set forth a religion of man. The promise talked about God's plan, God's grace, God's initiative, God's sovereignty, God's blessing, God's promise. The law talked about man's duty, man's works, man's responsibility, man's behavior, man's obedience. The promise, which stood for grace, had only to be believed; the law, which stood for works, had to be obeyed. They were two different things.

Once a will or covenant (Greek diatheke) has been ratified (with Abraham), it cannot be altered. The covenant God made with Abraham is irrevocable, it can never be annulled or added to. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 4:29

16 Now to Abraham and his Seed (singular) were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds (plural),” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed (singular),” WHO IS CHRIST.

Christians are the spiritual seed of Abraham (see v. 29).

To avoid ANY misinterpretation of the word "seed," this passage clearly brings out that this passage was NOT referring to "seeds" as of MANY, but as of ONE. So NO spiritualizing this to be many seeds. And then it goes even further to say that this Seed is CHRIST, not the Jews, in this passage. So we see the PROMISE was made to Abraham AND Christ. This scripture makes that point clear!

Note: Thank God for the extra clarification of this verse or we would likely have many misinterpretations of who is the "seed."

17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

Keep in mind the LAW (through Moses) did not come until 430 years LATER and that law CANNOT annul the covenant! The covenant still stands, it was NOT made ineffective by the law. The law did not replace the covenant!!!

The law, which was put into force after 430 years, could not override or annul the standing covenant with Abraham (see Gen. 15:18).

Thus, stressing the seniority of the Abrahamic covenant over the Mosaic law. For Paul, the law

was not merely a late edition in the history of salvation; rather it was completely different from the covenant God completed with Abraham centuries before.

18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

In this passage we just read, Paul shows the supremacy of the way of GRACE over the way of the LAW.

Our inheritance IN CHRIST is not of the law, if that were the case it would not be of promise. But it was given to Abraham BY PROMISE.

For Paul, it was crucial that this original covenant of promise be distinguished from the law of Moses. The law demands, “Do this!” The promise grants, “Accept this!” Paul drew the two into sharpest antithesis. If law…not promise; if works…not grace.

There is really not a whole lot of commentary or understanding of the original Greek to get this message. It's so clear! We sometimes make the Bible harder to understand than it has to be. This passage is a clear example of this.

Question:
Have you believed (complete trust and abandonment) on the Lord Jesus Christ?

I also pray that if you have lived a legalistic, works kind of contact with God,
that the Lord will set you free to live a faith-filled, loving relationship with God through our living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

For some reason the 3 last blogs from this series are not showing. To view and read them go to:

Galatians 3:1-5: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/04/freedom-series-stop-your-foolishness.html

Galatians 3:6-9: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/05/who-are-sons-of-abraham.html

Galatians 3:10-14: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/05/curse-of-law-freedom-series-gal-310-14.html

THIS CONCLUDES THIS WEEK’S TEACHING.

I look forward to questions, comments, and testimonies from you.

My book review: Radical Together

Periodically (once ever month or so) I will be reviewing a book for WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. This is my second review I hope you find it helpful. We will be back to Galatians in a few days (chapter 3).

Is it Possible to Be Radical TOGETHER?

I recommend that you read the book “Radical” as a prerequisite to reading “Radical Together” to make it more meaningful. For me, there was a concern that “Radical Together” would be the same book as “Radical” revamped with the word “together.” I’m happy to say I was wrong. It is a rather small book (165 pages including a 6-week discussion guide – which is quite helpful in a group setting).

Personally, I think the delay of a year or more from printing “Radical” to “Radical Together” was good, as author David Platt refers back to people who took his first book “Radical” and applied it to their lives. It also gave him time to explain how his church is doing this “together.” I was very pleased to have David relate how they are applying “Radical Together” in their church. He took this from “theory” to “practical reality.” This book has helped to make it clear and real on how we can be radical together as the church.

In review, I would like to briefly give some quotes from each chapter, that I feel encapsulate the chapter. This is just to give you an idea how good this book really is! I hope this helps in your deciding to read this book.

Chapter One: This chapter hit on how we are settling for those things which are “good,” and thus, missing out on God’s BEST.

Chapter Two: Here we see a balance of “…a gospel that saves us FROM work and saves us TO work.” We were “…created in Christ Jesus to do good works.” And, “We live radically, not because we have to, but because we want to.”

Chapter Three: Here we see the importance of the Word of God (Bible) in our lives. As the author states, “…if we want to make God’s glory known in the world, then we must make the teaching of God’s Word central in the church.”

Chapter Four: He gets our focus off the “superstars” and “super churches” that we see in many church organizations and, as he puts it, “…I want people in the church to be able to fulfill the purpose for which they were created without being dependent on gifted preachers, nice buildings, and great programs to do it for them.”

Chapter Five: Regarding our desire for the longing of Christ (end of the world as we know it), I like how the author puts it, “…The reality is that Jesus could come back as I write (or as you read) this sentence, and not one of us knows the time when He will come. But we do know this: Jesus hasn’t come back yet, which means there is still work to be done.” *Reviewers note: Whatever your eschatological views are (even if different from the author), don’t let them stop you from reading this book or you will miss out on reading a very life-changing book.

Chapter Six: In this chapter we see we need to get our eyes off of self and centered on God. As the author corrects the problem, he says, “…We organize our churches as if God exists to meet our needs, cater to our comforts, and appeal to our preferences.” Later, he goes on to say, “…I know of no greater motivational tool for the church than a glimpse of the sovereign, holy, majestic God who is worthy of all worship, who is high and lifted up.”

My prayer is that through the instrument of these two books, “Radical” and “Radical Together,” that the Lord will raise up a people sold out to Him!

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review."

Please rate my review at the link below so Water Brook - Multnomah Books can see my reviews are helpful and continue to ask for my reviews - Thanks!

Freedom Series "Crucified with Christ" Gal. 2:15-21

v. 15-16 We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles [both are in need of salvation], knowing that a man [person] is not justified by the works of the law but by [means of] faith IN Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

1. "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law" Justification is an either-or, it is NOT a both-and! It is either justification by works or justification by faith. It can't be both!

2. "but by faith IN Jesus Christ" Justification is by CHRIST ALONE! No merit or labor of your own! Even the FAITH is not ours but given to us by God!!! Otherwise we could boast of OUR FAITH!

Note: Sadly, many do boast on THEIR FAITH (thus giving themselves credit). Ephesians 2:8, 9 clearly shows that we can't boast in the grace or in the faith as they are gifts of God.

Justification is an ACT of God.

Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ. In Justification, God declares the believing sinner righteous.

I like Ray Pritchard’s definition of Justification: The word “justify” means to “declare righteous.” It refers to a verdict from the judge that allows a defendant to go free. It means that the defendant is declared not guilty, innocent of all charges, and there is no record against him in the eyes of the law. If you are justified, your record is clean and clear and you are free to go. To be justified is the opposite of being condemned. If you apply that truth in the spiritual realm, it looks like this: Justification is that act of God whereby he acquits guilty sinners (that is, he declares them innocent), on the basis of the death of Christ. This gift of justification is received solely on the basis of faith wholly apart from good works of any kind. Justified sinners are thus pardoned, acquitted, set free, accepted by God, and treated as righteous.

If this be true [and God's word says it is so], observing the Jewish laws cannot justify us, why should we still obey the Ten Commandments and other Old Testament laws?

We know that Paul was not saying the Law is bad, because in another letter he wrote, “the Law is holy” (Romans 7:12).

Instead, he is saying that the Law can never make us acceptable to God.

The Law still has an important role to play in the life of a Christian.

The Law:

(1) guards us from sin by giving us standards for behavior;

(2) convicts us of sin, leaving us the opportunity to ask for God’s forgiveness;

(3) drives us to trust in the sufficiency of Christ, because we can never keep the Ten Commandments perfectly.

v. 17-19 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we (Jews) ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! [or GOD FORBID] For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor [when we sin it’s not the fault of a faulty Gospel, but it’s ours]. For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.

To imply this message, allows Paul (or any believer) to go back to their old way of life, and even sinning (continuously as a way of life) is IMPOSSIBLE.

Because we have all been infected by sin, we cannot keep God’s laws perfectly. Fortunately, God has provided a way of salvation that depends on Jesus Christ, not on our own efforts. Even though we know this truth, we must guard against the temptation of using service, good deeds, charitable giving, or any other effort as a substitute for faith. All the law has done was to show his own helplessness.

So verse 19 ends with... For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God. DIED to LAW, thus LIVE to GOD.

Now that I have "died to the law" the outcome of that?

v. 20 I have been (past tense-positionally) crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me [CHANGING MY DESIRES – MY WANT TO’S]; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. "I have been (past tense-positionally) crucified with Christ..."

That is why I'm dead to the law (which includes self-acheivement/merit for favor with God), because I died with Christ, I identify with His death and also with His life! He is my life!!! Legally, God looks at us as if we had died with Christ. Because our sins died with Him, we are no longer condemned (Colossians 2:13-15).

Being “Crucified with Christ” implies a RADICAL transformation within the believer.

Paul realized that on the cross, a "great exchange" occurred. He gave Jesus his old, try-to-be-right-before-God-by-the-law life, and it was crucified on the cross. also with His life! He is my life!!! “…NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, but CHRIST lives in me…” (See Colossians 1:27)

If you truly are a Christian, then you must see and believe that Jesus gave His life for your life – Christ came to live in him. So your life isn't your own anymore, it belongs to Jesus Christ! We doesn't own our life (that life died); we are simply "managing" the new life Jesus gave us.

THOUGHT: Are you a believer? If so do you recognize the “GREAT EXCHANGE” that took place for YOU on the cross? Are you aware that as we have been crucified with Christ, so we no longer live for ourselves (self-centered) but for Christ?

Our Christian life began when, in unity with Him, we died to our old life (see Romans 6:5-11). And yet the focus of Christianity is not dying, but living. Because we have been crucified with Christ, we have also been raised with Him (Romans 6:5). “…the life which I now live [it’s new - All different in a good way now] in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

What can we say except thank you Jesus, thank you for your love for me and thank you for given your life for me!

v. 21 I do not set aside [to make void] the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.

Salvation is only by the GRACE OF GOD and work of Christ ON THE CROSS.

Believers today many still are in danger of acting as if Christ died needlessly.

How? By their own brand of Christian legalism, they are giving people extra laws to obey. By believing they can earn God’s favor by what they do, they are not trusting completely in Christ’s work on the cross.

If we could be saved by being good, then Christ did not have to die. But the cross is the only way to salvation.

CONCLUSION: To say salvation can be obtained by any human effort is an INSULT to the GRACE OF GOD and to the CROSS OF CHRIST, for it declares both to be unnecessary.

All that is required of us to be JUSTIFIED, therefore, is to acknowledge OUR SIN and OUR HELPLESSNESS, to REPENT of our years of self-assertion and self-righteousness, and to put OUR WHOLE TRUST and CONFIDENCE in Jesus Christ to save us.

We conclude this week and this chapter.

Next week we start chapter 3 Invite others to join us here or on our Facebook group.