What is irrevocable? The covenant and the promise of God because as God is eternal, all His promises are eternal!

I hope and I pray that you all have read or watched my last week post/video on Galatians 3:1-14. Thank you if you have and if you haven’t, please, watch my last week video before you read/watch this.

Today I want to briefly look at Galatians 3:15-29. This chapter is a big chapter to deal with only two videos. So, if I skip many points, forgive me and I believe that you won’t skip anything during your personal Bible study time.

Here is Galatians 3:15-29 in NASB:

“Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

Very rich chapter/passage of the Bible!

As you very well know, Paul is writing to Galatian churches because he heard that “false brothers” sneaked in and began preaching “another gospel” while there is only One Gospel. So, Paul wanted to make things straight again. He wants to bring the Galatians back to the basics of the Gospel since there is only One Gospel.

In this passage, Paul tried to show them the truth starting from Abraham, how God promised to Abraham saying,

“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” Genesis 17:7ESV

The operating word is “offspring” or to your “seed.”

Paul writes, God “does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.” Galatians 3:16NASB

Every Jew knows that this “offspring” or “seed” refers to the Messiah. And Paul says here, the Messiah is Jesus Christ.

What was promised to Abraham cannot be revoked! As God is eternal, all His promises are eternal!

After 430 years of Abraham, Moses came and the Law came. Paul says, this Law that came through Moses cannot revoke or nullify the promise of God because the inheritance God promised to Abraham “is not based on law” (verse 18) “but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.” Verse 18

Then at this point in the chapter, any person with a common sense will ask: If God’s inheritance was given to Abraham by means of a promise, what is the purpose of the Law? Verse 19

The Law was given to restrain the transgression of man. If it wasn’t for the Law, men would have destroyed each other and there would not be the kind of world we know now. You and I wouldn’t even be here. For instance, the Law says, “Do not kill” so people won’t kill each other. (God’s Law by the way became the basis or the foundation to establish a civil law so we live in a civil society.)

The other reason why the Law came is to show us the holiness of God, the standard of God. Also, when man sees the Law, he finds something new in him, i.e. whatever the Law says, “Do not do,” that very “evil deed” lives in him because man came from Adam the one who have sinned against God.

So, Paul writes to Romans:

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.” Romans 7:7-8NASB

When man finds that sin in him (theologians call it “the original sin”), not outside him but inside him, he cries, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24NASB

Man looks and searches for a Savior.

So, from Moses to Jesus, the Law serves as a babysitter or a guardian or “a tutor.” When parents of a child come, the babysitter leaves. What kind of relationship is there between the babysitter and the baby? Legal relationship!

What kind of relationship is there between man and the Law? Only contractual or legal! “If you keep all the law, you will live forever,” kind of contract. (Leviticus 18:5)

What kind of relationship is there between man and God after Christ? If a man believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he will be the child of God and God will be His Father.

If man becomes a child of God, man lives forever! That is the inheritance Abraham received from God by faith!

Those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ have the same kind of faith as Abraham had because the word of God says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16NASB

So Paul ends his point saying this:

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Galatians 3:29NASB

So, my friends, there is only One Gospel! There is only One Savior! No one can reach to the Father but through One Way, Jesus Christ. The only thing needed from man is faith in the works of the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing added to this One Gospel! We are saved by free gift of God, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone as it is written in Scriptures alone and all this for one purpose: For the glory of God alone!

Say no to “false teachings!” Say no to “false christ!” Say no to a kind of teaching that makes you love this world, your life in this world and make you run after passing things like property, possessions, money, gold and all material things. May God help us all to be sober in this regard! ///