Who are the Children of Abraham?
Galatians 3
I realize this is a very lengthy passage, but please bear with me—it is after all, Scripture.
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 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.
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 neither male nor 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.
In this passage Paul refers to us, those of faith, as the Abraham’s offspring (v 29) because of our relationship with Christ—being in Christ; Abraham is the man of faith, and we are those who are of faith, and if Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise (v 29) then we are obviously part of the same spiritual family—now and in Heaven, in eternity because he is not referring to us as the physical descendants of Abraham, and if we are the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise, then we are also sons of Abraham. If so, then by what line of reasoning can we conclude that we will be of a different group or family or kingdom in eternity? For further support that we are in the same group as Abraham consider that the blessing which comes to all the nations through Abraham was the same good news (gospel in v 8) that was preached to Abraham by the scriptures, which foretold of the gentiles being justified by faith and they are in the company of Abraham because he is the man of faith, not the man of law and not the man of circumcision. We are blessed along with Abraham, and this cannot merely be the blessing of physical land because that was the blessing of the Mosaic covenant. We know that our blessing is not limited to that of a physical place in an unredeemed earth, but our blessing, our inheritance is the redeemed Heaven’s and Earth, as Christ said, “the meek shall inherit the Earth”, so too must Abraham’s ultimate blessing be spiritual because, according to this passage we are blessed together with him.
Verse 16 tells us that Christ is The Seed of whom God was speaking to Abraham; the promise is to Christ, and those counted in Christ are joint heirs, thus receiving the inheritance promised to Abraham’s seed. But the question might be posed, “but the Law of Moses came after the covenant with Abraham so it must fulfill it or cancel it out, right?” But Paul answers this question by telling us that the Law, though it did come 430 years after Abraham does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God. These two covenants are separate and the promises of the covenant God made with Abraham are not appropriated when the stipulations of the covenant made on Mount Sinai are fulfilled or Paul would not have to answer the question about the law, and the question would not have been pressing in the minds of his contemporaries if they had not confused the two covenants. Paul does go on to explain that the Law is not therefore useless, but that it was put in place because of sin, and elsewhere, Paul tells us that the law points out the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Perhaps the phrase that best explains the existence of the law though the promises were received by faith is in verse 22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin”; that is what the Law did, it imprisoned all our works under sin so that it would be very clear that even our “good works” would not purchase the promises of the Abrahamic covenant for us.
Paul says that if the inheritance came through Law, then it can’t also come through a promise. In other words, if the covenant of Moses came to hold out the same promises as the covenant with Abraham, then its blessings and benefits are no longer by the promise, but by Law, and Paul maintains that this is not the case. So one of the conclusions we must make regarding verses 16-19 is that the promises made to Abraham were neither fulfilled or annulled in the covenant with Moses, but that the previous covenant continues and the Mosaic Covenant, though it was good to point out sin, was the parenthesis inside the timeline of the promise and fulfillment aspects of the Abrahamic covenant. Paul further explains the differences of the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenants by contrasting one as law and the other as promise, not that they are fighting against each other, but that the Mosaic Covenant was never put in place to accomplish the same thing. The Mosaic Covenant was only ever typical of the Abrahamic Covenant. Though there may have been a temporal aspect to the promises made to Abraham, the greater fulfillment of them would be spiritual and granted unconditionally, and the blessings of the Mosaic covenant were strictly temporal and conditioned upon the corporate or federal obedience of the nation “…all this we will do.” (like the covenant God made with Adam, who was the representative of all). If the law (which was never given to provide life) had not imprisoned us in sin then life could not be given by faith alone in Jesus Christ. A few verses later Paul concludes the section by telling his listeners that there is no difference between Jew and Greek regarding the promise and blessing to Abraham because if you are in Christ then you are Abraham’s offspring because it is by promise, not by ethnicity or law or circumcision.
Galatians 3
I realize this is a very lengthy passage, but please bear with me—it is after all, Scripture.
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "In you shall all the nations be blessed." 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them." 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The righteous shall live by faith." 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 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.
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 neither male nor 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.
In this passage Paul refers to us, those of faith, as the Abraham’s offspring (v 29) because of our relationship with Christ—being in Christ; Abraham is the man of faith, and we are those who are of faith, and if Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to promise (v 29) then we are obviously part of the same spiritual family—now and in Heaven, in eternity because he is not referring to us as the physical descendants of Abraham, and if we are the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise, then we are also sons of Abraham. If so, then by what line of reasoning can we conclude that we will be of a different group or family or kingdom in eternity? For further support that we are in the same group as Abraham consider that the blessing which comes to all the nations through Abraham was the same good news (gospel in v 8) that was preached to Abraham by the scriptures, which foretold of the gentiles being justified by faith and they are in the company of Abraham because he is the man of faith, not the man of law and not the man of circumcision. We are blessed along with Abraham, and this cannot merely be the blessing of physical land because that was the blessing of the Mosaic covenant. We know that our blessing is not limited to that of a physical place in an unredeemed earth, but our blessing, our inheritance is the redeemed Heaven’s and Earth, as Christ said, “the meek shall inherit the Earth”, so too must Abraham’s ultimate blessing be spiritual because, according to this passage we are blessed together with him.
Verse 16 tells us that Christ is The Seed of whom God was speaking to Abraham; the promise is to Christ, and those counted in Christ are joint heirs, thus receiving the inheritance promised to Abraham’s seed. But the question might be posed, “but the Law of Moses came after the covenant with Abraham so it must fulfill it or cancel it out, right?” But Paul answers this question by telling us that the Law, though it did come 430 years after Abraham does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God. These two covenants are separate and the promises of the covenant God made with Abraham are not appropriated when the stipulations of the covenant made on Mount Sinai are fulfilled or Paul would not have to answer the question about the law, and the question would not have been pressing in the minds of his contemporaries if they had not confused the two covenants. Paul does go on to explain that the Law is not therefore useless, but that it was put in place because of sin, and elsewhere, Paul tells us that the law points out the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Perhaps the phrase that best explains the existence of the law though the promises were received by faith is in verse 22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin”; that is what the Law did, it imprisoned all our works under sin so that it would be very clear that even our “good works” would not purchase the promises of the Abrahamic covenant for us.
Paul says that if the inheritance came through Law, then it can’t also come through a promise. In other words, if the covenant of Moses came to hold out the same promises as the covenant with Abraham, then its blessings and benefits are no longer by the promise, but by Law, and Paul maintains that this is not the case. So one of the conclusions we must make regarding verses 16-19 is that the promises made to Abraham were neither fulfilled or annulled in the covenant with Moses, but that the previous covenant continues and the Mosaic Covenant, though it was good to point out sin, was the parenthesis inside the timeline of the promise and fulfillment aspects of the Abrahamic covenant. Paul further explains the differences of the Mosaic and Abrahamic Covenants by contrasting one as law and the other as promise, not that they are fighting against each other, but that the Mosaic Covenant was never put in place to accomplish the same thing. The Mosaic Covenant was only ever typical of the Abrahamic Covenant. Though there may have been a temporal aspect to the promises made to Abraham, the greater fulfillment of them would be spiritual and granted unconditionally, and the blessings of the Mosaic covenant were strictly temporal and conditioned upon the corporate or federal obedience of the nation “…all this we will do.” (like the covenant God made with Adam, who was the representative of all). If the law (which was never given to provide life) had not imprisoned us in sin then life could not be given by faith alone in Jesus Christ. A few verses later Paul concludes the section by telling his listeners that there is no difference between Jew and Greek regarding the promise and blessing to Abraham because if you are in Christ then you are Abraham’s offspring because it is by promise, not by ethnicity or law or circumcision.
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