Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person’s will has been signed, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say “to descendants,” referring to everybody in general, but “to your descendant” (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier signed by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith.
Read Galatians 3
Listen to Galatians 3
Share
Compare All Versions: Galatians 3:15-20
4 Days
This plan will explore what the letter of Galatians teaches us in four major areas. 1) WHO GOD IS: God’s character and nature 2) WHO WE ARE: the identity of humanity and/or believers 3) WHAT WE BELIEVE: core Christian doctrines 4) HOW WE LIVE: putting faith into action
5 Days
Are you caught up in doing good deeds, but missing the gospel of faith? Are you feeling discouraged by faith based in works? Paul addresses this exact issue in Galatians and explores the foundational truth of the freedom of faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians offers a celebration of the freedom of grace and re-centers your focus on the law of love in God in three parts: the gospel of grace defined, the gospel of grace examined and the gospel of grace applied.
One of the reasons God gave us the stories of Abraham in the Bible is so that we can understand what faith is like. Just like Abraham, we will go through experiences in life where we think there is no way out, no answer, no escape, no solution. But like Abraham, we are to trust the Lord. He has given us promises, and we are simply to believe them.
Faithfulness is one of the most reassuring attributes about God. Yet when we are feeling spiritually parched, we sometimes wonder if God is still with us. This week, we’re going to explore God’s faithfulness in those desert places. Not only is God with us in difficult seasons, He is committed to strengthening our faith. He’s a God who is that good. He’s a God who is faithful!
Save verses, read offline, watch teaching clips, and more!
Home
Bible
Plans
Videos
Bible App
Bible App for Kids
