Galatians 3:15-29 - Covenant of Faith and Grace

Galatians 3:15-29

The Changeless Promise (Gen. 12:1–3)

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.

Purpose of the Law

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Sons and Heirs

26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 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 seed, and heirs according to the promise.

The promise of the old covenant of works was only a prelude to demonstrate that righteousness is found in God alone and only He is able to keep the Law for us and offer an acceptable sacrifice to reconcile sinners to Himself.  This new covenant of faith was originally given to Abraham and all after him who would take the Lord at His word to provide the sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son.  Just as God provided the perfect sacrifice in place of Abraham’s son, so He gave His own only Son (John 3:16) to cover our sin, perfect because Jesus Christ is fully God and therefore sinless.  He is the spotless Lamb who kept the whole Law and give His life in the blood of a sacrificial offering for all who follow the faith of Abraham in trusting God work of His Son’s substitutionary death.  This seed of faith from Abraham is Christ Jesus the long-awaited Messiah whose physical lineage is from the patriarch and whose divine lineage is from God the Father Himself as conceived by His Spirit working in young Mary (Matthew 1:20-21) to create the mystery of this hypostatic union of one who is fully God and simultaneously fully man.  The Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the promise of this covenant of faith to Abraham that all would find deliverance from sin through this same faith in God’s work (Romans 4:13-15, 16-17) as the keeping of the rules of the Law to earn salvation proved impossible if just one point (James 2:10) missed the mark, the very definition of sin (ἁμαρτία hamartia).  Jesus the Messiah never once missed the mark of God righteous Law.  Our inheritance by faith then was given by promise through Abraham who is the father of all in Christ by that same faith that hears the good news of God’s work to deliver us from sin’s penalty and trusts Him by believing and receiving that word of God which is personified in Jesus Christ (John 1:1, 14) to receive for salvation.  The Law’s purpose then was to prove our inability to do all God said to be good enough to deserve deliverance from divine justice that passed the sentence of death on us all as Adam’s descendants.  Righteousness could not be attained through infallible fallen men and women in this vain attempt which always comes short (Romans 3:23) of God’s requirements of perfect obedience in response to the perfect rebellion of disbelief and disobedience in the Garden when not taking God at His word to not take the forbidden fruit of the desire to gain the knowledge of good and evil in our own work and not as Je would have taught us if we had patiently listened and waited (Hebrews 5:14) to be taught by faith.  We were kept by the Law of salvation by works as unobtainable but instructive because this showed us we needed Christ to be justified by faith in Him and His work alone of grace and not ever possible to be gained in our feeble attempts to be righteous.  Now that Jesus Christ has come we no longer need the Law to gain salvation and reconciliation with God (even if impossible), but we have His work to impute the righteousness we could not earn to us as a gift of God’s goodness and love to restore our relationship with Him forevermore!  We who trust in Him and His work to keep the Law for us have been ushered into the household of God as His children out of every nation (Ephesians 2:19, 3:6) that we might then follow the words of the same Law written on our hearts willingly by the enabling presence of His Spirit to understand good and evil and do what is right and pleasing to our Father.  We all who are of this faith of Abraham are his seed (descendants) and heirs of the promise of eternal life, united into Christ as one people and faith of this New Covenant of Faith and Grace!