Monday, April 27, 2009
Galatians 3:15-18
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. 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. 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. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. (ESV)
by Jerry Johnson
The Apostle Paul makes clear that the Law given through Moses does not contradict the promise that was given to Abraham. Christ is the Seed of Abraham who fulfilled the promise of justification by faith. When the Law came it could not and did not annul this principle. The Good News is that Christ fulfilled that Law on our behalf and then endured the curse of our lawlessness in order to provide that justification. This does not mean that the Law is not to have a part in our lives, just that it is not the means of our salvation because there is no way we can meet its perfect demands.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.
