Galatians 3:15-29: One People of Promise

In these verses Paul gets to the heart of the matter as to why we don't impose on others certain standards of living the Christian life which we prefer for ourselves.  The Jewish Christians demanded the Gentile Christians to practice Christianity the "Jewish way."  Paul says no and here he lays down the hammer.

In Galatians 3:15-18 Paul uses the Covenant with Abraham to blow away all arguments against the message he is preaching.  He uses Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, and 22 to show that the Messiah, Jesus is the seed of Abraham to whom all the promises were made.  They are fulfilled in Jesus and thus all who become "in Christ" also inherit these promises.  This is significant because it means that the promises of land and expansion of the people of God flow only through union with Jesus, the seed of Abraham.  This is the point of Gal 3:29 where we are told that we who belong to Christ are Abraham's seed, heirs (of all that was promised) according to the promise given to Abraham through the Messiah. (Note:  We see Matthew 5 (the meek shall inherit the earth) and Romans 4 (Abraham heir of the world) that a tract of land in Israel was just the beginning.  God had in mind to give the family of God the whole earth--all the land.  Who is the land promise for?  Jew and Gentile together.)

In Galatians 3:17-18 Paul is immersed in the covenant ceremony of Genesis 15 to show that God ratified the covenant by walking alone through the cut of pieces of animals.  God was guaranteeing all the promises (swearing an oath on Himself) and requiring nothing of mankind in terms of fulfillment of the promises.  This covenant ceremony was 430 years prior to Moses receiving the law.  Thus, inclusion in the family of God and being an heir of promises has nothing to do with keeping the law or certain standards of living.  God's covenant is eternal and irrevocable.

Paul often anticipates our questions (compare Romans 8 on election) and here is no exception.  We might say then that the law is bad, obsolete . . . we can throw it away.  Absolutely not says Paul.  Then he explains that the Law (shown inferior to the Abrahamic covenant by verse 19) was a temporary custodian (not teacher).   The purpose of the Law is to give us a realization of sin and drive us to acceptance by God through faith alone.  The law does lead to blessing but not in the way those with a Jewish background thought.  They would have argued that they were the only seed of Abraham and that as such the way to blessing was by keeping the law.  No!  The law only leads to a curse because we cannot keep it.  It is holy, righteous, and good-- the Law contains the standards of a holy God for a redeemed people.  However, we cannot attain a not guilty verdict and acceptance with God through law-keeping.  We are now free through Messiah who has become a curse for us.  The fact is, as Paul will elsewhere show, that the Spirit is the key to the Christian life, not the Law.  Ironically, the Spirit takes the law and writes it on our hearts as part of the new covenant.  We see this in Hebrews and are thus shown that we do not and cannot throw away the moral requirements of God.

Remember what is at stake here.  Jewish believers were not accepting Gentile believers because they were not following their God-given customs--circumcision, Jewish calendar, food laws, etc.  Paul is saying that all are equally members of the body of Christ and that to go back to this Jewish law system as the way of living leads only to bondage for all.  There is something better now-- the Messiah has come and He has given us the Holy Spirit so that now we want to do the things that are pleasing to God.  But as far as acceptance with God and family membership--these are obtained by faith and not by keeping laws.

Let us not insist that others be just like us in the way they practice their Christianity.  We are ALL sons of God through faith in Christ.  We are ALL baptized into Christ (and baptized with the Holy Spirit) and we are ALL clothed with Christ.  All the old distinctions, inequalities, and prejudices are gone now.  In Christ ALL are equal.  We should then be ALL ONE, not divided just because some of our practices and preferences are different.

Let us then accept others in the family of God who look and act differently than we do and not impose on them what God is not requiring.  To require others to look, smell, and act just like we do in their Christian living smacks of high arrogance.  God has accepted them . . . it is about time that we do also.  All that God requires is that all come to the Messiah by faith and live by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . who is a God of great variety in terms of gifting, effects, and ministries.