THE LAW AND THE PROMISE
TEXT:
Galatians 3:15-25
INTRODUCTION:
A. ABRAHAM AND MOSES
1. Abraham received the promise
2. Moses received the Law.
3. God told Abraham, “I will.”
4. God told Moses, “Thou shalt.”
B. THE PROMISE AND THE LAW
1. The promise created a religion dependent on God.
2. The law created a religion dependent on man.
3. The promise centers on God’s plan.
4. The law centered on man’s duty.
5. The promise focuses on God’s grace, sovereignty, and blessings.
6. The law focused on man’s duty, work, responsibility, and behavior.
7. The promise requires only sincere faith.
8. The law required perfect obedience.
C. THE ARGUMENT OF THE JUDAIZERS
1. Paul had heard the Judaizer’s arguments and he was responding to them.
2. One of their complaints was that the law annulled Abraham’s promise.
3. They claimed that the plan of salvation changed when the Law was given.
4. They claimed that God made the law a supplement to faith.
5. This is the claim that Paul was responding to in Galatians 3:15-22
I. THE SUPERIORITY OF THE PROMISE (Gal 3:15-18)
A. IT WAS “DULY ESTABLISHED”
15 Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case.
1. This covenant “has been duly established.”
2. You can’t take a covenant that has been duly established and change it.
3. If I made a covenant with you that I would pay you $100 for the rest of your life and four years later I changed the covenant to say that you
owed me $100 for the rest of your life, it would be illegal.
4. Not even humans go back on their word, so why would Almighty God?
5. Once the agreement was “duly established” it was unchangeable.
6. covenant - Gk. diatheke – compact, covenant, last will and testament
7. In Genesis 15 God made a covenant with Abraham
8. Gen.15:5“…count the stars—if you can …so shall your offspring be.”
9. That covenant was “duly established” by God and it cannot be changed.
B. IT WAS ESTABLISHED ON CHRIST
16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
1. The Law could not possibly have superseded the promise to Abraham, because the promise was based on the Messiah, Jesus Christ who would come after the Law was given to fulfill the promise which was given before the law was given.
2. Paul establishes this on the basis of the singular usage of the word SEED.
3. The one and only heir of every promise of God is Christ.
4. Every promise given in the covenant was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
5. The only way we can participate in those blessings is to be a JOINT HEIR with Christ.
6. Before and after Christ came, Salvation was through Christ alone.
7. Before and after the Law was given, salvation was through CHRIST alone.
8. Before the cross required looking forward to Christ’s sacrifice.
9. After the cross requires looking back to Christ’s sacrifice.
10. His blood covered sin on both sides of the cross.
(Can I have a good amen?)
C. IT WAS “PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED”
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
1. The promise was superior because it was established 430 years before.
2. 430 years is a reference to the time God renewed His covenant with one of Abraham’s offspring.
3. You see, God renewed the covenant with Jacob.
4. There was actually 430 years between the time the covenant was renewed to Jacob and the time the Law was given to Moses.
5. The point is, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were saved without the Law.
6. The law was not given until centuries after God’s promise to these men.
7. Obviously, the Law had nothing to do with the promise.
8. Quite obviously, the Law had nothing to do with Abraham’s justification.
9. If the law had nothing to do with Abraham’s justification, how can it have anything to do with anyone’s justification?
D. IT ESTABLISHED OUR INHERITANCE
18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
1. An inheritance based on law depends on the inheritors performance, but one based on a promise depends solely on the estate of the deceased.
2. For instance, if someone made a stipulation in their will that you had to finish college in order to receive $20,000, then the will is based on a law that you must obey in order to receive the benefit.
3. However, if someone merely promised you an inheritance of $20,000 in their will, then it only depends on whether or not the deceased had $20,000 in their estate.
4. One is based on a law the other is based on a promise.
5. Our spiritual inheritance of eternal life, righteousness, and forgiveness are all based on the promise of God.
6. Our spiritual inheritance is not based on our performance.
7. Our spiritual inheritance is based on God’s promise.
8. And God is well able to keep His promise. (Can I have a good amen?)
II. THE INFERIORITY OF THE LAW (v.19-22)
A. ITS PURPOSE MADE THE LAW INFERIOR
19 What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions…
1. The obvious question of the Judaizers was, “Why do we have the law?”
2. If salvation has always been by faith and never by works, why the law?
3. Paul gets right to the point, “It was added because of transgressions…”
4. transgressions – Gk. parabasis – para=side baino=step – to step over
5. The purpose of law was to show man that he was stepping over the mark.
6. It was to demonstrate that man is unable to please God by his own works.
7. It shows man how utterly sinful he is and in need of God’s mercy.
8. The Law was added to show the depth of man’s transgressions.
9. It was given to show guilt.
10. As Paul explains later, the law was a “tutor to lead us to Christ” (3:24).
11. If a man thinks he’s perfect, he’ll never try to change.
12. One of the reasons we like to take our Bible Quizzers outside the state is to help them rate themselves against outside competition. They could get the idea that they don’t need to study anymore because they can beat every team inside the state. Then they discover that there are teams outside the state that are better than they are. They find out just how imperfect they really are.
13. They realize their need to improve.
14. The law did the same thing to all mankind.
15. It showed us how imperfect we really are.
16. It leads us to the conclusion that we can never make it on our own.
17. We eventually see that we need Jesus more than anything.
(Can I have a good amen?)
B. ITS LIMITATIONS MADE THE LAW INFERIOR
19b …until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come...
1. The law was temporary.
2. The law was only meant to last “until the Seed” had come.
3. The law was only meant to last until Jesus came.
4. God’s promise to Abraham was eternal.
5. God’s law given to Moses was only “until the Seed…had come.”
6. We are no longer under the Mosaic law.
7. We are no longer under the law of sin and death.
8. However, we are still under a law.
9. It is called the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2)
C. ITS MEDIATORS MADE THE LAW INFERIOR
19c The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator.
20 A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one.
1. John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
2. The law could be given by a mere man.
3. But it took God to bring grace and truth.
4. A man or an angel could deliver the message of the law.
5. But the promise required a payment that only Jesus could make.
6. The promise included a promise of forgiveness
7. Forgiveness required someone to pay for our sins.
8. The law was based on man, but the promise is based on God.
D. ITS DEADNESS MADE THE LAW INFERIOR
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
22 But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
1. The law was inferior because it could not impart life.
2. If a law could have been given that “could impart life”, then Jesus need not have gone to the cross.
3. If law could impart life, then righteousness would have come through law.
4. But, no law could impart life.
5. No law could pay the price of our sin.
6. All the law could do was impart death.
7. All the law could do was EXPOSE our sin.
8. Prisoner – Gk. sunekleisen –close together like fishnet – to close all sides
9. When we finally see ourselves trapped in sin, we find God offering us redemption.
E. ITS FUNCTION MADE THE LAW INFERIOR
23 Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed.
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
25 Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
1. The law functioned to hem us in as prisoners where grace was the key out.
2. The law functioned as a “supervisor” or “tutor” to lead us to Christ.
3. The law was not an end in itself, it was given to point to the promise.
4. Have you ever met a school teacher and checked to see if your were dressed according to dress code?
5. Have you ever met an ex-principal and for a fleeting second considered what trouble you may be in, even though you are out of school?
6. Since faith has come, we’re no longer under the “tutor” (NASV).
7. Notice, he doesn’t say, “since Christ has come.”
8. He says, “Now that FAITH has come…”
9. When we believe, we are no longer under the law.
10. When we believe, we are under grace.
CONCLUSION:
1. You can never fully appreciate the blessings of God’s grace and mercy until you see yourself against the backdrop of the law.
2. When we see how much the law had enslaved us, we appreciate how fully God’s grace has delivered us.
3. When we see how completely the law had condemned us, we appreciate how freely we’ve been forgiven.
4. When we see how trapped we were under the law, we appreciate how free we are under God’s grace.
5. When you see how desperately wicked you were, you appreciate how graciously forgiven you are.
