Galatians 3:15-25 • Promises Made, Promises Kept

Review & Overview

1. Previous Study’s Review

Remember there are 3 sections: Preservation, Explanation, Application

In Ch. 1 & 2 we looked at The Preservation of the Gospel.

In that section we looked at several ways how Paul preserved the Gospel of Grace or how he defended the Gospel of Grace.

We are currently in Ch. 3 dealing with The Explanation of the Gospel of Grace

here in Ch. 3 Paul offers 5 arguments regarding the Gospel of Grace.

And we saw the 1st argument Dealt with the Galatians themselves Vs. 1-5

Paul said, Who Has Bewitched You?

Did you receive the spirit by the works of the law or by hearing of faith?

2nd Argument Dealt with Abraham and his example Vs. 6-9

Abraham was made righteous by believing God way before the law came into the story line of humanity.

3rd Argument Dealt with The Law Vs. 10-14

Those who are under the law are under a curse because anyone goes to the Law for Righteousness has to keep every single law every single second of the their life.

2. Current Study’s Overview

This brings us to Vs. 15 where we are going to go back and continue the 2nd argument dealing with Abraham. Read…

The Title of Today’s Message Is: Promises Made, Promises Kept

Because as you saw in our quick reading of today’s scripture

If your taking notes we want to look at 4 things regarding Paul’s 2nd Argument to Explain The Gospel of Grace. Which deals with Abraham…

1. The Example of Man’s Promise Vs. 15

Paul is speaking practically here and not spiritually.

He is saying when human beings come into a contract agreement, no one would think of changing the document or adding to it.

So if human contracts can’t be broken, how much less can God’s promises!

ILLUSTRATION: Imagine you're about to purchase your first home. You've found the perfect house, and after weeks of negotiations, you finally sit down with the seller to sign the contract.

Both parties agree to the terms, and the contract is sealed with signatures.

Now, once that contract is signed, it's legally binding. Neither you nor the seller can change the terms or add new conditions.

If you agreed to pay a certain price, that’s the price you’ll pay.

If the seller agreed to fix certain issues before the sale, they have to fix them.

Any attempt to alter the contract without mutual consent would be illegal and void.

So, Paul uses this very familiar scenario to highlight a critical point about God’s promises.

If we, as flawed human beings, uphold the sanctity of our contracts and agreements, how much more will our perfect and holy God honor His promises to us?

Paul is emphasizing that God’s covenant, His promise, is far more unbreakable than any human contract.

APPLICATION: Think of all the promises God has made to you.

He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

He has promised to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

He has promised that all things will work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

These promises are not subject to change. They are not dependent on our circumstances or our feelings.

They are as sure as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.

2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV

20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

In other words, if God said it, He’s going to make it happen!

And you know what is the single most important promise God has made to us?

1 John 2:25 NKJV

25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

Do you believe that?

So if human contracts can’t be broken, how much less can God’s promises!

(1. The Example of Man’s Promises)

2. The Recipients of God’s Promises Vs. 16

No doubt these false teachers, these Judaizers were arguing the fact that God’s promises were originally made to Abraham and his seed, seed speaking of ISRAEL!

Genesis 21:12 NKJV

12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.

The false teachers were saying that this “seed’ that God is speaking of is speaking of the nation of Israel as a whole.

So what these Judaizers were arguing was that: Although the promises were originally made to Abraham and to his seed, Israel, by faith (that’s how it started), these same people of Israel were eventually put under the law.

Yes, it started off by faith but it eventually turned to the law.

So in the same way, the Galatians, though originally saved by faith, must now observe the Law.

And Paul answers this at the end of Vs. 16: The promises were made to Abraham and his Seed (singular). Speaking of one Person, Jesus Christ.

Look at the middle of Vs. 16 again…

So when God said “Seed”, He was not speaking of many people, He was not speaking of the whole nation of Isreal.

He was speaking of one person: Jesus Christ.

So, the recipients of God’s Promises was to Abraham and to his seed, Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: And you know what’s crazy? Just as the false teachers of Paul's time misunderstood the recipients of God's promises, we too can fall into the trap of thinking that our relationship with God depends on our adherence to certain rules or laws.

The Judaizers believed that after starting by faith, one had to revert to the law. But Paul reminds us that the promises were fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone.

If you're taking notes, I want to give you 3 simple reminders to help us avoid drifting from a faith-based relationship with God to a law-based one:

1. Recognize the Subtlety of Legalism: Legalism can creep into our lives in subtle ways.

It might manifest as a checklist mentality in our spiritual practices, where we believe that our prayer life, Bible reading, church attendance, or good deeds earn us favor with God.

Reflect on your spiritual routines: Are you doing these out of love and faith, or have they become obligations to secure God's approval?

2. Rest in Christ’s Finished Work: The essence of the gospel is that Jesus has already accomplished everything needed for our salvation.

Our relationship with God is secured by faith in Christ's finished work on the cross, not by our ability to follow a set of rules.

Meditate on this truth and let it bring you peace and assurance.

Whenever you feel the pressure to perform, remind yourself that Jesus has already done it all.

Romans 5:8 “8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

3. Evaluate Your Motivations: Regularly check your heart to see why you do what you do.

Are you serving in ministry, giving, or engaging in spiritual disciplines out of love for God and gratitude for His grace, or are you doing it to earn His favor or the approval of others?

Pray for God to purify your motives, grounding them in His love and grace.

3. The Timing of God’s Promise Vs. 17

God’s promise to Abraham was unconditional; it did not depend on works at all.

God simply agreed to give Abraham a Seed (Christ).

And even though he had no child, Abraham believed God, thus believing also in the Christ to come, which made him righteous.

The coming of the law—four hundred and thirty years later could not have affected the promise of salvation in any way.

It could neither revoke the promise nor add conditions to it.

So, what these Judaizers were probably suggesting was that the law, coming 430 years after the promise, had the effect of annulling it.

or make the promise invalid.

And Paul answers this argument and says: “The promise was like a will, and had been ratified (or it was made official) by a death, so it could not be revoked.

A will or testament is a legal document that outlines the distribution of someone's assets after their death.

Once the person who made the will dies, the will becomes legally binding and cannot be changed.

In the same way, God's promise to Abraham was made official and unchangeable through a covenant sacrifice, which is akin to the ratification by death.

And we see this promise made official or ratified by death, by a covenant sacrifice.

Right after God gives Abraham some promises God tells Abraham this in…

(the covenant sacrifice, Gen. 15:7–11; see also Heb. 9:15–22).

Genesis 15:7–9 NKJV

7 Then He said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.” 8 And he said, “Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

Genesis 7:10–11 NKJV

10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

APPLICATION: Just as Abraham believed God's promise despite his childless state, we are called to trust in God's promises for our lives, even when fulfillment seems impossible or delayed.

Hold firm to the truth that God's promises are unconditional and based on His grace, not our performance.

4. The Nature of God’s Promise Vs. 18

The inheritance must be either by faith or by works. It cannot be by both.

Scripture makes it clear that it was given to Abraham by unconditional promise. So it is with salvation.

It is offered as an unconditional gift. Any thought of working for it is excluded.

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

APPLICATION: Talk about how it is so fundamental that we are saved by grace simply and not by any work at all.

Illustration: Imagine receiving a priceless gift from a loved one, beautifully wrapped and handed to you with a beaming smile.

Would you respond by reaching into your wallet, insisting on paying for it? No.

The value of the gift lies not in its price but in the love and grace with which it was given.

So it is with the inheritance promised to Abraham and the gift of salvation offered to us.