Grace, Grace, God's Grace
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The Superior: The Promise of Messiah
The Superior: The Promise of Messiah
15 Brothers, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to even a human covenant that has been ratified.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ.
17 And I say this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not revoke a covenant that was previously ratified by God and cancel the promise.
18 For if the inheritance is from the law, it is no longer from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
Paul constructs several arguments about how the Covenant God made with Abraham carries more weight than the Covenant of the Law.
The Covenant, even human ones, is binding. verse 15
The Covenant is through Jesus (You can’t get any better than that) vs 16
The Covenant is older, and unaltered nor voided. v.17
The Covenant benefit (inheritance) can’t proceed from two places, law AND promise.
The Inferior: The Prison of the Law
The Inferior: The Prison of the Law
19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one.
21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law.
22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.
24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.
25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Right up front it should be pointed out that even though the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, The Covenant of Law is past, the moral expectations it reveals should still be preached.
The covenant of law is long past, but the moral demands of the law have not diminished, having neither begun nor ended with the Mosaic covenant. That is why preaching the moral, ethical standards of the law today is still imperative in driving men to Christ. Unless men realize they are living in violation of God’s law and therefore stand under His divine judgment, they will see no reason to be saved.
This is powerful.
Let’s look at the purpose of the law, while reminding ourselves that it is inferior to the grace that comes through faith in Jesus.
It reveals that we overstep
It reveals that we overstep
19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
It requires two parties
It requires two parties
19 Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. The law was put into effect through angels by means of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not for just one person, but God is one.
It reveals that we are imprisoned to sin
It reveals that we are imprisoned to sin
21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly be by the law.
22 But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed.
A law cannot give life, because we are prisoners to sin, but the promise- BY faith- is given to those who believe.
The law shows that we are prisoners to sin, Jesus came to set the captive free.
(This means that by the new birth, we now have power of sin.. and that power comes from yielding to God’s Spirit)
It guides us toward faith in Jesus
It guides us toward faith in Jesus
24 The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith.
25 But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
26 for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Guardian, leader, guide, in particular for a child.
But when we come to faith in Jesus, in large part because guided to by the law to realize that we were helpless sinners in need of grace, we no longer need the guardian, we are able to follow the Christ on our own.