The Promise and the Law

In Paul has spent significant time expounding on the Law. Remember, Paul is trying to build bridges between Jew’s and Gentiles. so naturally he would need to talk about the Law that so many Jews had spent their life obeying- the same Law he was advocating abandoning.

In the verses that we are examining today Paul tackles 2 questions and then makes a statement that is a wonderful encouragement for us to consider in the midst of Advent. So, let’s take a look at Paul’s words for us today.

The first question is found in v19- Why then the Law? You know, some of those Christians who had converted from Judaism must have felt a little abandoned. After all, they had followed these Laws for their entire lives- making sure that they obeyed them and providing sacrifices for when they could not- what was the point? Why would God put the Law into place, ask for obedience, and then change the rules at this point?

Paul says that the Law was put in place because of transgressions. Friends, we must remember that the Law was not made to provide salvation- the Law was provided to show mankind that we need saving.

Think of it this way, if there is no Law then there is no clear definition of right and wrong. If there is no clear definition of right and wrong then there is no such thing as sin and righteousness, and if there is no such thing as sin and righteousness then there is no reason for Jesus to provide salvation.

The second question Paul grapples with is “Is the law contrary to the promises of God?” Certainly not! Paul says. In fact, the law points to the promises of God. Remember, God promised redemption, and he promised a Savior. It is impossible for the Law to save us, so the law points to the promise of a Savior, that we cannot save ourselves because of the law, so God must provide someone to take our guilt- the law points to Jesus.

That is one of the reasons that we cannot abandon the OT as Christians. While it does not carry the same implications for us as it did the Jews, it is still important for us. The birth of Jesus did not happen in a vacuum. It is not as if God was up in heaven twiddling his thumbs with nothing to do and he said “I know, I’ll send my Son to Earth” and then- BOOM it happened. No, God had been working up to this point and reveling more and more for decades. The OT and the law contained in it show us how God sets the scene and prepared the world for the coming of Jesus.

Now, let’s dig into the meat of this section verses 23-29.

The primary words that Paul builds this section around are guardian, faith, sons, offspring, and heirs.

First he talks about the law being our guardian. The imagery is that of a adopted or foster parent that leads and directs a child into maturity until they are reunited with a biological parent. Think of it this way, the law helped people stay in the will and practice of God- it was never meant to be their God- that is where the Pharisees got it wrong! The law became their God. The law was a guardian in the sense that it kept them in check- guardian not in a negative light, but in a positive light.

Then- JESUS. Jesus provides for us righteousness through faith- our second word. Faith in Christ releases us from the guardianship of the law. We have a chance for a new kind of relationship with God, not through the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Up until Christ mankind had a distant relationship with God, at best. The law attempted to keep them as holy as possible, and sacrifices covered the times when they failed to keep the law. The only people that had a somewhat close relationship with God were the priests who served as mediators on the behalf of the people.

The rules change because through faith the relationship changed..

This brings us to our final group of words- son, offspring, and heirs.

Ok, this next statement may be shocking and difficult to hear, but bear with me- NOT EVERYONE IS A CHILD OF GOD.

I know, I would get censored in some areas for saying that, but it is Biblical truth. And I will show you.

Understand, all humans are CREATED by God and are made in the IMAGE of God as taught in the first 3 chapters of think that is what people are trying to capture when they say we are all children of God. It is true that all mankind is created by God and made in the image of God- but to say we are all children of God is incorrect- listen to these verses-

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. “

“ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

We can say “we are all children of God” all we want, but it doesn’t make it true. Jesus came to provide our adoption as children of God, so the only way that adoption is achieved is through faith in Jesus.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

We can say “we are all children of God” all we want, but it doesn’t make it true.

This is one of the great truths of Christmas- because of the Son of God became a man, men came become Children of God.

Really think about this for a moment- there is a great truth wrapped up in Galatians 7- you are no longer a slave, but a Son. Jesus told his followers in that “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing.”

Jesus has done what the Law could never do- even if a person obeyed all of the rules, gave all the sacrifices, and did all of the things they were called to do- they could not be adopted- that happened through Christ.

There is another great truth of this adoption wrapped up in “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. “

Henry Nouwen once said that “To be chosen as the Beloved of God is something radically different. Instead of excluding others, it includes others. Instead of rejecting others as less valuable, it accepts others in their own uniqueness. It is not a competitive, but a compassionate choice. Our minds have great difficulty in coming to grips with such a reality. Maybe our minds will never understand it. Perhaps it is only our hearts that can accomplish this. Every time we hear about 'chosen people', 'chosen talents', or 'chosen friends', we almost automatically start thinking about elites and find ourselves not far from feelings of jealousy, anger, or resentment”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .”

So, here is my question for you today- are you a child of God? Can you celebrate a family holiday this year?