Our Unity Under Christ

Introduction

Though we live lives that is wrought with uncertainty, suffering, and great strife, we are truly blessed. The mainstream media constantly bombards us with messages that cause fear, uncertainty, and dismay; however, we as Christians, are reassured that our future will bring about order, peace, and tremendous joy. While we must endure the tumultuous times until the Kingdom of God is consummated, we have the peace of Jesus Christ that provides us stamina to finish the work that has begun. The Holy Spirit continues to empower us, day by day, to push through the strife so that the gospel message may be told to all. Fear not what the current times present to you but lean upon the true reality in which God revealed to us.

Galatians 3:15–4:7

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.

17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.

18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.

20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.

22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

26 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.

1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything,

2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.

3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

4 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.

Galatians 3:15 (ESV): “To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.”

When we read this passage, we have to ask, “Which covenant is Paul discussing here?” If we look at the inheritance law of the Romans, we will find that the a last will and testament could be modified, just as ours can be—up until death. When we look at the Greek law and Hebrew inheritance law, we will find that the inheritance could not be modified once it was approved by the governing bodies. For this reason, we now understand the context in which Paul is speaking from for the following verses.

Galatians 3:16 (ESV): “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

While there are many modern scholars that will argue differently, it is clear that Paul views the covenant made with Abraham to be through a singular offspring—Jesus Christ. Academics like Dunn and Sanders will argue that the true intention of the passage was that “offspring” was truly a plurality using a singular word as a whole, this contradicts Paul’s statement. The grand promise to Abraham was fulfilled through the birth of Jesus Christ, who has truly blessed the world.

Galatians 3:17–18 (ESV): “This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.”

The promise that God gave to Abraham came almost half a millennium prior to the law that was given to Moses. Because of this, some mistakenly conclude that the law supersedes the promise. This is a grave mistake, which some of the ancient Jews made themselves. Many transformed the works of the law into a means of works-salvation. Many adherents to the law believed it was by the law they would be saved, so much boasting is seen through the Pharisees and Sadducees as to how well they followed the law. The reality is that the law never saved the person, but it was always the faith in God’s promise that would save them. The law did not supersede the need of faith, but merely pointed to their inability to save themselves.

Galatians 3:19–20 (ESV): “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.”

While Grace was first provided through the promise, the law provided the mirror that shoed ourselves how wretched we truly are. Before we looked in the mirror, we thought we looked good, but once we looked at ourselves, we saw that we had bags under our eyes, messy hair, and that we needed to wash the dirt off our face. We were dirty! The law shows us our shortcomings, that we cannot save ourselves, and that we need a savior.

Galatians 3:21–24 (ESV): “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

The law was never meant to justify humans before a Holy God, but instead to condemn them. The law pointed humanity toward their need of a savior because it unearthed their shortcomings. While we were unable to save ourselves, and likened to being “prisoners” under the law, God’s promise was not forgotten. In His timing, we were given the promise, which is Jesus Christ, who redeemed us from the law.

Galatians 3:25–27 (ESV): “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

So now that Christ has come, and we Christians have faith in the Savior, we are now redeemed by Jesus’ blood and justified through faith in Him. As the law shows us, we do not deserve redemption, but in God’s great love and mercy for us, we are given this divine gift, freely, not for anything that we have done. It was given to us with no strings attached, except that we have faith, and trust that we are saved by Him.

Galatians 3:28 (ESV): “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.”

While society is currently telling us of all our differences, the Bible teaches us differently. The world will want to divide the women and men so that they are at enmity with each other, or that different races should beware of each other, or others will divide us based on sexual preferences or even which football team you like. Without discussing politics, morality, or anything else, I will say two things:

1. How can anybody be a fan of the Redskins’s fans? This team is just not good.

2. We are all united under Christ. Our differences do not matter, except for the Redskins fans, and we should stop trying to look at ourselves as different. Christ does not care if you are black or white, rich or poor, short or tall, or democrat or republican. It does not matter! We are either a Christian or we are the walking dead, for only the believer has been made alive through Christ.

Our identity is not found in the things we own, the jobs we have, the circumstances we were born into. It is not the country in which we live, or the race of your parents, nor is it your looks by which we are defined. Our identity is fully defined by our faith in Jesus Christ. Everything else is mere definitions of the world that will have no meaning in our eternity in the Kingdom of God.

If you feed the false dichotomy that the world teaches, then you have lost sight of your identity. The only true dichotomy that matters is whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, and that is why we must proclaim the gospel to the far reaches of the world.

Galatians 3:29–4:2 (ESV): “And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father.”

Like a child, we in a way own what our parents own. One day, we inherit our parent’s estate; however, until then, we do not have control of the estate. So simultaneously, the child both owns the estate and is not the owner while they are still under their guardianship. We can view that child as no longer being under guardianship until a certain age—in our case that would be 18, but the estate is still managed. Similarly, that child owns no more than the servant of the estate, but one day, that child will gain full rights to the inheritance.

Galatians 4:3–7 (ESV): “In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

So while we were slaves under the law, Jesus Christ came to free us. The law was our guardian, but Jesus Christ freed us from that status, so that we become full heirs to the inheritance. We are now the sons and daughters in the Kingdom of God, as full heirs. But how is this that we are full heirs? Wouldn’t Jesus Christ be the only heir as the only Son begotten son? No. God has made us all heirs and made us His children through the reconciliation that Jesus Christ has provided! How glorious is this that a wretch like me can be called a child of God?

Conclusion

We can certainly say that we live in uncertain times from the secular world view. It must be frightening for the non-believer, and we can even feel that way at times as well. We must continue to remember who is in control, and that everything that occurs is ordained, for He, is sovereign over all things. While we do not understand why certain things must occur as they do, there is a good that will come from it, for the Scriptures tell us:

Romans 8:28 (ESV): “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

So, in our limited understanding, we may become scared or want to question why suffering must occur, we remain steadfast in our faith that God’s promise will not be broken. The Kingdom of God is coming, and in it, no suffering will exist. No longer will we live in a world where people are divided, or people assaulted, or senseless murdered. No longer will countries need to fight wars, and no longer will disputes over religion or the lack thereof take place. The one eternal truth will be proclaimed in unity by all, on bended knee, that Jesus Christ is Lord and that there is only one God. Let us not wait until that day to be unified, but today, in unity, treat each other with respect, and proclaim Jesus is Lord.