Galatians 3:15-18

                                                                     Galatians 3:15-18

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.  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.  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 covenant that God made with Abraham supports the doctrine of justification by faith.  There are many arguments that could be given to prove this truth.  This passage provides two of them.  Paul is taking on the posture of a lawyer as he defends the position that the Law was never intended to be a means of salvation.  

 

ABRAHAM’S COVENANT PREVIEWS CHRIST: When God made the covenant with Abraham to bless all the nations through his offspring; it was clear that this was referring to Christ.  The promise was made in the name of a singular descendent and not all of the physical descendants.  In this way, from the very beginning, the covenant was established to be fulfilled through Christ.   

 

ABRAHAM’S COVENANT PREDATES THE LAW: There is no way that the Law can have any bearing on the covenant God made with Abraham because it was given 430 years after the fact.  There is no legal way that a covenant can be amended after it has been established.  To argue that the Law can have any influence on the promise of God is simply irrational.

 

APPLICATION: Despite the utter impossibility of the Law to take any precedence over the Covenant, mankind is still very tempted to try to earn favor with God through works.  Do not be fooled into the rationalism of legalism.  Look to Christ alone as the only means for salvation.