Articles
The Promise Fulfilled
The Promise Fulfilled
More than 400 years before God revealed His covenant law with Israel through Moses, God made promises to Abraham: specifically recorded in Gen. 12:1-3 and includes the promise that “in your seed all nations will be blessed.” [cp. Gal 3:16] To get from Abraham to Jesus, we go through 2000 years of history of Abraham’s family. There are a lot of ups and down, successes and failures. Then, the good news: Jesus – the son of David, the son of Abraham (cp. Matt. 1:1). The promise of all nations being blessed is then revealed through Jesus.
Thus, Paul writes that “…if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).
HOW then does one come to ‘belong to Christ?”
The Law (of Moses) was given as a ‘tutor’ to lead people (Israel in particular) to Jesus (vs. 24).
Now that the Gospel has been revealed through Jesus, we are no longer under the tutorship of the Old Testament law (vs. 25). Why?
Notice verse 26 begins “FOR”. For this reason. Here Paul states the reason that disciples of Jesus are not under the tutor.
BUT also notice that verse 27 also begins with the same word: “FOR”. We are children of God FOR (because, for this reason) ALL of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
In this relationship as sons of God through Jesus, the promised blessing includes ALL PEOPLE (Mark 16:15-16; Matt. 28:18-20, etc.): Jews, Gentiles, free-men, slaves, males, and females.
Paul then concludes: “and if you be Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise”
Are you Abraham’s seed? Have you been baptized into Christ? Are you thus a child of God?
Hugh DeLong
