Transcript

A man once walked into a little mom-and-pop grocery store and asked, “Do you sell salt?”

“Ha!” said the proprietor. “Do we sell salt! Just look!” And the owner showed the customer one entire wall of shelves stocked with nothing but salt: Morton salt, iodized salt, kosher salt, sea salt, rock salt, garlic salt, seasoning salt, Epsom salts, every kind of salt imaginable.

“Wow!” said the customer. “You think that’s something?” said the owner with a wave of his hand. “That’s nothing! Come look.” And he led the customer to a back room filled with shelves and bins and cartons and barrels and boxes of salt. “Do we sell salt!” he said.

“Unbelievable!” said the customer. “You think that’s something?” said the owner. “Come! I’ll show you salt!” And the owner led the customer down some steps into a huge basement, filled wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, with every imaginable form and size and shape of salt, even huge ten-pound salt licks for the cow pasture.

“Incredible!” said the customer. “You really do sell salt!” “No!” said the owner. “That’s just the problem! We never sell salt! But that salt salesman, Hoo-boy! Does he sell salt!”

Many have been sold on the thinking that they have to live by the law today, and hoo-boy do people like legalism and rule-keeping.

But God has set us free from the law, and we live in the dispensation of grace, and we are called to live in our personal relationship with God by the power, freedom, and glory of His grace today.

Galatians 3:15-18: “Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

“For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

Paul begins here with an illustration concerning covenants, showing how binding and unchangeable a covenant is. Paul uses a “man’s covenant” or contract as an example.

Paul reminds us that contracts are “confirmed” or ratified. If you sit down and make a contract with somebody and both sign it, it is confirmed and it makes it binding on both parties.

Then Paul states that once a contract is confirmed, “no man disannulleth,” or it cannot be made null and void. And “no man…addeth thereto,” or you can’t add to a contract.

At no time in the future can one of the parties add new instructions, restrictions, or render it null and void. It remains in force until the fulfillment of the terms.

If we agree with a contractor to build a deck for so many dollars, we cannot demand that the contractor add a roof to the deck without changing the contract or the price. Neither can the contractor charge you more than what’s set out in the agreement.

And Paul’s point of his illustration is that, as human covenants, once confirmed, are irrevocable, unchangeable, and binding, how much more certain is a covenant that God makes. It will never be revoked, changed, and it is binding. And because He is faithful and unchanging, God will fulfill His covenants completely.

Speaking of covenants, Paul goes on to say, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

There are four seeds of Abraham explained in Scripture. First, there is Abraham’s “natural seed,” which are all physical descendants of Abraham. Second, there is his “natural/spiritual seed” which are the believing physical descendants of Abraham.

Third, there is Abraham’s spiritual seed, which are his believing non-physical descendants of Abraham. Speaking of this, later in this chapter, in verse 29, Paul said, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed…”

And fourth, there is Abraham’s “Ultimate Seed,” the Lord Jesus Christ, which Paul speaks of here in verse 16.

Paul stated that “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.”

Speaking of these promises, Genesis 12:7 reads, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land…” And in Genesis 22:18, God gave Abraham this promise: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed…”

Paul wrote here that the promises in the covenant were not all made to a plurality: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”

The term, “Seed,” in Hebrew, Greek, and English can refer to either one descendant or, in a collective sense, to many descendants. Thus, Paul wrote verse 16 the way he did to emphasize that he was talking about only one Seed, “which is Christ.”

The “Seed” God had in mind when He made many of His covenant promises to Abraham was the one Descendant, the Ultimate Seed, Jesus Christ.

As the “Seed,” Christ is the epitome and pinnacle of the promises made to Abraham.

And it is through Christ that believing Israel will be a blessing to the nations of the earth, it is through Christ that believing Israel will be given the promised land, and it is through Christ that believing Israel will be righteous and live forever in His earthly kingdom.

Paul’s stress on “Seed” singular and not “seeds” plural, was made to point out that the blessings and the promises would one day be realized and fulfilled through a single individual, the Messiah. The promises to Abraham were made looking forward to the One descendant of Abraham in Whom all the promises would ultimately be fulfilled.

And to have access to the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, one must be joined to the Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. And Abraham’s multiplied seed would be blessed in the One Seed. It is through Christ, not by the law, that the promises to Abraham were possible and will be fulfilled one day.

In verse 17, Paul wrote, “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ…

This refers to the Abrahamic covenant, which was confirmed and sealed with God’s own oath. Hebrews 6:13-14 says, “For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.”

The Abrahamic covenant was irrevocable and unchangeable, and it was unconditional in that it depends on God, not man. Its complete fulfillment still awaits the salvation of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Christ.

Then Paul added that “the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.”

The law, given 430 years later, did not alter or nullify God’s covenant with Abraham. The latter covenant did not supersede or invalidate the former covenant.

The conditional covenant of the law also did not affect the unconditional promise to Abraham or make that “promise of none effect.”

That covenant was still binding according to its original intention; thus, the Law must have been given for some entirely different purpose from that of the promise, which he goes on to explain in verse 19.

But first, Paul added in verse 18 that “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

Paul’s argument in this verse is that the inheritance and blessings that God promised to Abraham could not be derived from both the law and the promise as their source.

It had to be one or the other. If it were based on observing the law, then it could not be based on the promise. And if it were based on the promise, it could not be based on the law.

And the answer was obvious: God gave it to Abraham thru the promise. It was not due to anything Abraham did; it was not according to the works of the law, Abraham received the inheritance and promised blessings from God as a gift, by grace, with no strings attached.

Galatians 3:19-21: “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

“Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

If the law did not annul or add conditions to the promise God made to Abraham, and it could not justify, Paul asked a question, “What is the meaning and purpose of the law?”

The answer is: “It was added because of transgressions.” The law was not part of the Abrahamic covenant that was confirmed by God, and since things cannot be added to a covenant, as Paul established in verse 15, the law was brought in alongside the promise.

And it was brought alongside it for the purpose of transgressions, to reveal transgressions. God annexed the law as a subordinate covenant to serve His covenant with Abraham.

The word, “transgression,” means a step beyond a fixed limit into forbidden territory. The law was the fixed limit, and it showed man when he stepped beyond what is right into the realm of what is wrong.

I John 3:4 says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

The law was not given to justify people, not to help people do what is right, but to show them their wrongs, to show them when they overstepped the bounds of God’s standards. The law reveals the utter sinfulness of man and makes one conscious of it.

It was brought alongside the promise to Abraham to reveal sin, not remove it. Its purpose was to show Israel their need for righteousness, not to be a means of securing righteousness, to show Israel their need for deliverance from their sins, not to deliver them.

The law gives the knowledge of sin, it convicts of sin, and it reveals mankind’s inability to save himself and his desperate need for a Savior.

And thus, the law “was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.” In other words, the law came to point people toward Christ.

He is “the Seed…to Whom the promise was made,” as verse 16 says, and the One through Whom the promised Abrahamic blessings were to come and be fulfilled.

The law prepared Israel for the coming Messiah and Savior, and it helped her to see her great need of Him and His salvation.

And the Lord uses the Law under grace for the same purpose today as well: to give us a knowledge of sin, convict us of sin, and point us to Christ. As Paul wrote in Romans 7:7: “…I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.”

Paul said that the law “was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.” A mediator is a go-between for two parties. The giving of the law had two mediators: angels and Moses.

The angels were the mediators between God and Moses. And Moses was the mediator between the angels and Israel.

When the law was given, God used angels to give the law to Moses (Deut. 33:2). And then after the law was mediated to Moses at Mt. Sinai, he, in turn, passed it on to Israel.

The way the promise was made to Abraham and the law was revealed to Israel, illustrates the inferiority of the law to the promise. Because God gave the promise by appearing directly to Abraham, but the law was “ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

Then, in verse 20, Paul wrote, “Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.”

Paul’s point is that a “mediator” is required when more than one party is involved, but God alone ratified the covenant with Abraham.

A mediator implies a covenant between two parties, both of whom have responsibilities, which is true of the Mosaic Covenant. Israel had a part, and God had a role. Israel’s responsibility was to obey, and God’s role was to bless that obedience.

On the other hand, when Paul says, “God is one,” he means that the “promise” was unilateral and was given to Abraham directly without a mediator, and God alone had the responsibility to fulfill it.

Part of the argument here is that what God gives directly and personally, or the promise, is better than what is given indirectly through a go-between, or the law.

Another point Paul is making is that the Abrahamic covenant is superior to the law in that it is all God. Everything depended on God and nothing on man.

The overall logic and message of Paul in this section is to compare law and works with something God did for Abraham by grace, and was responded to by Abraham in faith.

Paul is showing the superiority of grace and faith over law and works, to challenge the Galatians not to put themselves under the law.

God’s program today is all about His unconditional love and the grace He is showing the nations. And the Church is called to respond to that grace by faith, and to live by God’s grace and in the liberty we have in Christ.

In verse 21, Paul wrote, “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

The law is not against the promises that God made to Abraham, Paul says, and it was not given to replace the promise. God gave both the law and the promise, but for different purposes. The law and promise cooperate with another and have different functions. The law operates in a different area and has a ministry of condemnation.

The law is not for the purpose of giving life and righteousness. It is the perfect, righteous standard of God, and as Paul says, “if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.”

But the law does not give life, it demands death. It demands righteousness, but it does not provide it. Because no one keeps it perfectly. So it was unwise for the Galatians and for anyone in this dispensation of grace to put themselves under the law.

If God had given His law and its works to give life and righteousness and then there is the promise to Abraham also offering life and righteousness through faith, then you have two systems in conflict.

But the law was not given to bring spiritual life and righteousness, but instead it was to show Israel her sins and need so they might turn to God and the promise.

Galatians 3:22-29: “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

“But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Paul states in verse 22 that “the Scripture hath concluded all under sin.” The word “concluded” literally means to inclose or confine.

Paul paints a picture of imprisonment here. The bars of the cell are sin, keeping us confined. The truth of the Scriptures has put us in the prison, because the law pointed out our sinful condition. So we sit imprisoned by sin and cannot escape it. And the law cannot help us, because it’s what demanded that we be put in prison in the first place.

God wants us to recognize where we are, spiritually speaking, when we are outside of Christ. And we are imprisoned and are prisoners of sin. And ALL are “under sin,” because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. In that prison, we are doomed and heading for eternal death. And our only hope is the grace and mercy of God.

And by grace, Paul says that all are under sin, “that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

The promise of righteousness, life, and freedom from our sins is available by the “faith of Jesus Christ,” or by His faithfulness and by His Cross, His faithfulness to provide the way for our redemption and forgiveness.

And the only way one is set free from the prison of sin is just to “believe” and respond to God’s grace and Christ’s provision at the Cross for our deliverance.

When we trust Christ and the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again, in that moment, we are freed from all our sins, and given life and righteousness.

Paul says, “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.”

Before faith came is referring to “[the] faith” that was revealed unto Paul and the gospel of the grace of God.” That is “the faith which should afterwards be revealed” to Paul for this current dispensation of grace.

Walking through history, Paul had spoken of the promise that was revealed to Abraham, then the law that was added hundreds of years later because of transgressions, and now Paul speaks of “the faith” and the grace of God that was revealed to him for this age.

Before the faith came and was revealed, Paul says, “we were kept under the law.” Paul switched to the first person plural “we” here thru verse 25, and is referring to the Jews.

The law acted as a jail guard, holding Israel in custody, in bondage, and fenced in by the law’s requirements.

Israel was kept under the law, and “shut up unto” the faith for today, meaning they had no contact with it. This is because the faith was unrevealed until Paul.

Israel was kept under the law and shut up unto the faith until Paul, until the dispensation of grace began and the faith was revealed to him, which makes known our deliverance from sin and freedom from the law by the Cross of Jesus Christ.

Until that time, Paul said that for Israel, “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.” Schoolmaster refers to a child leader or tutor. Paul said that the function of the law was like a tutor, to train, teach, guide, and discipline Israel.

This was to the end that it might “bring us unto Christ.” The law revealed to Israel her sins, it showed her need, it prepared her for the Redeemer and guided her to Him until the time of Christ, so that when the faith came and was revealed for this age, they might respond and believe in Christ and His finished work and “be justified by faith.”

Paul said that “But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

Once the faith and grace truth for this age had come, Paul said that “we” or Israel was no longer under the schoolmaster, or no longer under the law.

Today, we are under grace. Believers should not go back under the law and the time of the schoolmaster and tutors, which guided and led them by the hand step by step and gave them strict rules to follow and disciplined them when they failed.

The law no longer governs our relationship with God. Rather, under grace, our relationship with God is to be led and guided by the grace of God, and it is carried in the power of the Holy Spirit, by His Word rightly divided, and in our freedom in Christ.

Turning back to the Galatian believers, Paul says, “YE are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The word, “children,” means “sons,” and full-grown, adult sons at that.

Paul’s point here is that, under grace, we are no longer children in need of tutors and a schoolmaster.

Under grace, we are full-grown sons, and God does not want us to live in legalism and by the checklists and strict rules in law-keeping, but to grow and mature by grace and in the faith and grace truth for today, which establishes us and bears the fruit of goodness and righteousness in our lives.

Under grace, all believers are full-grown sons of God and all believers “have been baptized” spiritually, by the Holy Spirit, “into Christ.” We are joined to our Savior eternally.

And being baptized into Christ, we “have put on Christ.” Putting on refers to clothing oneself. Putting on Christ means being clothed with what is true about Christ.

And Christ is righteous, and we have been clothed in Christ’s righteousness. This is true of us by the grace of God through faith alone, and not by the works of the law.

Having put on Christ, 1 Corinthians 1:30 also says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

Christ justifies any and all those who believe on Him. And the person who has become one with Christ also becomes one with every other believer in the Church, the Body of Christ.

In Christ, we are all unified and one: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Having been spiritually baptized into Christ and having put on Christ, Paul says, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed.” We are joined to the one “Seed, which is Christ” as Paul had said in verse 16, and we are Christ’s eternally.

And being in Christ, and having been justified by faith alone like Abraham, Paul says that we are “Abraham’s seed,” or his spiritual seed.

And being Abraham’s spiritual seed, we are spiritual “heirs according to the promise.” We receive the same spiritual blessing that Abraham did when he believed God. We are not heirs to the physical promises of a great land, a great nation, and a great name.

Rather, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness,” so as we just believe God and the gospel of grace that Christ died for our sins and rose again, it is accounted to us for righteousness, and we are justified by faith alone.