June 28 – Galatians 3:15-29

June 28 – Galatians 3:15-29

Dear Father, we come before You in praise and with thanksgiving for You give us our ‘But God’ moments. You orchestrate our lives for Your glory. May we in our quiet time recognize You for who You are: our Lord God, the God of Israel.

First, do your own quiet time and 4R journaling.  When you are completed, come back here for the lesson.

Request God’s help

Read  Galatians 3:15-29

Record a verse that stands out to you

Respond to God

But God gave an inheritance by a promise

There is no middle ground between the law and promise; that is, works and grace respectively.  One must pick on which side they will reside.  But assuredly salvation is not found in the law, only in the promise (verse 14).

Why do we have the law?  Verse 19 says that the law was added because of sin, before faith came we were held by the law, held captive.  But once Jesus came, we captives were set free!

Once we were slaves to sin, but God set us free.

Once we were held captive to the law, but God set us free.

Once we were without inheritance, but God made a promise… and kept it!

Jesus redeemed and rescued us from the curse of the law (verse 13) thus we cannot live by the law.  For works alone cannot save us, only Jesus.  There is nothing we can do to earn that salvation. No, it’s God who does the work, who sets it in motion. Once we were doomed for death, but God makes us live!  What is this unconditional Abrahamic Covenant that is referred to here in Galatians? Back in Genesis 12:1-3 we find the answer. It says, “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

In verses 15-18, Paul shows how superior the Abrahamic covenant was compared to the law.  Turns out the law was far inferior!  The covenant points to Jesus while the law points to condemnation and sin.  And while there was a place for the law, it was never meant to be the be all and end all.  Think about it this way.  If the inheritance was given based on the law, it would be breakable and it could added to or taken away from. But it wasn’t.  It was given as a covenant, a promise.  It cannot be broken, changed or taken away.  But God… He gave a promise. Wow!!! The Abrahamic Covenant made way for the New Covenant in which the grace covering is permanent!

Oh how marvelous that we should be covered by the grace of God, that we sinful creatures should be still so precious to Him.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.”

Psalm 139:16

(Further Reading: Hebrews 6:13-20; Romans 4:14)

Dear Lord, we praise You for You alone formed us, for in Jesus we find Salvation!  We thank You for the permanence of grace, that it cannot be ripped from us.

What’s next?

As the Spirit leads, in the comment section below, share what He has laid on your heart.

Then join us again tomorrow for the next commentary.

My Verse: Galatians 3:18, “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.”