Inheriting Abraham’s Promise

February 19, 2012


Background Scripture: Galatians 3:15 – 5:1
Lesson Passage: Galatians 3:15 – 18; 4:1 – 7

In last week’s lesson the scriptures stated that Christians are blessed with Abraham and therefore we have become joint heirs with him through Jesus Christ. In today’s lesson we take a closer look at this Christian reality. According to God’s promise to Abraham, the blessing was for him and his seed. Paul emphasizes that the word seed here is singular and not plural. So the promise of God only applies to Abraham and just one of his offspring. To this point Paul makes a declaration that the one seed who fulfills God’s promise is Christ. Because of this, Paul classified all who claimed to be joint heirs by works of the Law as misguided. For one thing, the promise was made over four hundred years before the Law was given. Therefore, Abraham’s reception of the promise could not have been by the Law which was yet a ways off. If the Law, which came centuries later, could change the terms of the inheritance, then the Law would overrule God’s promise to Abraham. It is not God’s character to speak such contradiction. The Law was given by God with a distinct purpose in mind. The Law makes known our sins to us. Because of the Law, our sins are shown to be exceedingly sinful so that we can be led to repent that we might receive the promise through some other means than by having our sins exposed. The Law does not make a person right. The Law only acts like a spiritual mirror to reflect the inner condition of a person. In other words, no matter how long we stare at a mirror the mirror will never reach out and change the image that it reflects. If our image that is reflected is going to change, the mirror is not going to make the change. The mirror only reflects the image that is before it. Likewise, the Law reflects the spiritual condition of the person who looks into it. The Law, just as the mirror, does not and cannot change the spiritual condition of the person who looks into it. The mirror, however, does have an important role to play and so too does the Law. Although the mirror cannot bring about a change in the person whose image it reflects, certainly the condition of the image can instigate in the person the desire and the will to change. If we look into a physical mirror and decide that our hair is not what we want it to be, we might choose to make an appointment with someone who can bring about the desired changes. If we don’t care for how our clothes are fitting us when we see ourselves in a mirror, then we may need to see an expert in the field of tailoring and/or nutrition. Likewise the Law was given so that we could be warned that we have a need to see a spiritual expert who specializes in sin remediation. We know that expert to be Jesus the Christ. There is no one else qualified to do it. When the Law shows us the need for Jesus and we turn to him in faith, he forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. At that point, we are made members of the body of Christ. Then we become a part of the will of God which means that we inherit the promise of God made to Abraham.


Robert C. Hudson
February 1, 2012