God’s Covenant with Abraham – Galatians 3:15-18

Topic: God’s Covenant with Abraham

Reading: Galatians 3:15-18

15 To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man’s will, or adds to it, once it has been ratified. 16 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,” which is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance is by the law, it is no longer by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Introduction and Overview

What is not often discussed among Christians is the nature of the covenants. We talk about the Old Covenant and the New Covenant and we all know what they mean. But there were also other covenants God made with man. For example, He made the covenant of the rainbow with Noah saying that He would never again flood the whole world. But these verses in Galatians show us about God’s covenant with Abraham.

What is interesting about God’s covenant with Abraham is that it pertains specifically to the New Covenant delivered by Christ. The promises of God’s covenant with Abraham are the promises that were fulfilled in Christ. Even though we call it the “New Covenant” and the “Old Covenant” was the covenant of law given through Moses, the promises of the New Covenant actually predate the giving of the Old Covenant by some four hundred and thirty years.

This is important for it shows the greater importance of the New Covenant. It was given originally to the father of the Israelite people long before the law was given. And it was stated that God’s covenant with Abraham was to be to him, and also to a singular offspring, who Paul identifies as Christ.

God’s covenant to Abraham had and has nothing to do with the covenant of the law. And Paul discusses why the law was given in the next few scripture that I will cover in the next few posts.

Key points from reading:

• God’s covenant with Abraham predates the law and is a greater covenant than the law
• This covenant was promised to Abraham and to his one offspring: Jesus Christ.
• The covenant of law does not and cannot annul the covenant of promise
• God’s covenant to Abraham shows that the inheritance offered to all who have faith does not come through or by the law.

Discussion:

1. Scripture: Galatians 3:15

• This section opens by using an analogy. Paul compares God’s covenant with Abraham to a human will. And a will is by nature a covenant that details the disposition of all a person’s worldly possessions according to the wishes of that person. A will can be made and changed at any time up until it is ratified by the death of the one making the will, because a will has no force until the person making the will dies. After the person dies, then the will or covenant comes into effect and it cannot be changed. (We’ll ignore the way the legal profession works to break wills these days. Originally a will could not be altered after the person died).
• Now it is the same with God’s covenant with Abraham. The promises were made regarding the inheritance and life. But they were not brought into effect until the death of Christ. The promises of freedom, salvation, redemption, release from sin, and much, much more came because Jesus died and brought the New Covenant into effect, as was originally promised to Abraham.
• God’s covenant with Abraham was promised to him and his offspring, but it was not brought into effect until Christ died. His death brought all of the promises of God to Abraham to life so that we could receive the blessings of God’s covenant with Abraham.

2. Scripture: Galatians 3:16

• This verse is very interesting. This verse shows us that the promises made to Abraham were not made to everyone and anyone. God’s covenant with Abraham was made to him and to a single “offspring.” Who was that offspring? Was it Isaac? No, it could not be Isaac because he did not receive the promises. Nor was it Jacob who became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel.
• Paul identifies that the “offspring” referred to in God’s covenant with Abraham was Jesus Christ. Jesus was the recipient of all the promises of God. And this makes it interesting for us today.
• If the promises were made to Jesus, how is it that we can receive these wondrous promises of life and an inheritance in God’s kingdom? How does Jesus give these promises to us?
• Well, we are called to enter into the death and resurrection of Jesus, which we receive through water baptism. When we are baptised in water, we go down into the water to die with Christ, and we are raised up out of the water to become a new creation in Jesus Christ. Note that when we enter baptism correctly, we come out of it “in” Jesus Christ. We live in Him and He lives in us through faith. And He sends the Holy Spirit when we ask Him to teach and guide us in our new life in Christ.
• So, if we are “in” Christ and we are part of Him, then the promises of God’s covenant with Abraham flow down to us because we now live in Jesus Christ.

3. Scripture: Galatians 3:17

• Now, none of this has anything to do with the law. The promises within God’s covenant to Abraham had nothing to do with the law. In fact we find out later that those who seek to establish righteousness by keeping the works of the law are actually separating themselves from Christ (See Galatians 5:4). The law does not make anyone perfect, bu the promise of perfection exists in God’s covenant with Abraham. That promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and following His teachings.
• The point of this verse is that the law that came through Moses some four hundred and thirty years later did not and does not abolish the earlier covenant given to Abraham. In fact it could not invalidate God’s covenant with Abraham because that covenant was not yet ratified. The promises were given, but the offspring to who they would come had not yet been born, that is, Jesus Christ. And the covenant was not ratified until Christ died.
• So, the law could not negate God’s covenant with Abraham. The promise to Abraham was not voided in the giving of the law. We see in the next section that I will cover next post, that the law was given because people continued to sin. The aim of the law was to put a check on the sinfulness of the people, until Christ came to ratify God’s covenant with Abraham. And it is in this covenant that we have hope. There is no hope in the law, but there is in Christ Jesus.

4. Scripture:Galatians 3:18

• The inheritance we are to receive does not come through the law. The law brings condemnation to those who do not keep the law. It shows sin for what it is, and makes it more sinful whenever anyone breaks God’s law.
• But God’s covenant to Abraham is a covenant of promise. It promises a hope and a future for those who come to Christ. It promises us an inheritance that is not based on law, but is based upon the word of God. He made this promise first to Abraham, then to Christ, and through Christ it has been delivered to you and I.
• We shall inherit the kingdom of God with Christ if we follow Him. This is the essence of God’s covenant with Abraham. When we walk with and “in” Christ Jesus, then the promises are ours too.

Prayer Points:

• Pray for the Lord to reveal the truth of these things so that you are not bound up in acts and works of the law, but instead find the promises and freedoms offered by following Jesus Christ.