THE CERTAINTY OF GOD'S PROMISES The Spirit elaborates on this promise in the book of Galatians, showing us that it was nothing less than an iteration of the New Covenant. Although I have already touched on this text in the previous devotion, some further observations are in order. Because the religious man has a particular bias toward the principle of Law, it is often difficult to see that the New Covenant is realized by promise – not by measuring up to a moral code. -- Tomorrow:
"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. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." (Hebrews 6:13-15).
At once the unlearned will think that a promise does not have the power and effectiveness of law. Some, unduly influenced by the wisdom of men, imagine that a promise tends to leave men to wander about in self will, venturing into areas that allow for a disregard of the law, and a life of continual disobedience. However, this is a gross misrepresentation of the effectiveness of the promises of God.
CHRIST BECAME A CURSE FOR US. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal 3:18). Here is one of the most arresting statements of Scripture – Jesus was "made a curse for us." When He entered into the world, ministering among men, He was "God manifest in the flesh" 1 Tim 3:16). However, when Jesus was upon the cross, He was sin incarnate, for the sins of the world were laid upon Him, and He bore them in His body on the tree (Isa 53:6; 1 Pet 2:24). Such a judgment should forever stop the mouth of any soul who imagines they can appropriate salvation through their own works. It was our works that brought the curse upon the Lord Jesus – our "dead works" (Heb 9:14). Even in their very best posture, our works were all "filthy rags" (Isa 64:6). If the Law "stopped every man's mouth" convincing them of sin (Rom 3:19), the death of Christ, when seen, goes even deeper, showing the desperate need for a Divine work in our behalf.
BLESSING AND THE PROMISE. " . . . that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal 3:14). Why was Jesus cursed? It was in order that the blessing that was PROMISED might be realized by faith. That is, in Jesus being "delivered up for us all" (Rom 8:32), God had a regard to the promise He had made to Abraham. While He "so loved the world," yet His commitment to bless was a stronger motivation in the death of Christ than a sympathy for man's condition.
A CONFIRMED COVENANT. "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" (Gal 3:15). Once a covenant is confirmed, it is cast in stone, so to speak. This is even true of men, to say nothing of the God whose image they bear. The covenant of reference was not confirmed by anything we have done, or can, do. It was confirmed in Christ Jesus, and is thus ready to be enjoyed by those who are in Him.
PROMISES MADE. "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" (Gal 3:16). The covenant hinges upon Christ. He is the Seed to whom the promises were actually made. There is no such thing as salvation apart from involvement with the Son of God. As soon as a soul drifts from Him, the blessing of the New Covenant can no longer be realized, for it is only applicable to those who are "in Him."
THE COVENANT CONFIRMED BY GOD IN 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" (Gal 3:17). The new covenant was actually "confirmed" before the Law. That confirmation was in the prospect of the coming Seed, Jesus Christ. When God said "I will," the stamp of Divine confirmation was put upon the covenant.
AN INHERITANCE BY PROMISE. "For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise" (Gal 3:18). If men receive eternal life because of what they themselves have done, then it cannot be "by promise." In saying this, the Spirit means that the inheritance DEPENDS upon a promise, not upon a law. The Law says, "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which IF A MAN DO, he shall live in them: I am the LORD" (Lev 18:5). The promise, on the other hand, is "given to them that believe" (Gal 3:22).
In this text, "the promise" and "the covenant" are synonymous! Think of the grandeur of these references to what we have in Christ, or the "New Covenant." Those who insist upon thinking of the New Covenant as a set of rules do well to let these sayings sink down into their ears. Here is how the Spirit speaks of the New Covenant. "The BLESSING of Abraham . . . the PROMISE of the Spirit . . . a covenant CONFIRMED beforehand . . . THE promise . . . God GRANTED IT to Abraham by promise."
As to its effects, the New Covenant is a blessing. As to its nature, it is a Divine commitment. Concerning its origin, it was first. From the standpoint of experience, it is "granted." Blessed is the person who comprehends these things.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank and praise You through Jesus Christ that the New Covenant speaks more of what You will do than what men should do.