Untitled Sermon (3)
Notes
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Good Morning,
Let us open with a word of Prayer. Pray 3min+
So today we have a bit of a longer stretch. We are in Galatians 3 verse 15 and we will be going through chapter 4:7. We have to remember that the verse numbers and chapter breaks were not in the original text. There is this awkward break in our Bibles between the end of chapter 3 and the beginning of chapter 4, which is why we are covering it today. Chapter 4 especially verses 1-7 are building on what Paul says in verses 15-29 of chapter 3. So we are going to be covering all of it. Marc read the whole passage earlier, and because of that I will only be reading sections at a time. If you could though, open your Bibles with me to Galatians 3 verse 15, if you are in a pew Bible that will be on page 1076.
Galatians 3:15–21 “15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it 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,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.”
Paul is continuing to break down the Judaizer’s argument that we need to add the law back into the Gospel. He has used multiple arguments up to this point to establish that the Gospel is on the basis of faith rather than the Law. He first showed how he had been given the Gospel by God and if anyone had the right to say it was by the law it was himself. He then showed that the Gospel he preached and taught was not only approved of by the apostles but gave him the right hand of fellowship. Now he is going to use a legal argument to show that the justification has always been by faith not by the law. We have to look into some of the culture of the time of this writing to understand the text a bit. But our first question is what does Paul mean when no one annuls or adds to a covenant once it has been ratified.
What does Paul mean when he says no one annuls or adds to a covenant once it has been ratified?
What does Paul mean when he says no one annuls or adds to a covenant once it has been ratified?
Paul here is using an example that the readers at the time would have been familiar with both in the Jewish system and in the Roman system. The word covenant or testament used here is closely connected to that of a will or will and testament. Once the will was ratified, it was very difficult to change or add to it. This inheritance was usually designated by the father, and the son was not given full legal rights until a certain age. Now this promise or covenant was made with Abraham. Turn with me to Genesis 15; in this passage we have a covenant ceremony. This was an incredibly serious ceremony in this passage, but what would happen is these animals would be cut in half like we see here and both parties would walk in between the carcasses. In doing so, those who walked through, invoked a curse of death upon themselves if they did not keep their end of the covenant. But look at verses 17-18
Genesis 15:17–18 “17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,”
We see God take all of the responsibility for the covenant upon himself, saying that if he doesn’t keep the covenant he would die. However, since God cannot die, he is essentially saying that he will always keep his promise to Abraham. Then if you were to read chapter 17, here we again see God renew his covenant with Abraham, this time giving Abraham the reminder through circumcision. Paul goes on to write that this promise was to Abraham and his offspring who is Christ. Paul stresses the offspring being Christ because looking back we can now see that it always was Christ who was to bring the blessing to the nations.
Genesis 3:15 “15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
Paul explains that the promise was given to Abraham and just as a human covenant cannot be altered after it is ratified, neither can the covenant that God promised be altered by the addition of the law, which came much later than the promise. Paul tells us here and he will get into this a bit more in the next paragraph, but just as with a human inheritance the beneficiary doesn’t have to do anything to receive it. Under Roman Law, there were several people a man could give his property to. Unlike today, were the majority of one’s debt is taken care of first by the sale of your property, in the times of this writing the inheritor recieved everything, both goods and debts of the deceased. Therefore with a couple of exceptions, people had the choice to accept or reject the inheritance, and if they accepted the inheritance of someone who was deeply in debt this could ruin a person. There was a very interesting loophole that was sometimes exploited though. The person could write the inheritance to another who would then distribute the property, but keep the debt. This was often done to a slave, one of the people who could not refuse.
It is amazing how it is like God knew what he was doing. The inheritance was eternal life, and an everlasting relationship with him. But there was a debt that none of us would be able to afford.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
He took on the role of a slave. The father putting on him the debt that was owed by mankind, so that it would be his burden and we are offered the benefit, the inheritance. We are offered all of the good through his death and resurrection, he paid the debt for us.
Paul will ask a question in our text that we have asked many times throughout this series, but in verse 19 Paul asks why then the Law? If all of this was true and the promise was always through faith in Jesus, as he will say in verse 22 what was the purpose? Turn back to Galatians with me and I will continue reading verses 22-4:7
Galatians 3:22–29 “22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”
Galatians 4:1–7 “1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Now the reason I decided we had to make it through 4:7 today, is that what we see in 4:1-7 is a continuation or explanation of 3:22-29 both of which are built on this idea of inheritance. We see in verses 22 through 24 a couple of ideas that for us might seem foreign. He seems to tell us that the law was to imprison everything under sin, so that we were held captive under the law, but Paul also tells us that the law was our guardian or some translations say tutor.
2) How was the Law our guardian?
3) How is the child no different than a slave?
This guardian or tutor was fairly different than what we would think of today as a guardian or tutor, this person was responsible for the disciplining of the child. They were to train the child to be a good citizen. This came very often with corporal punishment. I do not know what your backgrounds all are, but this style of teaching is much closer to what my grandfather experienced in school than what I did.
So my grandfather went to a Catholic school growing up and he was left handed, one of these factors was probably more significant than the others at the time, but if there were kids misbehaving the teacher, usually a nun, would have the kids hold their hand out flat and smack their hand with a ruler. Depending on how nice or mean they were it could be with the flat side or the thin side. Children were to be disciplined and obey, but he being left handed had other punishments as well. If a teacher saw him using his left hand they would smack or spank him, but they would also tie his arm to his side. The thinking at the time was that using your left hand was from the devil, this is not a biblical teaching by the way.
This is often still light compared to that of a good roman tutor, who was also charged with training the person to fight, in the roman military. These children at least from a legal stand point were no different than slaves. There was a certain point in a Roman person’s life, a date the father would typically set, when they would be, essentially, granted the rights of an adult. Up until this point however, they had virtually no rights and were in the same position as a slave. They were subservient this guardian or tutor. Paul is telling the churches in Galatia, that the law was training them for faith. It is as if under the law they were children who had no rights as children of God, but they were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. They were enslaved to the law which brings sin and death, but now they are offered the rights of sonship. Just as at the time the father would decide when a child would gain the legal standing of maturity or adulthood, so to God through Jesus has now offered full sonship to those who are baptised into the body of Christ.
Turn with me to Romans 8 and first look at verses 1 and 2
Romans 8:1–2 “1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”
Now jump down to verse 13.
Romans 8:13–17 “13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Just as the churches of Galatia had been offered sonship through Christ so to have we been offered that inheritance, the gift of adoption and because of that adoption we are heirs with Christ.
Paul often uses this put on idea. In Ephesians Paul tells his readers to put on the new self and the whole armour of God, in Colossians he tells his readers to put on their new nature. Romans 13 and in our passage today we get the clearest picture of what that means.
Romans 13:14 “14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
As children of God, we are to put on Christ. We are all at least spiritually the same and there is no distinction. We have unique giftings and unique roles with the body of Christ, but before God we are all the same there is no difference between us. If you are in Christ, it will be his righteousness that we are judged by. When we stand before God, Jesus will stand in our place and say he is mine.
4) Have you been adopted into the family of God?