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Spring 2000

Intro Considerations

What is the "blessing of Abraham"? Justification by faith, 3:8. Abe was justified or blessed by believing in God.

2:17-18 fit into the argument of that section?

Supports:

1. Cannot alter a covenant (:15 illustration "I speak in terms of human relations")

• Promise was to Abe and Christ (:16 OT citation)

2. Inheritance is based on promise (This paragraph is the stitching that holds together the chapter. This passage looks back to the previous point while vs. 17 looks forward to the next paragraph.)

Literary/Theological context:

Main point before and after:

Define:

"covenant", denotes a legal will or testament, unalterable by law or custom. Explain the story linking Abraham to Moses. God's promise to Abe: offspring, land. "430 years later" (Ex. 12:40 time of slavery in Egypt)

"Seed" Is Paul misinterpreting the OT? Paul interprets the promise by God to the Jews, to whom the passage refers, as being more than literal. The promise extends beyond simply Abraham’s physical descendants, but encompasses Jesus, who was the fulfillment of the blessing—it is this seed who was a blessing to the nations and not simply the Jews living in the promised land.

Meaning:

Paul is arguing from the lesser to the greater, a fortiori. If it is true in human relations that one cannot change a covenant once it has been enacted, how much more is it true with God. Law stands in contrast to promise; while both are types of covenants, a promise is clearly superior. The law cannot nullify the promise made to Abraham and to the Seed. The promise in this case was made to the singular "seed" which Paul concludes is Christ. God’s promise therefore was to Abraham through Christ. Christ then is Abraham’s heir and so are all who are in Christ and not necessarily those who are physical descendants. We inherit Abe's promise through Christ and it is by God's grace or "favor" (vs. 18 "God has given grace to Abe by a promise").

Parallel:

Gen. 12:3, 13:15, 15 (example of ratified covenant)

Original audience:

Abraham's promise supercedes Moses' covenant. Therefore listen to Abe and not Moses. Inheritance into God's people is based on God's grace.

Today:

Abraham's promise supercedes Moses' covenant. Inheritance into God's people is based on God's grace and not good deeds. This is the gospel. God adopted Abe simply by His grace and likewise we are adopted or become heirs simply by God's grace and not by our own merit.

The Law is "set in stone;" we cannot add to it. We cannot add Christ to the law. Christ has to completely supercede the law or be crushed by the law. The point is, we can't pick and choose what we want. The law comes as a package deal and so do most religions. We cannot simple take some from this faith and some from that. Most religions are not open ended systems that you can modify as you like.

Claim: Law is a tutor to Christ (Conclusion indicator 3:24) Therefore it ranks below the promise.

Supports:

1. Law added because of sin (19b Interrogative)

2. Required a mediator (:20) It’s second hand. applies to all Jews

3. Law cannot give life (:21 Connective "for")

4. Law condemns all (:22 Connective "but")

• Promise is by faith

5. Law is merely a custodian (:23 Connective "but")

Literary/Theological context:

Main point before and after:

Define:

Meaning:

Paul argues throughout this section for the inferiority of the law: it came about because of sin, it required a mediator, it is life taking instead of life giving in that it condemns all. The coup de grace of this argument is that the law simply served as a custodian, a slave who trains the immature and uneducated in the ways of truth.

The promise required no mediator because God is in essence making a promise to Himself. On the other hand, the Law required a mediator because it involved two parties and applies to all Jews. By implication, the law does not apply to Christ or His descendants.

Parallel:

Deut. 33:2; Rom. 3:20 "where there is no law there is no transgression", 23, 6:14, 7:7ff.

Original audience:

The law is subservient to faith in Christ, in fact it's intent was to serve Christ and not the other way around. The law is in no way superior to Jesus Christ. It can only point out sin and the only solution to dealing with that sin is in Christ.

Today:

The purpose of the Law is not to provide salvation but to demonstrate our neediness. God intended that we would become broken on the Law. It is a harsh taskmaster, demanding of us everything but unable to give anything. Think of a governess, not Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music, but of Cinderella’s stepmother. It cannot give life, it can only give death because it shuts us all up under sin. But it was not meant to be permanent. God imprisoned us (or showed us we were in prison) that Christ might set us free.

"The principal point…of the law… is to make men not better but worse; that is to say, it sheweth unto them their sin, that by the knowledge thereof they may be humbled, terrified, bruised and broken, and by this means may be driven to seek grace, and so to come to that blessed Seed (sc. Christ)," Martin Luther (quoted from Stott).

Quote from Stott on the need for the law before the gospel (Galatians, p. 93). What do you think of Stott's point?

Claim:

Abe’s Heirs by promise (:26, 29 repetition)

Supports:

1. Faith (heirs) needs no tutor (:25) Abe didn’t need a tutor.

2. Sons by faith (:26) This is the blessing of Abe.

• Clothed with Christ (:27)
• One in Christ, without distinction (:28)

Literary/Theological context:

Define:

"heir", as heirs of Christ and Abraham, instead of inheriting the promised land we inherit a spiritual blessing, to be sons of God.

"Put on Christ" may refer to a toga virilis that a young man would put on when he graduated from his tutor and came into manhood.

Meaning:

Because we have been placed (baptized) into Christ through faith, we are the true heirs of the promise to Abraham. This is our spiritual inheritance based on promise, not law. One of the implications of this is a radical equality among believers.

Parallel:

Eph. 1, Rom. 4:13ff, Heb. 6:17ff, 1 Cor. 12:13

Original audience:

True sonship comes through Abraham through Christ. Your lineage goes back before Moses to Abraham, but only "in Christ." Throw off the taskmaster. You are sons and all are equal. Don’t remain under a tutor. Faith has come and we are all sons of God and not children who need the harsh instruction of a taskmaster. The law is outdated and no longer applies.

Today:

The law no longer applies. Christ has so superceded the law that it is unnecessary for us today. So much for Christians who hearken back to the law as being the best foundation for our government or who want to say that it's a good guideline for Christian behavior. Paul says we have graduated. He does not tell us to what we've graduated, ethically speaking, but as far as faith goes, it's passe.

The inheritance of Jesus Christ has a radically equalizing effect upon all of God's people. When you are in Christ, that is the most important thing imaginable, everything else is meaningless. Superficial distinctions such as gender, nationality and social status are rendered null and void, being "in Christ" is everything.

Claim: You are sons & heirs (Conclusion indicator 4:7)

• Children are no different than slaves (4:1)
• Under guardians (4:2)

2. God bought us back through Christ (4:5)

• At the fullness of time sent Son (:4)

3. We received Spirit (4:6 Connective "and")

• evidence of sonship, "Abba"

Literary/Theological context:

Define:

Meaning:

While we were under the law, or the alphabetical (basic) things, we were like children, no better than slaves. We had no freedom and could not do as we wanted. Picture a child who will inherit an estate on the date set by the father. That date Paul describes as the "fullness of time." At that time, God released us from bondage to the law through Christ. (Why is the law bondage? Because Paul says "where there is no law, there is no violation, Rom. 4:15." And the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law," 1 Cor. 15:56. The law defines sin and sin brings about death.)

It is important that Christ be born of a woman so that He would be fully God and fully man. It is important that Christ be born under the law so that he could fulfill the law. As John Stott says,

"So the divinity of Christ, the humanity of christ and the righteousness of Christ unuquely qualified Him to be man's redeemer. If He had not been man, he could not have redeemed men. If He had not been a righteous man, he could not have redeemed unrighteous men. And if He had not been God's Son, He could not have redeemed men for God or made them sons of God." (Galatians, p. 106)

Because God bought us back in Christ, we have become adopted children and heirs of an inheritance. The proof of our inheritance is in the Spirit of Christ residing in us who cries out to the father. Paul has taken our adoption one step further, we are not just heirs of Abraham. We are heirs of God the Father.

Parallel:

Eph. 1, Rom. 6:16, Col. 2:8,20

There is a metaphor here from Graeco-Roman culture of a wealthy free man who is childless who buys a slave from the market and makes him his son. Thus he both "redeems" the slave and "adopts" the slave into his family. This is what God has done for us. Paul says because now that we are sons, we no longer need to address our master as "sir" or "lord". We no longer live in fear of being beaten like a slave. Rather, we have become children of a loving father whom we can address by the term, "Dad".

Paul is saying, how could you be so foolish as to want to be slaves again. Don't you understand what you have got? You have inherited the mother-load, but even more you've inherited the affections of a father.

While we formerly lived in the futility of our own good deeds, we lived in bondage to our conscience that accuses us or congratulates us. Paul says, we have graduated to being sons of God. More than that we are God's heirs, not just Abraham's heirs but heirs of a much greater fortune, the riches of God's own love and grace.

We have a completely new relationship with the creator of the universe. He is our Father. You might also notice the reference in this passage to the entire Trinity: "God sent forth His Son" and "God sent forth His Spirit" and we cry out to the "Father."

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