Sermon on Galatians 3:15-22, for the 13th Sunday after Trinity (1 Yr lectionary), "The Covenant of Promise"

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The epistle of Galatians is a short, 6 chapter letter written to one of the Apostle Paul’s mission churches he’d helped to establish 2,000 years ago. He wars against the ever-popular opinion that we can be justified before God by our works. We saw it a few weeks ago in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee thought he had God’s law down just fine, and had nothing to be sorry for before God. Besides, everyone else he knew was worse than him! He was righteous in his own eyes—trusted in his good effort to get him in good with God. We don’t have to be quite as pompous as the Pharisee to fall into the same trap. But the tax collector knew better. He cried out: “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” Jesus said that tax collector went home justified, with God’s verdict of innocence.

Paul is determined in Galatians 3 to drive away the spirit of the Pharisee, trusting our effort, our law keeping, our own goodness, “good heart”, or “good intentions” to put ourselves in good graces with God. Why is this so important? Because trusting in ourselves gives room for boasting and pride, and it pushes God out as our singular Savior, and reduces Him to just a helper or enabler, or even some lower status. The sin of pride diminishes God while increasing ourselves—exactly the opposite of what John the Baptist said must happen. Paul proves his point from the Old Testament. His example is two different covenants/contracts/ agreements that God made with His people. One of those two covenants takes ultimate priority.

God’s covenant with Abraham was the covenant of promise. Then about a covenant 430 years later at Mt. Sinai came the covenant of law. During that 430 years God’s promise to Abraham began to be fulfilled: his descendants grew into a great nation. Near the end of that time the Israelites were led by Moses out of Egypt—the Exodus. This 430 year period covers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob & Esau, Joseph, and all of the Israelites who grew into a mighty nation, enslaved under the Pharaoh in Egypt. When they left Egypt, still trusting in promises made to Abraham generations ago, God took them to Mt. Sinai to give the 10 Commandments. This covenant of Law at Mt. Sinai is the second covenant. So you have two covenants—the promise to Abraham, which was first—and the covenant of law at Sinai—430 years later.

Paul asks—does the second covenant, the Law at Sinai, invalidate the first? Definitely NO! God won’t go back on His Word, after He’s confirmed and ratified His covenant. Just like a human contract is supposed to work—you can’t go changing the terms or cancelling it, once it’s been signed and approved. And God’s covenants are infinitely more solemn and serious than our human contracts and agreements. The upshot is that God’s covenant to Abraham is clearly greater—and it depended on God’s promise—not the works of the law. God’s promise to Abraham didn’t require anything on Abraham’s part in return. In other words, it was “unconditional” or a covenant of grace. Grace, promise, inheritance—these are all gospel words that speak of something that is not earned, not deserved, but given. We need to learn these words so that we give credit where credit is due—all glory and honor to God alone! These words all help us to decrease, but Christ to increase. Paul piles on the reasons to show that everything Abraham received by God’s promise was completely by grace—a free and undeserved gift from God, so that we might have joy in the same free gift.

Now then what was that covenant of Law, at Mt. Sinai about? That was a “conditional” covenant. It was not about grace, but about commands and obedience. Blessings for obedience to God’s commands, and curses and punishment for disobedience. The tragedy is that this covenant was broken. Israel, and mankind more generally, could not hold up their end of the deal. The covenant of law does ask something of us in return. A few verses earlier in Galatians 3:10, Paul cites the words of that covenant: “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, and do them.” This second covenant clearly extracts a price for disobedience. Failure even in part demands the curse. Only total, perfect obedience satisfies the covenant of law. The covenant to Abraham, by contrast, was upheld strictly by God’s promise and Name. This is what I mean by calling the covenant of promise “unconditional”.

Back to the Pharisee and tax collector example, Paul would have argued that the Pharisee looked to the Law for his salvation. He was trying to reach the bar of the covenant of Law, and get God’s approval. But he was self-deceived, just as Jesus showed. Only Christ reaches that bar. Nobody takes a run at those hurdles of the law, and clears them all unscathed. In fact, Jesus faulted the Pharisees with trying to cheat by lowering the hurdles and praising themselves for clearing the “low bar” laws they made up themselves in their enthusiasm for the law, but their overlooking of the promise. Jesus (and Paul!) continually raise the hurdles to the full extent of the law, and show how none of us meets that standard. Why? So we’ll trust in God’s promises instead of ourselves! So that we’ll cling to the greater covenant of unconditional grace to Abraham and his descendants (those included by faith!), instead of clinging to the impossible covenant of the Law.

But then what was the Law covenant for anyway? He says it was to imprison everything under sin, so we would wait for the promise by faith. Sadly, because of sin, we need restraining by God’s good law. Left to our own devices, we don’t often stay on the straight and narrow, or automatically do what is kind and just. Instead, our sinful nature is constantly leading us astray. The Law checks and guards our sin, and teaches us what is God pleasing. But most importantly, it convicts us of our sin. It rings the alarm in our conscience of accusation or guilt, that tells us when we have done wrong. But the problem with that word of the Law, is that it can’t give us any solution. The covenant of the Law doesn’t contain the answer to our problems. Believer or unbeliever, Pharisee, tax collector, disciple, whoever—the Law is not our avenue to getting right with God. It’s a dead end for that purpose. No one is getting to God that way.

But this goes back to Paul’s argument. The Law was never supposed to be the way to God—and that’s a great and joyful relief! Whatever failings occurred under the second, law covenant, did not invalidate the first and greater covenant to Abraham. This stayed in effect by God’s unconditional promises. All nations are blessed through the promise of the One offspring of Abraham, Jesus Christ. Through Christ, that covenant reached God’s fulfillment. God kept His Word to send blessing through Abraham’s one offspring—and Jesus even fulfilled and perfectly kept the covenant of Law—the 10 Commandments, also. God’s promise never failed.

The Law could never give us life—but Christ does give us life. The promise by faith in Jesus Christ is given to those who believe. Jesus and Paul get us off the dead end road, and onto Jesus—the Way, the Truth and the Life. Surrender your attempts to rely on yourself, and hang on only to His Word. Jesus is the Way to the verdict of innocence, the verdict of justified by faith.

Why does that matter so much for our lives today? Because what greater gift could we receive than God’s free and undeserved favor? The forgiveness of all our sins, a slate wiped clean, the promise that we remain in Jesus and He in us! In Christ, our salvation is full, complete and free—from start to middle to finish. Any other way, that relies on works, leaves either the beginning, middle or end up to us—and that leaves room for boasting, or failure, or despair. Relying entirely on Jesus Christ and His promise leaves us open to humility, thankfulness, joy, confidence and hope. In fact this is Jesus’ very purpose for you—that in Him you may have joy, and that your joy may be full. Life’s better when God gets the credit. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sermon Talking Points

Read sermons at:   http://thejoshuavictortheory.blogspot.com

Listen: search your podcast app for “The Joshua Victor Theory” or

listen online at http://thejoshuavictortheory.podbean.com

1.      Read Genesis 12:1-3. What were the three main, original promises God made to Abraham? This was a covenant or contract between God and Abraham. Was is “conditional” or “unconditional?” Does that make it a covenant of “law” or “promise?”

2.      If a man made covenant is not supposed to be annulled or have terms added after it’s been confirmed—how much more is this true of a covenant ratified or confirmed by God? Why won’t God change His covenant, once He’s committed to it? Hebrews 6:17-18.

3.      In Genesis 22:17-18 is one place where it refers to Abraham’s “offspring” (cf. Galatians 3:16). All nations on earth will be blessed through the one “offspring” Christ Jesus. How does this show the covenant God made to Abraham remains in effect beyond the later covenant made at Mt. Sinai?

4.      What was different about the covenant made at Mt. Sinai? Was it conditional or unconditional? Law, or promise (Gospel)? Why was it put into effect? Galatians 3:19, 21-22.

5.      The Law and the Gospel have different, but related purposes. Explain what the purpose of each is? Why is it “good news” (i.e. gospel) for us that we receive the promise by faith in Christ? Galatians 3:22.