Offspring: Galatians 3:15-20
Jesus will take us from our worldly focus and bring us in line with God. I love reflecting upon how God has taken me from my passionate, yet rudimentary, understanding in my youth to my deeper and more consistent understanding as an adult. I love seeing the same change occur in others. The transformative ability of God is incredible to behold regardless of where it takes place.
Paul makes two incredible points in these verses, both of which exemplify how much God has changed his from his Pharisee days. First, Paul speaks about the timing of the Law versus the timing of the promise to Abraham. We know Abraham’s promise comes before the Law because Abraham lived four or five centuries prior to Moses. Since the promise came before the Law, the promise takes precedence.
Precedence isn’t even the right word. It isn’t so much the promise has precedence over the Law, rather the promise and the Law aren’t even a part of the same conversation. The promise to Abraham belongs to conversations about salvation. The promise to Abraham highlights the importance of faith with respect to our being credited into righteousness.
What is the purpose of the Law? The Law was given for two reasons. First, the Law illustrates our sinfulness and helps us to restrain the evil that dwells within. Second, the Law gives a moral guide, or a standard for us to try and attain. The Law doesn’t belong in conversations of salvation because the Law was given to help us understand our sinfulness. The Law deals with the fallenness of humanity, not God’s righteousness. This is why we are not saved through the Law.
The promise, on the other hand, deals with God’s righteousness. We now arrive at the other incredible point Paul makes. The promise was to Abraham and his offspring. We could say the promise was made to Abraham and his descendant. The quote says descendant, not descendants. The promise was declared to Abraham and the one faithful person who comes from Abraham and exemplifies God’s glory. That person is Jesus.
The promise went to Abraham, then to Christ. This is why salvation comes through Christ. The promise comes to us only because it is Jesus’ promise to give. Jesus lived the perfect life. Jesus took on the sinfulness of mankind to redeem us from our transgression. The promise went to Him and because of His faithfulness it is offered to us.
Consider how much Paul has changed since his days as a Pharisee. Earlier in the letter, Paul drastically diminished the genealogical importance with respect to being sons and daughters of Abraham. Today Paul declares the promise of Abraham was intended for Jesus alone and it is Jesus who extends the promise to the world!
This is the life-altering change Jesus brings. When we give ourselves to Him, Jesus will alter our perspectives and change our thinking. Jesus will take us from our worldly focus and bring us in line with God.
