👨👧👦The Promise Comes Through Faith: God’s Covenant and the Purpose of the Law
Bible Reading: Galatians 3:15–29
📖 A Promise That Could Never Be Cancelled
Have you ever received a promise from someone you trusted, only to wonder later whether that promise would still stand?
Human promises can change. People may forget their words, circumstances may become difficult, and sometimes promises are broken. But God’s promises are different.
Long before the Law of Moses was given, God made a promise to Abraham. He promised to bless him and make his descendants into a great nation. Through Abraham’s offspring, all nations of the earth would be blessed.
This promise was not based on Abraham earning God’s favour. It was based on God’s faithfulness. In Galatians 3:15–29, Paul explained to the believers that the Law of Moses, which came much later, did not cancel or replace God’s earlier promise.
The Galatians needed to understand the difference between receiving God’s promise through faith and trying to earn righteousness through the law. Paul wanted them to see that God’s plan had always been centred on His promise, and that promise finds its fulfilment in Jesus Christ.
🌿 God’s Promise Came Before the Law
Paul began by using an everyday example. When people make a formal agreement, and it has been confirmed, it cannot simply be changed or cancelled by someone later.
He used this illustration to explain God’s covenant with Abraham. God made His promise to Abraham and his offspring. Paul drew attention to the word “offspring” and explained that Scripture points ultimately to one person: Christ.
This does not mean that God’s promise had no connection to Abraham’s wider family. Rather, Paul showed that the promise reaches its fulfilment through Jesus Christ. Then Paul made an important point about timing.
The Law was given 430 years after the promise to Abraham. Therefore, the Law could not cancel the covenant God had already established. God had not changed His mind.
The promise remained, and it would be fulfilled through Jesus. This teaches us that God’s plan of salvation was not something He invented later because humanity failed. From the beginning, God was working towards the fulfilment of His promise.
⚖️ If God’s Promise Comes Through Faith, Why Was the Law Given?
Paul anticipated a question that many people might have asked:
If God’s promise was already established, why was the Law given? Was the Law unnecessary?
Paul answered that the Law was added because of transgressions, until the promised offspring came. The Law revealed sin and showed people the seriousness of disobedience towards God. It established clear commandments and exposed humanity’s need for righteousness. But the Law was never able to give people eternal life through their own efforts.
Paul explained that if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would indeed be based on the law. But Scripture declares that everything is held under sin, so that the promise might be given through faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.
In other words, the Law could reveal the problem, but it could not provide the final answer. Humanity needed more than commandments. We needed a Saviour. And that Saviour is Jesus Christ.
🕊️ The Law Was a Guardian Until Christ Came
Paul then used the picture of a guardian. In the ancient world, a guardian was responsible for supervising and protecting a child until the child reached maturity. Paul compared this role to the Law.
The Law served as a guardian until Christ came, so that people might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, believers are no longer under that guardian in the same way. This does not mean that God’s commandments have become meaningless or that Christians are free to live however they wish. It means that the Law is not the means by which we earn our righteousness before God.
Jesus has come. The promised Saviour has fulfilled God’s plan, and we are made right with God through faith in Him. We no longer need to depend on religious rules as the foundation of our salvation. Our confidence rests in Christ.
❤️ Through Faith, We Become Children of God
Paul then shared one of the most beautiful truths in this chapter:
All who believe in Jesus Christ are children of God through faith. Think about what this means. Our relationship with God is not determined by our family background, nationality, social position or previous way of life.
We are welcomed into God’s family through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul explained that those who were baptised into Christ had clothed themselves with Christ. This is a picture of belonging to Him and identifying ourselves with Him.
Our old distinctions no longer determine our standing before God.
Paul listed several contrasts:
- Jew and Greek.
- Slave and free.
- Male and female.
He was not saying that these differences no longer existed in everyday life. Rather, he was teaching that none of these distinctions gives one believer a higher standing before God than another.
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In Christ, all believers share the same spiritual standing. There is no superior group of Christians who are more accepted by God because of their background or social status. We all come to Him through the same Saviour.
🌍 We Belong to Christ and Share in God’s Promise
Paul concluded by returning to Abraham. If we belong to Christ, then we are Abraham’s offspring and heirs according to the promise. This was especially important for the Gentile believers in Galatia. They did not need to become Jewish or follow the entire Law of Moses to qualify as God’s people.
Through faith in Jesus Christ, they already belonged to God’s family and shared in the promise. The promise was not limited to one nation or one ethnic group. God’s plan had always been greater than that. Through Jesus, people from different nations and backgrounds could become one family of faith. What a wonderful truth: we do not have to change our ancestry to belong to God. We need to come to Him through Jesus Christ.
🌸 What This Means for Our Lives Today
Sometimes people believe they must have a perfect religious background before they can approach God. Some may feel unworthy because of their past. Others may think that they need to follow more religious traditions, complete certain rituals or achieve a particular level of spiritual perfection before God will accept them.
But Paul’s message reminds us that our acceptance before God is not something we can earn. It comes through Jesus Christ. This does not mean that obedience, holiness and good works are unimportant. They matter because our faith should change the way we live. But they are not the foundation of our salvation.
We obey God because we belong to Him. We seek holiness because we love Him. We do good because His grace is changing our hearts. We are not trying to purchase a place in God’s family. Through faith in Jesus, we have already been welcomed into His family.
🌿 Deep Biblical Lessons
1. God’s promises are more reliable than human promises.
People may change their minds or fail to keep their word, but God remains faithful. His promise to Abraham was not cancelled when the Law was later given.
2. God’s plan of salvation was centred on Christ from the beginning.
The promise to Abraham pointed towards the blessing that would come through Jesus. Christ is the fulfilment of God’s saving plan.
3. The Law reveals sin but cannot save us through our own efforts.
God’s commandments show us what is right and expose our disobedience. They remind us why humanity needs a Saviour.
4. Jesus is the fulfilment of God’s promise.
We do not need to add human achievements to Christ’s finished saving work. Our salvation rests on what He has done for us.
5. We become God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ.
Our background, nationality and social position do not determine our acceptance before God. Through faith, we belong to His family.
6. No believer has a higher spiritual status because of worldly distinctions.
Paul reminded the Galatians that all believers are one in Christ. We should not look down on others because of their race, wealth, position or background.
7. Being an heir of God’s promise means belonging to Christ.
Those who belong to Jesus share in the promise given to Abraham. Our identity is no longer defined by our past, but by our relationship with Christ.
❤️ A Simple Reflection
Have you ever felt that you were not good enough to belong to God? Perhaps you look at other Christians and feel that they know more Scripture, pray better, attend church more regularly or seem to have a stronger faith than you.
It is easy to compare ourselves with others and feel that we are falling behind. But remember what Paul taught the Galatians.
We are children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Our place in His family is not earned by competing with other believers or proving that we are more religious than someone else. We all come to God through the same grace.
Instead of comparing your spiritual journey with someone else’s, focus on growing closer to Jesus. Learn His Word, pray sincerely, repent when you fall and allow the Holy Spirit to guide your life. You do not need to become someone else to belong to Christ. Come to Him with a sincere heart and keep walking with Him.
🙏 Closing Thought
The Galatians were being influenced to believe that they needed something more than Jesus to become fully accepted by God. Paul reminded them that God’s promise came before the Law, and that the promise was fulfilled through Christ.
The Law could reveal sin, but Jesus came to save sinners. The Law could show humanity its need for righteousness, but Jesus made a way for us to be made right with God through faith. And through Him, we are no longer outsiders trying to earn a place in God’s family.
We are His children. Let us never forget this precious truth:
Our identity is not found in our background, our achievements or our religious performance. Our identity is found in Jesus Christ.
May we live each day with gratitude, knowing that we belong to Him and are heirs according to God’s promise. All glory belongs to Jesus Christ. ✝️
