—Galatians 3.15–18—

¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. ¹⁶ The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. ¹⁷ What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.


In this book, Paul is responding to an important controversy that was developing in the church at Galatia. Some people were telling the members of this church, mostly Gentiles, that faith in Christ was not enough. They said that to be truly saved and enter the kingdom of God, a person also had to follow the old Jewish Law. Paul has been striving for the last three chapters to correct this misunderstanding.

Here, Paul tries to explain that the Law does not matter by taking an example from the legal world. He said that the salvation offered through Jesus was not something new, but a fulfillment of the ancient covenant, or legal contract, that God had made with Abraham. God promised Abraham that he and his offspring would be God’s children, and that all nations would be blessed through them. This is fulfilled in Jesus. The Law did not change that promise or that plan.

Think of it this way: when a family adopts a child, they enter into a legally binding agreement that they will love and care for that child as if s/he were their own, and that that child will forever be a part of their family. If, later on, they assign that child a list of chores or a curfew, the child’s performance or neglect of those duties does not change the adoption agreement. No matter what, the child is promised a place in the family. God’s covenant with Abraham allowed him to adopt all people into his family as his children through what Jesus did. The Law set curfews and boundaries to protect the people and gave them chores to develop their characters. However, doing or not doing our chores does not affect our position in God’s family. God drew up the contract, Jesus paid the fee. Once we sign on the dotted line, we’re in. God loves us no matter what. We cannot earn that love, it is freely given. Rejoice in that today.