Why a Law Won’t Cut It: Galatians 3:15-18 Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, December 2, 2012

Up to this point... Paul’s defense of his right to speak The issue at Antioch (Peter and Barnabas withdrawing from eating with Gentiles) Paul’s brilliant arguments – What of your own experience? – What of Abraham’s experience? – What do your own Scriptures say?

In context... It is about the superiority of faith over law It is about ‘how we grow’ in Christ (by faith, the same way we came to God through Him) BUT, it is really all about exclusion Every argument reinforces Paul’s point: basing your life on a legalistic view of morality is not just ineffective—it divides the world into those who do and those who do not keep the law

Today, Paul continues... I would like to preface his remarks with one of my own: the OT Law does not perfectly reflect God’s heart in every situation Look at Matthew 19:8—Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” The OT is sometimes a compromise between God’s best and what humans can accept

Galatians 3: Brothers, 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. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Galatians 3: 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 a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

Covenants: Wills or Contracts? An example from everyday life Might have called it ‘An Appeal to the Nature of Normal Human Covenants’ Check out the use of ‘diathake’ (will) rather than ‘sunthake’ (covenant) Why does ‘diathake’ (Greek) translate ‘berit’ (Hebrew)? How is ‘will’ a better choice?

The Father of All... Has decided to leave His fortune to all His children, not just those who look like they are keeping a set of rules This could be seen as bad news to those who have tried hard to keep the rules, but wisdom is about to come in the next passage that will show why it was still a good choice However, you cut it, though, it is good news for those who felt as though they did not measure up

We are all favourites... The favourite of our Father (even human fathers can pull this off...) Welcome to come to Him, no matter what way of life we have been following His heart is for all His children A legal system by nature divides God ‘cuts’ a covenant to unite forever (remember Genesis 15:6)