Galatians 3:15-22
Be Still: Lord Jesus I praise you for the eternal good news of salvation and relationship with you through your death and resurrection. Fill me with your joy as a I reflect on this today. Amen
Read: Galatians 3:15-22
Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 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. 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. 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. (vv15-18)
Encounter: This is a complex passage of theology, which my reference books tell me has been hotly debated for centuries. It is set to answer the question of why God bothered with the Old Testament law at all if he was always going to save through faith. Paul is at pains to point out that the original covenant was established through the faith of Abraham, and that its completion was in the person of Jesus (the singular ‘seed’).
Although there is much to say about this complex passage, (perhaps this could be saved for your personal study), let's focus today on Paul's teaching that the plan of God from the very start, was to save us through faith in Jesus. God’s story is not divided into New and Old Testaments.
However culturally, some people dismiss the Bible, cancelling the ‘angry Old Testament God’ and diluting that ‘nice Jesus guy’ of the New. But that isn’t God’s story, and it’s not ours. He remains the same yesterday, today and forever. And the Bible as a whole, is the story of his relentless, merciful, sacrificial love for all humanity, promising the ultimate establishment of a new creation in which a loving father can live with his rebellious but forgiven children, forever.
Apply: How could you submerse yourself in this story arc of God’s redemption?
A variety of resources explore parts of the Bible within its narrative as a whole, e.g. the BEMA podcast; the Bible Project podcast and website resources; God’s Big Picture by Vaughn Roberts
Two children’s Bibles, Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones and My Big Story Bible by Tom Wright, are also enriching and accessible explorations of how Old Testament stories fit within the promises and fulfilment of the New Testament.
Devote: Lord Jesus thank you that your love story for humanity began with creation and will never end. Help me to view the Old Testament afresh, seeing your relentless and unending love for me.