15. The Failure of Legalism: From Priority of Promise - 3:15-22

The Failure of Legalism: From Priority of Promise - 3:15-22

Paul has spoken about the importance of Abraham, the father of believers, and our link with him, that we are justified on the basis of faith and not on the basis of works of law. Now Paul comes to his third argument, he shows in these passages the superiority of grace. We also see a few more points about the law.

“Brethren, (I speak according to man,) even man’s confirmed covenant no one sets aside, or adds other dispositions to.” (3:15)

Paul stated that he was going to demonstrate that the principle of the promise that God had given, whether it was the promise to Abraham or the promise of the Holy Spirit to us, was of a higher order than the law. The promise had the priority.

“But to Abraham were the promises addressed, and to his seed: he does not say, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed; which is Christ.” (3:16) This is like a little parenthesis, because in this verse Paul showed that ultimately the promises would be made real through the seed. And who was the seed? It was Christ. The argument was first that the promise was there before the law came and that when the law came it was unable to satisfy the promise. But then Paul spoke about the seed and that in the seed the promise would be confirmed. We have that in 2 Corinthians 1:20, that in Christ all God’s promises are yea and Amen. So whatever promise we consider, whether the promise in Genesis 12:1-20 or the promise to Isaac or Jacob, whatever promise, all these promises need to be linked with Christ otherwise there is no fulfillment.

Paul emphasized the singular expression, it was not a collective singular, it was a personal (‘His’) and singular (‘Seed’). It is important to read the Scripture carefully. Paul quoted a verse from Scripture showing this implies verbal and literal inspiration. That is another point we could study. The Scriptures have been verbally and literally inspired (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20). It is not just an inspiration of concepts, with the words not being important: no, everyword is important, even the form in which it is given is important.

“Now I say this, A covenant confirmed beforehand by God, the law, which took place four hundred and thirty years after, does not annul, so as to make the promise of no effect.” (3:17)

Now Paul returns to his main argument. When God makes a promise He is going to fulfill it and that cannot be annulled by anything that happens later, not even the giving of the law. In order to understand the strength of the expression “a covenant confirmed beforehand by God”we must go back again to Genesis 15:1-21 and to Abraham who “believed God and it was accounted to him righteousness.”In the same chapter we see how God confirmed the promise that He made to Abraham, that in his seed all would be blessed, a promise that goes back to Genesis 12:2-3. Abraham took a number of animals and they were sacrificed. They were then lined up one part this side, another part that side, and God went through those animals. The procedure that was used to confirm a covenant was that the two parties would slaughter the animals and they would then walk together through their parts to confirm it. But who walked through those animals in Genesis 15:1-21? Abraham was in a deep sleep. Abraham did not go through those animals, only God walked through them. What did this mean? The fulfillment, the keeping of the covenant only depended on God. And can you rely on God? Yes, you can. This is the point here. Therefore this covenant cannot be nullified by the law that came four hundred and thirty years later. This number we find in Exodus 12:40, at the end of the chapter, where the nation of Israel left Egypt. This is another topic we will not touch now.

“For if the inheritance be on the principle of law, it is no longer on the principle of promise; but God gave it in grace to Abraham by promise.” (3:18) This naturally follows. The expression here “gave [the inheritance] in grace”is one word, it underlines the gift of grace by God to Abraham. We have already seen that if it is a matter of a gift of grace it cannot be on the basis of law, in fact, it was given so many years before the law came in.

“Why then the law? It was added for the sake of transgressions, until the seed came to whom the promise was made, ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator.” (3:19)

“Why then the law?”is a valid question. “It was added”is a point to understand. Why was it added? We have several verses in Romans that show that it was brought in to expose the character of sin, that sin was transgression under the law. “It was added for the sake of transgressions.”Again, I do not want to go into this in too much detail, but in Romans this is fully explained, Romans 5:1-21; Romans 7:1-25 and also 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 say that the law provokes sin, it causes people to do whatever is forbidden, that is how it works. If the law said, “Do this”people in the flesh, under the law, have a tendency to not do it, in fact they willnot do it, but if the law says, “Do not do this”then people in the flesh, under the law will do it. This is how the law provokes sin which then becomes transgression. Sin in itself means that you have ‘missed the mark.’Transgression is that you ‘step aside,’meaning you should follow the path of the law but you step aside, you do not walk on the path. This is transgression.

Now the law was added for a number of years, only for a limited time, “until the seed came.”Who is the seed? Christ is, as we have seen. The law was fulfilled in the death of Christ and so it was given for a limited time only and then it was fulfilled. Some more details are then given about the character of the law in order for us to see the difference between it and the system of grace. Firstly the law was ordained through angels in the hand of a mediator. God gave the law to angels so they were mediators; then the angels gave it through the hand of Moses, and so Moses was the mediator on behalf of the people. So there was a great distance between God and the people. Is there a great distance between God and us under grace? No, we are sons, so very close to God. This shows a difference in character. This has nothing to do with the Lord Jesus Himself as the Mediator between God and man in 1 Timothy 2:1-15, which is connected with Him as the Sacrifice as we have seen earlier.

“But a mediator is not of one, but God is one.” (3:20) This is difficult to understand, but may I suggest that it implies that all depends on God. God went through the slaughtered animals alone. Everything depends on God. When we are on the basis of works of law then it depends on us and as a consequence it will never work, but when it depends on God alone He is faithful and then things are fulfilled.

“Is then the law against the promises of God? Far be the thought. For if a law had been given able to quicken, then indeed righteousness were on the principle of law …” (3:21)

We could at this point in Paul’s argument come to a conclusion that would be wrong. God had given promises. Now the law was brought in for a time to test people. It was not really designed to be against the promises of God. We have seen there is an inherent conflict between the principle of law and the promises of God, but God had added it only for a period of time so that it would fulfill its purpose. But ultimately it was not to nullify God’s promises, “For if a law had been given which was able to quicken, then indeed righteousness would be on the principle of law.”Paul shows again the shortcomings of the law; the law cannot produce life. This word “quicken”is used in connection with God, it is used in connection with the Lord Jesus, it is used in connection with the Holy Spirit and it is used in connection with the Father, but it is not used in connection with the law. The law cannot give life; it cannot quicken. This is the point. It can only bring us under condemnation. This is all the law can do, and this is why, if we put ourselves under the law, we put ourselves under a curse because we cannot fulfil the law. The law will only show that we are under the curse.

“…but the scripture has shut up all things under sin, that the promise, on the principle of faith of Jesus Christ, should be given to those that believe.” (3:22) This is a similar expression to what we read earlier. Here we see how Scripture and God work together, and we can say that “[God] has shut up all things under sin.”This word “shut up”means as it were to “put in jail”and “under sin,”as a result of being under the law. But what would be the final result of this condition, of law and sin? It is judgment. However, the principles of faith and promise also go together, leading to blessing.