Permanence of Faith

15 Brothers and sisters, I’m using a human illustration. No one sets aside or makes additions to a validated human will. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ. 17 My point is this: The law, which came 430 years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously established by God and thus cancel the promise. 18 For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise; but God has graciously given it to Abraham through the promise. (Galatians 3:15-18)

Last we left off, Paul was in contention against the Judaizers, for they claimed that in order for Gentiles to be saved, they must adhere to the Mosaic Law in addition to accepting Christ as Lord and Savior in order to truly be saved. Paul has used many examples to contend against that belief, using personal experience, the patriarch Abraham being justified by faith, and the curse of the law and how it condemns and does not redeem. Here, Paul will now argue that grace was available, having faith in God, before even the Mosaic Law was formed.

The Judaizers were arguing that because the law proceeded after Abraham, then therefore, the law has overall priority than salvation by faith alone. In verse 15, Paul uses a “human illustration,” stating that once a will is made, it is permanently set and cannot be changed. Following that train of thought, in verse 16, when God established a covenant with Abraham and to his seed, Christ, that binding covenant could not be broken, even by the law of Moses. And Paul clarifies that it is through the singular “seed,” being the Messiah, that the blessing of salvation would come upon Abraham and all that believe in Jesus.

Verse 17, therefore, since that covenant was established way before the law, 430 years to be exact, it does not nullify being justified by faith. “The inheritance” in verse 18, meaning justification by faith, is a gift graciously given by God to those who believe in His Son. This very gift is still available to this day to anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus and chooses to follow Him. There is no way one can earn their salvation through works alone, salvation by Jesus Christ alone was always the plan since the very beginning.

Blessings,

Isaac De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com

https://www.facebook.com/WestsideBaptistChurchSBC