Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Part LXXIII on The Study of Galatians

Galatians 3:19
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed (singular Seed, the Christ) should come to whom the promise was made: and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."  In other words this whole of all covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and any others were spiritual. They never left the hands of spiritual beings (God-Yehovah and Yehovah-Christ Jesus), and as it was given to Abraham and all others, that's all they were. It was something that was heavenly in it's origin, and Abraham and the others were merely became the subject of it, but Abraham couldn't change it and neither could they, and even though their offspring would break it, and break it and break it as they did, God kept it settled, and He'd never going to go back on it. And that's why we can say with all the confidence in the world He's not through with the Hebrews. God hasn't finished His end of the covenant promises with them. Though they all were made with Christ as the end of them, or until Christ came as the end of time or the last days. If Israel would be like most of Christendom says, that they're off the board and God is all through with them, then all of the covenants fall apart. Do you understand that? The covenants won't fall apart because God is not through with Israel, and He is still going to finish and fulfill those covenant promises. Though in Christ they have been fulfilled but according to Psalm 2 their in suspension or have been put on hold during this Age. To see this we'd have to interject a brief study on the Lord last supper and all that took place from it to His resurrection and ascension. Now verse 20 almost says what I've been saying along.


Galatians 4:20
"Now a mediator (a go between) is not a mediator of one, but God is one."  Well what does that mean? If you're going to have a controversy between two people and you bring in a mediator, and guess we're more aware of that through labor unions and management, even our loan contracts have an arbitrator clause in them and they can't get together on a contract. So what do they bring in? A mediator an arbitrator. And the purpose of the mediator is to make a meeting of the minds on each side. But God is not going to use a three person mediation. God is the mediator, and the instigator, and the fulfiller, and He and Christ are involved. Even man can't touch those covenants, it's impossible. So that's what it means then when it says God is ONE. Guess we could put it this way. He is the One and Only involved in a covenant, though as mans name maybe on it. He gives it, He carries it out, and He's going to complete it, and man has nothing to do with it. OK now verse 21. And this is a good question isn't it?


Galatians 3:21a
"Is the law then against the promises of God?..."  If all the promises to Abraham were given without the Law, and they were remember. That was about 500 years before the Law was given to Moses. Does the Law come in and cancel the promises? Why No, it enhances them. Now we'll finish the verse.


Galatians 3:21b
"God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."  Do you see what that says? That if it was possible for the Law to give eternal life, and the potential was there. Yes the potential was there but the Law did not have the power or authority within it all it had was condemnation. Because you see all the demands of the Holy God was in those Ten Commandments.

What it's here telling us is, that if a human being could have kept all Ten, would God have had to have let that person into His heaven? Why sure He would, because the Law was perfect, and anybody that could fulfill it he would have met God's demands, and then God could say, "Come on into my heaven." But what's the problem with that? No simply human person can or could do it. Nobody can keep the Ten Commandments other than Christ Himself. So the Law reverts right back to what we said it was before. It does nothing but condemn the whole human race. Day in and day out the Law is condemning good people and bad. See that's what is so sad, there are a lot of good upright nice people who for the most part keep the Law. They wouldn't dream of robbing a bank, or committing adultery. They wouldn't dream of gossiping but somewhere along the line they're going to fail. And if you fail one jot or title of the Law, then James says, you've broken them all. And so we're Law breakers, we don't stand a chance, by Law keeping. All right now verse 22. Here is the great answer to the even greater dilemma.


Galatians 3:22
"But the scripture (the Word of God) hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."  Now let's come back to Romans chapter 3 and see how this fits so beautifully again with Galatians.



Romans 3:9a
"What then? are we (Hebrews, Paul speaks of) better than they? (Gentiles) No, in no wise;..."
Now what did that do to the Jewish community? Oh! it just sent them into orbit. How dare that man tell people that Gentiles are just as good as us Hebrews. Because you see for almost 2000 years the Hebrews had heard that they're special. You're my covenant people, you have been set apart from the rest of the world. You're not to intermarry with them. You are to stay within your tribe. And now have this little Hebrew come out and say, "That there is no difference." No wonder the Hebrews plagued the Apostle Paul every step of his way. It just infuriated them that this man was attempting to take the salvation of Israel's God to those pagan Gentiles. Who ever heard of such a thing. So what they did was, they followed him from city to city and in anyway they could they tried to defeat him and his purpose. They plagued him until his death. Well this was the crowning reason. This may also be why that same area is now predominately Islamic because of the Hebrew revolt again Paul's doctrine of Grace. Remember that Esau and Ishmael's descendants fill that reign so their all related through Abraham, their as the sands of the sea in numbers. Now reading on in verse 22.

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