Paul continues with his fantastic discourse on circumcision (a rite of the Abrahamic Covenant), and on the Mosaic Law (where the rite of circumcision was ratified over 400 years after the Covenant was established). In our last lesson we discovered that God established the covenant of cutting with Abraham and his lineage through his son Isaac. We saw that the Abrahamic Covenant and the ritual of circumcision had nothing to do with the eternal salvation of anyone, but that the ritual established or marked a nation, a people apart for God's use. In short, the rite of circumcision established the people that would one day become the nation Israel. Abraham was saved, that is, he was given righteousness in the eyes of God because he believed God and God counted that belief for righteousness. Further we saw that Abraham was saved by Grace some thirteen years prior to God's enactment of the rite of circumcision. In fact, Abraham was saved by Grace over four hundred years before God gave the Law to Israel through the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai. Though the rite of circumcision was imported into and ratified by the Mosaic Law, that rite preceded the establishment of the Law. Since it preceded the establishment of the Law, and existed apart from the Law for over four hundred years, then it could have absolutely nothing to do with the salvation of anyone. Circumcision did not save. Faith in God, faith in His provision of salvation saved.

Now the Apostle moves to the next logical argument that the legalist could throw against salvation by faith alone in Christ. Is it possible that the Law given by Moses abrogated or annulled the Grace of God? Did the coming of the Law under Moses give man an alternative to salvation by faith in God? Did circumcision become a necessary facet of salvation once the Law was introduced?

(Galatians 3:11 KJV) "But that no man is justified (dikaioo {pronounced dik-ah-yo’-o}, Present Passive Indicative, has received justification) by (en, in or in the sphere of the Law) the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (ek pistis = out of the source of faith)” ^{Habakkuk 2:4}

IF the Mosaic Law annulled salvation by faith in God, the Apostle speculates, then wouldn't justification by faith no longer be discussed following the establishment of the Law? In other words, if God gave an alternate to salvation by faith in the Mosaic Law, then it would be reasonable to expect that God would remain with what He established in the following writings of the Old Testament. To prove that God's standard for salvation has always been and will always be "Believe in Me, look to Me, and I will save you", Paul quotes from Habakkuk:

(Habakkuk 2:4 KJV) "Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith."

Though the date of the writing of Habakkuk is somewhat disputed among scholars who argue such things, the book was written and inspired by God around 597 BC, or over 500 years prior to the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ on the earth. This is shortly before Israel the nation fell into captivity under the hands of the Chaldeans, yet long after the giving of the Mosaic Law to Israel on Mount Sinai. Even though the Law had been given long before, the Prophet wrote "the just (tsaddiyq {pronounced tsad-deek’}, the justified or righteous ones) shall live by his faith (‘emuwnah {pronounced em-oo-naw’}, faith, belief)". Paul interpreted this passage to refer to the confidence that one places in God our Savior. If the Law supplanted salvation by faith in God, if it abrogated the norm or standard of salvation as believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, then why did Habakkuk write of it? The fact is, faith in God has always been the norm or standard of salvation. Regardless as to what the hyper-legalists and the hyperdispensationalists teach, the very fact that Habakkuk wrote of salvation by faith while under the system of the Mosaic Law proves that God never expected man to be saved by following the rites of the Law. The Law presented an impossible scenario of salvation to an impossible and hardheaded people. God knew that no one, I repeat, NO ONE could be saved by keeping the Law perfectly. It just wasn't humanly possible, though it was a standard that God could maintain.

(Galatians 3:12 KJV) "And the law is not (esti ouk, Present Indicative, is not and never will be) of faith: but, The man that doeth (poieo {pronounced poy-eh’-o}, Aorist Active Participle, having done them) them shall live (zao {pronounced dzah’-o} Future Middle Indicative, shall be caused to live) in them." ^{Leviticus 18:5}

(Leviticus 18:5 KJV) "Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD."

Next the Apostle quotes from Leviticus 18:5. The Law of Moses was not the ideal that our Father wanted to impose on His people. God tried using faith as a means of interacting with His people, but again and again Israel rejected faith as they looked backward to Egypt. At the waters of the Red Sea Israel saw the armies of Egypt coming, and they cried out:

(Exodus 14:11-12 KJV) "And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? {12} Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."

Even after God delivered from Egypt, destroying the armies of Pharaoh in the midst of the waters, Israel refused to believe.

(Exodus 16:2-3 KJV) "And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness: {3} And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

God provided manna for their sustenance, food from Heaven itself, yet the children of Israel murmured. Faithless, they would not believe.

(Exodus 17:3 KJV) "And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"

God provided water to these faithless ones. Here, Beloved, is the key - they were faithless. Even following a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud, they were faithless. Even when God stood clearly revealed, open for even the heathen to fear, they stood faithless. If they would have even the smallest faith to believe in God, then they could have moved mountains with this faith. If they could have heeded just one small thing that the Father did for them, then the Law would not have been unveiled. For The Law was something that stood outside of faith. It was a mechanical means, once more, a MECHANICAL means of approaching God. It was a relationship with God that was no relationship at all. It was a tool that God used to bind Israel, to yoke Israel, to drive Israel to its knees. It was, as Peter said at the Jerusalem Conference:

(Acts 15:10 KJV) "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?"

A yoke upon the neck of the disciples, a painful and terrible burden to bear for all who tried it on. I laugh at the idea of Legalism that anyone can work their way into God's Heaven. The Law brings no relationship with God, but presents a harsh, foreboding, mechanical view of God. The Law is the whip that the child must endure until he says, "Enough, I can bear no more! Jesus, please save me from my sins!". Grace is the calming hand of God in the midst of the storm, caressing, loving, relating to the believer. The Law is a seemingly endless list of things that denigrate and push down. Grace is the love of Father at the end of the day, waiting to walk and talk with the child as the sun sets. The Law brings upset and displacement, Grace only peace.

(Galatians 3:13 KJV) "Christ hath redeemed (exagorazo {pronounced ex-ag-or-ad’-zo}, Aorist Active Indicative, redeemed or purchased from the slave market once for all) us from the curse of the law, being made (ginomai {pronounced ghin’-om-ahee} Aorist Middle Participle, having become a curse for us. Jesus bore our sins, paying for the penalty that we should have paid for breaking the Mosaic Law) a curse for us: for it is written, (grapho {pronounced graf’-o}, Perfect Passive Indicative, written in the past so that it stands written) Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" ^{Deuteronomy 21:22-23}

The Law is no blessing, dear Child, it is a curse, and those who were not blinded by self but desperately wanted a relationship with the Father knew it. Someone had to come and buy us out of the slavery of the Law. Someone had to come and take on the curse of the Law for us. Israel remained in bondage under Egyptian Pharaohs from the time of Joseph to the time of Moses. As the bondage grew greater and greater the children cried out for relief, and God rescued them from their plight. Even so, God put the Law, like Pharaoh, over Israel. The Law was a curse that whipped the children until they realized their fallen condition. The Law was a curse that Israel could not keep, the Law was a curse that the Gentiles could not keep. Israel could not maintain the standard of righteousness established by the Law. If Israel, who was given the Law beginning with Moses, could not keep the Law, then how could we Gentiles hope to keep the Law? We could not! We, like Israel before us, had to be saved from the Law by the blood of Christ. His payment on the Cross would redeem us from the Law, redeem us from our sin, and bring us to salvation if we only believe on Jesus. We must accept the fact that He paid the price for us. We must accept the fact that we are sinners, and that Jesus paid for our sin.

(Galatians 3:14 KJV) "That the blessing of Abraham might come (ginomai {pronounced ghin’-om-ahee}, Aorist Middle Subjunctive, could come to pass) on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive (lambano {pronounced lam-ban’-o}, Second Aorist Active Subjunctive, might receive once and for all) the promise of the Spirit through faith."

That which the Christian possesses today, a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, is the same relationship that Abraham enjoyed thousands of years ago. Here is the great theme of the Scripture: God loves us, and wants a relationship with us through faith. God wanted Adam to believe what He said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam failed to believe, and dragged all of humanity into the abyss of sin with his act of disobedience. God wanted Cain to believe that animal sacrifice was what was acceptable to present before Him (Genesis 4:4-6), but Cain refused to believe and murdered his brother Abel in a fit of jealousy. Belief, faith in God, has been God's desire of man from the beginning. That we love Him, that we believe Him, that we have a walking relationship with Him by believing in Him - this was what Abraham discovered and enjoyed. We receive salvation and the promise of the indwelling Spirit of God by faith in Christ.

(Galatians 3:15 KJV) "Brethren, I speak (lego {pronounced leg’-o}, Present Indicative Active, Linear Aktionsart, keep on speaking) after (kata, preposition, after the norm or standard of) the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, (kuroo {koo-ro’-o}, Perfect Passive Participle, confirmed in the past with the result that it stands) no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto."

Paul next poses a very interesting argument. If two honorable men made a covenant, or one honorable man made a covenant with another man regardless as to the second man's condition of morality, the honorable man or men would not abrogate or annul the covenant that he entered into without following a legal and honorable procedure. Once a covenant was kuroo, confirmed, then no party of honesty would add to or take away from the covenant. I know that, in this day of loose immorality and disregard for that which is honorable, there are many who would do anything - even lie or break a contract - to get ahead. But in ancient times (and in my day, which some of you may regard as ancient times) a person's word was their bond. If a covenant or contract was entered into with a handshake, then that covenant or contract would be kept. You see, people knew something of honor then. The same was true in ancient times.

A contract could not be voided unless both parties mutually agreed to its voiding. The Abrahamic Covenant was entered into prior to the Mosaic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant was and will always be in effect, for God made the covenant with Abraham and his seed in perpetuity. If an honorable man will not negate a contract without proper procedure, then a righteous God will absolutely NOT negate a contract without proper procedure. This is the point that Paul is making. If a honorable human with all his flaws will not add to or take away from a contract/ covenant, do you really think that God, infinite in holiness and with impeccable character, will welch on His Word? Absolutely not! If you believe that the coming of the Mosaic Law removed the Abrahamic Covenant and faith in God for salvation, then you are as much as calling God both dishonorable and less than man! The Galatians, by falling for the Judaizers cultic dogma that circumcision (which is of the Law) was required for salvation, these believers were, in essence, slandering the holy nature of God. Though the Dispensation of the Law began with Moses and ended with the Cross of Christ, the Dispensation of the Law did not offer an alternative to salvation by faith in God. No, no, a thousand times, no! The Dispensation of the Law continued to point out the inability of man to achieve Divine righteousness through his works. The Dispensation of the Law demanded that man stop and consider salvation by faith in God. The Dispensation of the Law did not negate the Abrahamic Covenant, it enhanced and highlighted the Abrahamic Covenant. Those who were saved under the Dispensation of the Law were saved by faith in God's provision, saved by Grace. Grace was, is, and will always be a golden thread that runs through the Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, and the Law no more than the rod used to beat the hardheaded child until he grasps that golden thread. The Abrahamic Covenant remained in effect, a valid contract between God and man, even during the Dispensation of the Law. The strength of the Abrahamic Covenant depended on the character of God, NOT on human ability.

^{Begin Parenthesis}(Galatians 3:16 KJV) "Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. (rheo {pronounced hreh’-o}, Aorist Passive Indicative, once for all were spoken or uttered) He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." ^{End parenthesis}

This is a difficult section to understand because of the stilted language that Paul uses, but it can be understood if we take it slowly. You see, prior to Christ's death-burial-and resurrection, man could only be saved by faith in God's provision. You see, we are creatures of time, and the sacrifice that Christ would make did not happen until many years after the giving of the Abrahamic Covenant. When God came to Abram (Abraham) and made His initial promise to him:

(Genesis 12:1-2 KJV) "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: {2} And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:"

Abram (Abraham) believed God, took God at His Word, and got up and followed Him. When Abram (Abraham) believed in the Word of God and did as he was told to do, God promised:

(Genesis 12:7 KJV) "And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him."

Paul notes that the Abrahamic Covenant, as God worded it, was made to Abraham and his seed, not his seedS. When God made the Covenant to Abraham and his seed (singular), the seed referred to was Jesus Christ, who would come in the flesh from the lineage of Abraham. Paul puts in this parenthetical statement to show that Abraham was saved by faith in the promise of the coming Messiah as given in the Abrahamic Covenant. All who were saved by Grace prior to the incarnation of Christ were saved by believing in the coming Christ, saved by believing in the provision of God. All people, both Jew and Gentile, who accepted the coming Christ as Savior, became inheritors of the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. There were other covenants that God established that were specifically addressed to the Jews and not the Gentiles. The Mosaic Covenant which established the Written Law that would govern Israel the nation, was given only to the Jews. The Palestinian Covenant, which established the boundaries of the promised land; again, this was only to Israel. The Davidic Covenant, which established a perpetual throne in Israel; again, it was only to Israel. But the Abrahamic Covenant was given to Abraham and to Christ. It was established prior to the Law and with a Gentile from Ur of the Chaldees called Abram. The covenant of cutting, circumcision, came after the establishment of the Abrahamic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Abraham by God because Abraham believed in the coming Messiah, and believed in God's provision of salvation by Grace. The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Abraham and his seed, which Paul understood to be not the many children that Abraham would have but the one distinct Seed that would come by direct lineage from Abraham. The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Abraham and the Incarnate Christ, his Seed, the reason that God blessed the lineage of Abraham.

When you look at the Abrahamic Covenant in the same light that the Apostle Paul does, this clear out the cobwebs of human perception among both Jew and Gentile. There are those who believe that a Jew by being fortunate enough to be physically born as a genetic descendent of Abraham is automatically saved and automatically inherits eternity with God. This is one of the many misconceptions that people have about eternal salvation. Listen Beloved! No one is automatically saved. Abraham was not automatically saved. His children were not automatically saved. This is Unitarian Universalist nonsense, totally unsupported by Scripture. Many of the seeds of Abraham began to believe over the years that they were automatically saved because Abraham was their father. No one is automatically saved by reason of physical birth! Salvation has and will always be something that God gives freely to those who believe in Him.

(Genesis 17:5-7 KJV) "Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. {6} And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. {7} And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

The Abrahamic Covenant was established with Abraham and with the one Son of Abraham that mattered, with Jesus Christ. Christ, God in the Flesh manifested among us, would come from the line of Abraham. Jesus Christ would be the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. God revealed Jesus Christ to Abraham:

(John 8:56-58 KJV) "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. {57} Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? {58} Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am."

(Exodus 3:14 KJV) "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

Jesus Christ revealed this to us when He declared that He was God eternal, God cloaked in flesh, God come to pay for our sins. When God made covenant with Abraham He, in effect, revealed to Abraham that a Child would come forth from his line that would pay for the sins of all who believe. Abraham believed God, took God at His Word, and was saved by faith in what God promised was coming. As the Scripture says:

(Romans 4:1-4 KJV) "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? {2} For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. {3} For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. {4} Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."

Abraham did nothing, NOTHING to be saved but to believe on God and His promise. Abraham was as unworthy to be saved as are we all, but he believed God and God, because of his belief, attributed righteousness to Abraham's Heavenly account. Abraham became a pattern, the father of all who would believe in God and be saved by faith in Christ. Abraham is the father of not just the Jew, for there are many Jews since Abraham who have NOT believed God and are dead in their sins - but Abraham is the father of all believing Jews and all believing Gentiles who are saved by faith in the Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ. Circumcision was a sign or a token of Abraham's faith, but it did nothing to save Abraham, no more than it saved any Jew of any age. The Law was a teacher to drive Israel to faith in Christ, Abraham's Seed. The Law could not save. Only faith in God. Only faith in Jesus Christ.

(Romans 4:11-13 KJV) "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also: {12} And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. {13} For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith."

(Romans 4:16-18 KJV) "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, {17} (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. {18} Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be."

(Galatians 3:17 KJV) "And this I say, (lego {pronounced leg’-o}, Present Active Indicative, Linear Aktionsart, keep on saying) that the covenant, that was confirmed before (prokuroo {pronounced prok-oo-ro’-o}, Perfect Passive Participle, ratified in the past with the result that it keeps on being ratified forever) of (literally, under) God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, (akuroo {pronounced ak-oo-ro’-o}, Present Active Indicative, Linear Aktionsart, cannot abrogate) that it should make the promise of none effect."

Could the Scripture be any plainer? The Abrahamic Covenant, a covenant established by God with Abraham and his Seed (Jesus Christ), was prokuroo, ratified by God the Giver of that Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant stood ratified four hundred and thirty years prior to the giving of the Mosaic Law. Listen Beloved! If God, who gave both the Abrahamic as well as the Mosaic Covenants, wanted man to understand that eternal salvation comes by the Mosaic Law, He would have given the Law prior to the Abrahamic Covenant. After all, God willed when each was given. He has and will always have control over His dealings with man. Yet God established the Abrahamic Covenant first and only established the Mosaic Law after Israel rejected faith in Him as a means to salvation. As Paul said:

(Galatians 3:6-9 KJV) "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. {7} Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. {8} And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. {9} So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

(Galatians 3:14 KJV) "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

We who have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, just as Abraham accepted the coming Messiah as Savior, are saved just as Abraham was saved. We are saved just like that Chaldean Gentile Abraham! What a magnificent truth the Scripture has given! The blessing of Abraham, eternal salvation, comes on all who accept Christ as Savior. We who have accepted Jesus Christ, God's means of salvation, are the children of Abraham. Now, does this mean that we who are Gentiles by birth are Israel, or are of Israel? No, absolutely not! Remember, the covenant of cutting, circumcision, was given to Abraham and his direct descendants through Isaac in Genesis 17. This covenant of cutting was the mark, the token of what would one day be known as the nation Israel. Those who underwent the covenant of cutting may have been saved, or they may not have been saved. Those who underwent the covenant of cutting may have been saved by faith as Abraham was, or they could have been lost and unbelieving. Circumcision came on Isaac and all who would follow Isaac on the eighth day after birth. No baby ever makes a choice to be saved by believing in God - at eight days, most children can barely hold their heads up, let alone make a choice for Jesus Christ. No, Beloved, no! We who are Gentiles were never given the covenant of cutting, nor did that matter - the covenant of cutting set aside a chosen nation, Israel, for God, but did not save even one soul. We who are Gentiles are Abraham's children because of our same means of salvation, but we are not Israel, nor do we aspire to the promises that God made to that nation. Many in Israel who, under the covenant of cutting, inherited the promises that God made to that nation, are yet dead in their sins. As Paul stated in Romans:

(Romans 9:30-33 KJV) "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. {31} But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. {32} Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone; {33} As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offense: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Here is the enigma, and the sadness, and the shame. Israel as God's nation, set apart by the covenant of cutting, was given the law of righteousness (the Mosaic Law) because they refused to accept Christ as Savior. When God said "Believe me, and you shall be saved", Israel looked at the outward things of the world and cursed Moses: "Why have you brought us out here in the desert to die? Did we not tell you that we were satisfied in Egypt? How dare you force us to follow you, Moses!" Such disbelief was a stench and a horrible odor and a stink in God's nostrils. God came to Abram the Gentile and said, "Believe Me", and Abram believed. God counted that belief as imputed righteousness. Four hundred and thirty years passed, and God our Savior came to Israel. He sent Moses, a believer, into Israel to demand their release from Pharaoh. In time they were released, and by Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud Jesus led Israel from Egypt. All He asked was, "Believe in Me, and you shall be saved". Israel refused to believe, and refused to believe, and refused to believe, and refused to believe .... until He set the law of righteousness, the Mosaic Law, over Israel like a master with a whip over a slave. How do I know that He which followed Israel was Christ? The Scripture tells us:

(1 Corinthians 10:1 KJV) "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;"

... All of our fathers (Israel) were under the cloud (the Pillar of smoke), and all passed through the sea (the Red Sea exodus) ...

(1 Corinthians 10:2 KJV) "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;"

... All of Israel was under Moses' leadership, as they passed through the midst of the Red Sea as if on dry land ...

(1 Corinthians 10:3 KJV) "And did all eat the same spiritual meat;"

... All of Israel had access to the blessings of Jesus. They were fed because of His great love ...

(1 Corinthians 10:4 KJV) "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

... and all of Israel were given water from the Rock, given sustenance because Christ our Savior blessed them. The Rock was Christ. Christ was there with Israel, saying, "Believe on Me and you shall be saved". Yet Israel, unlike Abraham who was saved while yet a Gentile in Ur of the Chaldees, and Moses who, though a Jew, grew up in the Gentile house of Pharaoh. but was saved in the desert - unlike these great forefathers, Israel refused to believe in Him and were thus lost. It is possible that many Gentiles in the Old Testament were saved by believing in God, whereas many Jews were damned because they rejected the faith of Abraham for the works of the Law, my own “do it yourself” righteousness. We do know that many Gentiles were saved by faith in Christ under Paul's preaching (again, refer to Romans 9, above), whereas many Jews were damned for refusing to accept Christ as Savior.

(Galatians 3:18 KJV) "For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave (charizomai {pronounced khar-id’-zom-ahee}, Perfect Middle Indicative, gave with the result that it stands forever) it to Abraham by promise."

(Galatians 3:19 KJV) "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of (charin {pronounced khar’-in}, adverbial accusative, for the sake of, for the purpose of) transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator."

(Galatians 3:20 KJV) "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one."

Could the inheritance of the Abrahamic Covenant be by keeping the Law of God? If it was, then Abraham never received the promise of God, for the Law was given four hundred and thirty years after the Abrahamic Covenant was given. If the Law could not provide a means by which Israel could inherit the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant, then what was the Law given for? Again, Paul is VERY clear. The Law was added "because of charin", because of the transgressions of the nation Israel. This nation rejected faith in Christ, thus God said "Fine! Then follow this Law". The Law then became a one sided mediator, a mirror of the holiness of God. The Expositor's Bible Commentary states (Regency Reference Library, ^© 1976, pg 464):

" .... the Law was given to make the transgressions known, even in one sense to encourage them or to provoke them to a new intensity. In view of Paul's choice of the word "transgressions" (parabasis) rather than "sin" (hamartia) in this context and of his discussion of the purpose of the Law elsewhere, the latter is the only real possibility ..."

The Law was not God's ideal for man to live under. No, Beloved, those who are in the Family do not relate to one another by Law, but by Love. It is certain that there are standards that every parent sets in the family unit, but I know of no loving father or mother who writes down a series of laws for the children to follow. This would be abnormal behavior. Even in our society, most people have no contact whatsoever with the Law until they violate the Law. The Law exists to draw a line, to establish a standard by which people who are unrelated will live by. But within the family unit no Law exists, unless it be the Law of Love. As a child the relationship I had with my parents established my behavior. I did certain chores because it was expected of me as a family member, but not because it was written down and posted on the refrigerator door. Love drove me to obey. If I disobeyed, love demanded my punishment, though I was never abused nor thrown from the family unit. Love sets boundaries on both children as well as adults. The Law was not for those who had a relationship with God by faith in Christ. The Law was for the lawless, the strangers not of the family, for the law breaker. The Law had no older Brother who took my penalty, for the Law was impersonal, outside of Family. Faith gives all who believe a Mediator who stands up for them when Satan accuses. The Law, however, never mediated - it just condemned.

(1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV) "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; {6} Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."

Faith made Abraham a son of God, made Isaac a son of God, made Moses a son of God. The Law made nothing of anyone, unless that which it made was condemnation and transgression. The Law pointed out that we are all weak through the flesh, but never proposed a remedy within itself that corrected the situation. The closest remedy of the Law was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement:

(Romans 8:3 KJV) "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:"

But the Law had NO ability to bring someone into the Family. No, you entered the Family by faith in Christ. The Law, to include Yom Kippur, stood as a judge over lost Israel. The Law condemned those who refused to enter into the Family of God by faith. It is tedious to live under the Law, but relaxing to live under Grace.

(Galatians 3:21 KJV) "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given (zoopoieo {pronounced dzo-op-oy-eh’-o}, Aorist Active Infinitive, could have given life) life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."

(Galatians 3:22 KJV) "But the scripture ^{Deuteronomy 27:26} hath concluded (sugkleio {pronounced soong-kli’-o}, Aorist Indicative Active, once and for all shut up or enclosed, as if in a net) all under sin, ^{Romans 3:23} that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." (pisteuo {pronounced pist-yoo’-o}, Present Active Participle, keep on believing)

(Galatians 3:23 KJV) "But before faith came, we were kept (phroureo {pronounced froo-reh’-o}, Perfect Passive Indicative, we were kept, guarded in a jail) under the law, shut up (sugkleio {pronounced soong-kli’-o}, Present Passive Participle, shut up in a prison cell) unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed."

(Galatians 3:24 KJV) "Wherefore the law was (ginomai {pronounced ghin’-om-ahee}, Perfect Active Indicative, became and remained) our schoolmaster (paidagogos {pronounced pahee-dag-o-gos’}, a tutor i.e. a guardian and guide of boys. Among the Greeks and the Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood) to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified (dikaioo {pronounced dik-ah-yo’-o}, Aorist Passive Subjunctive, might be justified once for all) by faith."

Here is a great truth! The Mosaic Law could not be against the promises that God gave His family, but the Law existed to convict those outside of the family that the only way they could enter the family was by faith in Jesus Christ. The Law was the tutor, the slave that was set over the child until he came of age. In Roman society the paidagogos ruled the child until the child reached the age of accountability. Once the child reached the age of accountability, the roles were reversed. Whereas before the paidagogos was in charge of the child, now the young adult had power over the paidagogos. This is what our Lord Jesus meant when He said:

(Luke 6:7-11 KJV) "And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. {8} But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. {9} Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? {10} And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. {11} And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus."

The unsaved Jews followed the Law for the Law's sake. They embraced the paidagogos then, without growing up, stayed under the rule of the paidagogos. They could not see beyond the Law (for the Sabbath observance was the fourth commandment of the Law) to understand that God could do good on the Sabbath if He so pleased. They could not see beyond the Law to understand that anyone could do good on the Sabbath, that the Law merely taught that all men are sinners. Can you imagine anyone watching the Messiah to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so they could accuse Him? Here is religion gone far astray from a relationship with God. Here are children outside of the Family of God, worshipping the paidagogos while ignoring the Father who owns the paidagogos.

(Luke 13:10-17 KJV) "And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath {11} And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. {12} And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. {13} And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. {14} And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. {15} The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? {16} And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? {17} And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him."

Again, the unsaved heathen under the Law had no idea that God was Love, and that God would be more than happy to heal one of His children by faith, a daughter of Abraham, even if it were the Sabbath day. The Law promoted rigidity in righteousness, a righteousness of form and ritual without love. Faith in Christ promoted entrance into the family of God. Faith in Christ demands love as God is love.

(Luke 14:1-6 KJV) "And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched him. {2} And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. {3} And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? {4} And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; {5} And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? {6} And they could not answer him again to these things."

The Law makes ignoramus' of those who are scholars, lawyers, and men of letters and degrees. These great men, great in knowledge, members of the greatest seminary of that day, could not answer one simple question from our elder Brother by faith and adoption. "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?" I am well acquainted with these fools with degrees, people to whom the pulpit is a means to earn a living, people who have never accepted Christ as Savior. Many stand in the pulpit who cannot answer that simple question, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?". Many sit in pews, prestigious people, good people who give a tithe of their salary and more, but who do not understand that God is Love, and anything that is divorced from Love is of Satan, not God. Many have great compassion for their animals, their dogs and cats, but advocate murder of children yet in their mother's womb. Many would jail a person for abusing a animal, or would imprison the farmer or hunter for killing meat for food, but would allow a baby to be born feet first then, before its head was delivered from the womb, its brains scrambled with a harsh knife to kill it. Many would protect the rights of the rich, but would advocate racist theology, calling those for whom Christ died horrible names, advocating segregation in the name of holiness. Beloved, are we any better than the scribes and Pharisees that accused Jesus of healing on the Sabbath? Have we not taken the letter of the Law and lived by it, yet have ignored the core of the Law - Love?

(Hebrews 10:1-10 KJV) "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. {2} For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. {3} But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. {4} For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. {5} Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: {6} In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. {7} Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. {8} Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; {9} Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. {10} By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

As the writer of Hebrews states, the Law was a mere shadow of good things to come. The Law had no power to save, though it had the power to convict man that he needed to be saved. The Law had no power to please God. God was not satisfied with the sacrifices that the Law offered:

(Hebrews 10:4-6 KJV) "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. {5} Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: {6} In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure."

God did not want, nor was He satisfied with, burnt offerings and sacrifices. These things that the Law established were training aids to bring Israel to an understanding that they needed a Savior. Even today the Mosaic Law is an effective tool in witnessing to unbelievers, for ...

(Psalms 19:7 KJV) "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple."

The Law has the ability to convict a person that he needs Jesus. The Law has the ability to shame the lost soul to the point where it looks for a Savior in Christ. Yet the Law could not save. It was devoid of any means to make a man good enough to enter God's Heaven. Only faith in Christ, a relationship with God the Father through the sacrifice of God the Son and through the power of God the Spirit - this only saves. Abraham saw Christ high and lifted up, and in believing he was saved. King David believed God, as did Moses and Joshua and Caleb and every righteous man and woman of Old Testament times ... and in believing on Him they were saved.

There is no other name under Heaven whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Only Jesus. Only Jesus. Only faith in Him and in what He has done for us. Only Jesus!

• Who was the first person to receive the covenant of cutting at birth? What did this cutting signify for that person, and for all who followed?
• Is it possible that the coming of the Law under Moses abrogated or annulled the Abrahamic Covenant? Why or why not?
• What significance does the writing of Habakkuk 2:4 have for us?
• The Law is something that stands outside of faith and outside of the ___________________.
• If God, who gave both the Abrahamic as well as the Mosaic Covenants, wanted man to understand that eternal salvation comes by the Mosaic Law, He would have given the Law ________ the Abrahamic Covenant.
• Of the Covenants that were covered in this lesson, which Covenant was addressed specifically to Gentiles, and proceeded the covenant of cutting?
• The Mosaic Law could not be against the promises that God gave His family, but the Law existed to convict those ______________ that the only way they could enter the family was by faith in Jesus Christ.
• The Mosaic Law still has the power to _____________ people of their sin, but has no power to __________ sin.