The Law Doesn’t Break His Promise - November 1

Read Galatians 3:15-18

To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to his offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Reflect

How are man-made covenants similar to God’s covenant-promise with Abraham and his off-spring?

Imagine if decades ago, your grandfather bequeathed his estate to you. It was a promise made to you alone. You didn’t ask for it and you didn’t do anything to deserve it. But your grandfather loved you and wanted you to have his things when he was gone. So, long before his passing, he had his lawyer write up his will and your grandfather signed it with witnesses. Once that was done, it was legal and binding.

Now, imagine if, upon your grandfather’s passing, some distant cousins attempted to make the case that they deserve a share in his estate. Would they have any legal right to modify your grandfather’s will? Of course not! The only person who could have changed the will was your grandfather, the one who promised it to you.

That is kind of what the Judaizers were trying to do. They were trying to modify the covenant that God had made with Abraham by adding the law to God’s grace. Paul’s point in today’s passage is that once a covenant is official, the only persons who can change it are the original parties who made it. This is true for man-made covenants. Now imagine if the original covenant maker was God Himself. Why would any sinful man think they have any right to attempt to add to or modify the holy God’s covenant in any way?

In Genesis 15, you can read the account of God cutting his covenant with Abraham. After promising Abraham that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky (v. 5), the Gospel of grace through faith was proclaimed: “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness (v.6).” Abraham was declared righteous based on his faith well before the law was even given to Moses. The fact that we are made right with God based solely on our faith in Him was established hundreds of years before the law.

This promise was reaffirmed to Abraham’s offspring. In Genesis 46:1-4, God reaffirmed His covenant with Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, right before Jacob took his family to Egypt. Many centuries after that covenant reaffirmation with Jacob, Moses led Abraham’s enslaved descendants out of Egypt and God gave them the law at Mt. Sinai. Paul emphasized that the fact that this law did not void God’s promise that was firmly established so many years before.

Finally, Paul reminded his readers that God’s covenant with Abraham was based on a promise. When we read the account of God making the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, we read that God alone made the covenant with Abraham. In ancient times, in order to ratify a covenant by blood, both parties were to walk between dead animals. But in this instance, God caused Abraham to fall asleep and God symbolically passed through the animals by Himself. In His covenant with Abraham, God did not place any conditions on Abraham or require anything of him. This covenant wasn’t based on the law. It was based on the unconditional promise of God!

That promise still stands for us today. We can be declared righteous in God’s eyes because we believe in what He alone has done for us. The law doesn’t break God’s promise to us.

Respond

God, I am standing on Your promises. I believe that You have done what You said You would do and that You will do what You have said You will do. I can’t perfectly keep Your law. I am already guilty of breaking it. So my hope is in You alone. Amen.

Reveal

Think about someone in your life who struggles to trust promises—maybe because people have disappointed them or life hasn’t turned out the way they hoped. Take time this week to encourage them in a way that shows you can be counted on. Follow through on a small commitment—show up when you say you will, check in when you promise to, or offer practical help without needing recognition. As you do, you’ll be living out the kind of faithfulness God shows to us—a quiet, steady reminder that some promises really do hold firm. That kind of consistency can soften hearts far more than words alone ever could.