The Seed And The Promise
Galatians 3:19-23
The promised
Seed is Christ. The promise is the promise God the Father made to God the Son
before the world began. That promise was the promised gift of grace, salvation,
and eternal life by the Holy Spirit to his elect. It was a promise made on
condition of Christ’s obedience and death, upon condition of righteousness
established by him for us as our Substitute. The law given at
Galatians
Galatians 3:22-23 "But
the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus
Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be
revealed." The law of God was not given to make us righteous, but to
shut us up to Christ. Being set forth in Holy Scripture, it concludes all under
sin. We are all under sin by birth, by nature, by choice, and by practice (Rom.
Here’s the reason -- “That the promise (the same promise he has been discussing throughout the chapter, the promise of grace, salvation, and eternal life) by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” Grace, salvation, and eternal life come to chosen sinners upon the ground of and because of the faith, faithfulness, or faithful obedience of Jesus Christ as our Substitute. It was Christ who alone brought in everlasting righteousness for us. It was Christ alone who redeemed us. It was Christ alone who put away our sins. It was Christ alone who made atonement for us by satisfying the justice of God with his own blood. It was Christ alone who, with his own blood, obtained eternal life for us! Our faith in him has no part in the accomplishment of these things!
What does faith
do? Not a blessed thing! Faith receives! Believing God, we have grace,
salvation, and eternal life by God the Holy Spirit, because God the Father
promised it and God the Son purchased it! “Salvation
is of the Lord!” Before faith
came, that is before we came to trust Christ, before God gave us faith in his
Son, “we were kept under the law.” We
were by nature children of wrath, just like everyone else. Though we were
justified from eternity by God’s decree and justified at
Don Fortner