Note: Here are my
notes from the two closing spiritual applications in last Sunday’s message from
Galatians 3:15-22:
“Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made”
(Galatians 3:16a).
1. This passage reminds us that we are all prone to fall into the trap of
thinking that we can be justified before God by means of our own law keeping.
We are prone to the same kind of thinking that plagued the
foolish Galatians. We are prone to
think: If I follow the right formula, if
I do the right things, if I say the right words, if I find the right church, then
all will be well between me and my God.
The Scottish minister Thomas Boston observed: “The law is our first husband, and gets every
one’s virgin love. When Christ comes to
the soul, He finds it married to the law, so as it neither can or will be
married to another, till it be obliged to part with the first husband….” (Human Nature, p. 121).
Do we need to examine ourselves once again today? Can we ask:
In whom am I trusting? Am I
trusting in myself and my works, or am I trusting in Christ and in Christ
alone?
2. This
passage leads us to meditate on the consistent and faithful character of the
God of Scriptures.
He is a promise keeping God. He is a covenant keeping
God. When God makes a promise he keeps
it. He made a promise to Abraham that in
his seed all nations would be blessed.
And in the fullness of time there came forth Christ to fulfill that
promise.
He promises to save all those who look not to themselves but
to Christ. “For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).
He promises to sanctify those whom he has saved and
ultimately to glorify them. Jesus’
prayer for the disciples was that they be sanctified through truth (John
17:17). In the Golden Chain of
redemption, Paul wrote that those whom God justified he also glorified (Romans
8:30).
He works all things to our good (Romans 8:28).
He will provide for our material needs. As Psalm 37:25 says, “I have
been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread.”
He
will come again to set right all wrongs and to take us to himself. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am you may be also”
(John 14:3).
Friends,
let us rest in this good word today:
When God makes a promise… He
keeps it!
Grace and peace, Pastor Jeff
3 comments:
Very nice, Pastor Jeff. I've never read that commentary by Thomas Boston before (The law is our first husband...) and I find it interesting. Now I'll have to read a little more about that.
And we could add that since it's impossible for God to lie, a promise made is a promise kept.
Good point Gary. Thanks for adding this.
JTR
Post a Comment