Galatians 3 - the Law, God's law, Jews and Gentiles...oh my

[JonC]

@DaveXR650

We agree on a lot with Galatians 3 (more than I may have allowed to come through).

I believe that only the Jews were under the Law, that the Old Covenant was a true covenant between God and a nation He was creating for His purpose of redeeming all (Jew and Gentile).

So I view the Law as having a different significance to those under the covenant in comparison to those outside of the covenant. I think of the conversatiin between the Samaritan woman and Jesus where He uses the household pet analogy to describe the priority of His immediate mission to Israel.

BUT the Law was not insignificant to Gentiles. Gentiles were not a part of the nation God created for His purposes. It is the Law that formed the barrier. The Law not only showed men their sin but it preserved Israel as a nation (separated from the rest of the world).

Jews were a curse under the Law but Gentiles were not even a part of this nation God created through which His Messiah would come.


The Law was not contrary to the promises of God made before the Law was given (the Seed). But the Promise was life, and the Law was unable to impart life.

The Law kept both Jews and Gentiles curses, the first through covenant inclusion and the second through exclusion, but both because of sin.

Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, whether under the Old Covenant or outside of the Covenant, so that the promise by faith in Christ might be given to those who believe (Jew and Gentile).

 

[JonC]

Maybe a good illustration is pretend everybody was in bondage to sin. We were.

Then there is a chance for one group - a covenant. If they could fulfill the Law then they would be right with God. But they couldn't. That covenant only pointed out sin.

Jesus came to that group that were under the covenant, but they did not receive Him. He fulfilled the covenant, but He was also hung on a tree and hanging on a tree is a curse under this covenant.

So that covenant is fulfilled and canceled. But we have to look at the deeper problem that this now canceled covenant pointed to - that is our bondage to sin and death.

Without this covenant everybody is equal. One group alone does not have the covenant. The covenant that promises life was older and is still valid.

Christ brings in a new covenant, but this one is different because it is not about obeying the rules. Instead this new covenant is addresses the source of our disobedience and systematically removes that source (like precious metal is refined).

Men who are a blessing under this new covenant are not obedient to earn the blessing but instead obey because that has become their nature. Those who inherit the curse do so because they reject the Promise and remain in their sin (the source of their disobedience remains because they love unrighteousness).