• Download Video
• Download Audio
• Print
• Email
• Save As PDF

"The law... cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed..."

Text: Galatians 3:17b

THE LAW

The Judaizers appealed strongly to adherence of the law of Moses. This law was to be kept at all cost. The dangerous trend of this line of thought was that it threatened to undo the covenant given by God to Abraham. Paul argued against this erroneous line of thought.

And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later,
cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ,
that it should make the promise of no effect.

Galatians 3:17

1. Which came first?

a) The law;

b) Or the Abrahamic covenant.

c) The latter obviously was given first.

2. “The law”

a) This was given by the hand of Moses.

b) This was a full four hundred and thirty years later.

3. What the law has no power to do

a) It cannot annul the covenant God gave to Abraham.

b) This covenant was confirmed by God and thus the law cannot affect it in any way.

4. “In Christ”

a) This is the key phrase.

b) Traditional thinking would suggest

i) Through Isaac

ii) Through Jacob

c) In Christ was the correct understanding.

i) Because He was the Seed promised/prophesied.

ii) Because He was the Messiah.

iii) Because He would be the One who would make atonement for sins.

5. “That it should make the promise of no effect”

a) The law cannot be used to render the promise of God void.

b) This would be a false understanding and application of the law of Moses.