The Law could not change the covenant of promise
Galatians 3: 10-29
- Session: 6
- Week: 1
- Day: 6
Introduction
In this session, Galatians chapters 3:10-29, we will understand the main relationship between the law and the promises of God in the time a Abraham, our father of faith. We will see why the law was introduced 430 years after God had already given Abraham the covenant of promise.
Objectives
By the end of this session, the learner will have:
- Compared and contrasted the two main ways people follow on earth and their end
- Reflected why believers backslide from the right way to the wrong way (Galatians example)
- Appreciated the purpose of the law given by God after his children missed the promised pathways
Outline
- The way of promise and the way of the law
- Forward moving and backsliding
- Drifting away from Faith
- The purpose of the Law
Group Study Time
Galatians 3: 10-29
Connecting
- Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
- Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
- Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
- Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.
Comprehending
- What is the covenant of promise? What is the law?
- What truth is revealed about God’s promise to his people through Abraham and through Jesus? Galatians 3: 14-18.
- Why then did God give the Law through Moses 430 years later, after the promise? Galatians 3:19-22
- What was the purpose of the Law? Galatians 3: 23-29
Committing
- Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
- List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
- Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
- Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
- Sin to confess
- Promise to claim
- Attitude to change
- Command to keep
- Error to change
- Prayer to make
- Example to copy
- Truth to obey and
- Something praiseworthy
Communicating
- Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
- Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
- Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.
Post Lesson Teaching Summary
Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!
The Law could not change the covenant of promise
Galatians 3: 10-29
Audio Summary
Galatians 3:10-29
Context
- The focus is on understanding the relationship between the law and God’s promises, spanning about 400 years from Abraham’s call as a man of faith to the introduction of the law.
- Paul challenges backsliding believers, asking who has bewitched them, meaning controlled their minds, often through the law which overrides personal thinking and action.
- God called Abraham by faith as the first Jew separated from Gentiles, with the promise that all nations would be blessed through him.
- The law was introduced due to transgressions as a tutor until the promised seed, Jesus, came; after Jesus, believers are no longer under the law but under grace.
The Law and the Promise (Galatians 3:10-29)
- Curse of the Law: All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
- Justification by Faith: No one is justified before God by the law, because “The righteous will live by faith;” the law is not based on faith but on doing its commands.
- Redemption from Curse: Christ redeemed from the curse of the law by becoming a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole;” He did this so Abraham’s blessing might come to Gentiles through Christ Jesus, receiving the promised Spirit through faith.
- Promise to Abraham: The promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed, meaning one person, Christ; the law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant or annul the promise.
- Inheritance by Promise: If inheritance depends on the law, it no longer depends on the promise, but God gave it to Abraham through a promise.
- Purpose of the Law: The law was given because of transgressions until the Seed came; put into effect through angels by a mediator, but God is one, so the law is not opposed to God’s promises.
- Law’s Limitation: If a law could impart life, righteousness would come by the law, but Scripture has locked up everything under sin’s control so the promise by faith in Jesus Christ is given to believers.
- Law as Guardian: Before faith came, held in custody under the law until faith was revealed; the law was a guardian until Christ came for justification by faith.
- Faith’s Arrival: Now that faith has come, no longer under a guardian.
- Children of God: In Christ Jesus, all are children of God through faith; baptized into Christ, clothed with Christ; neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, all one in Christ Jesus.
- Abraham’s Seed: Belonging to Christ means being Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Application
- Realize the purpose of the law was due to transgressions as a tutor until Jesus came; after Jesus, live under grace, depending on His imputed righteousness, not personal actions.