Covenant Or Promise?

 “Brothers and sisters, I offer an example from everyday life:  When a covenant has been ratified, even though it is only a human contract, no one can set it aside or add anything to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. Scripture does not say, “and to the descendants,” referring to many, but “and to your descendant,” referring to one, who is Christ. What I am saying is this: The law that came 430 years later does not cancel a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to invalidate the promise. For if the inheritance is based on the law, it is no longer based on the promise, but God graciously gave it to Abraham through the promise.” Galatians 3:15-18 NET

I appreciate the way Paul describes a covenant; he wants to ensure that we understand the importance of a covenant and that it cannot be arbitrarily neglected once ratified. This importance of a covenant cannot be overstated, for it is a human contract in this case set into existence by God Himself and it cannot be changed. God will not allow Himself to falter on His covenant with man, for it would make God unreliable and a liar to contract with man and then break or neglect that contract. This understanding should make us feel the gravity of our faith.

He goes on to say that it wasn’t a covenant given to Abraham regarding his inheritance to be passed on to his descendants, but rather a personal promise. It wasn’t to multiple descendants that the promise pertained to, only one, which is Jesus Christ, the true fulfillment of the promise. How did the Jews get it so wrong? Most of them claim that they were sons of Abraham even to the present day, but in reality, there is only one who is the true son of the promise to Abraham, and that is Jesus. Abraham was a man of faith, and that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness, but the question in my mind is, was it Abraham’s faith, or was it imparted faith from God Himself? The things Abraham was required to do were at times beyond the natural ability to perform, and he objected, but he did perform, and it pleased God.

This was a prophecy that the model of the death of the firstborn son of Abraham, Isaac, was a model or a type of what would happen in the future with the death of the promised son of Abraham, who would be Christ the Messiah. This type of prophecy is not future telling but a typology of a similar kind. The story of a faithful father who was told by God to offer his son a burnt offering as an act of worship unto God. Abraham kept this command hidden from his wife Sarah, his servants, and even his son Isaac until the time of the sacrifice, adding a layer of suspense to the narrative. It broke Abraham’s heart to do this thing because Isaac was his joy; in fact, the name Isaac in Hebrew is “laughter.” But Abraham believed God would do something miraculous because his comment to Isaac once at the alter was, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering…” (Genesis 22:8). He exhibited faith even in the face of the death of his own dear son.

Even though God spared Isaac from death, God would not spare His own Son from the horrible torture and death on the cross, because the role of the Messiah was to restore the Kingdom, not just to Israel, but to all of mankind. There was cosmic significance in the role of the Christ, it didn’t just affect Israel or the earth, it affected all of creation. So why was it important that the story of Abraham and Isaac and the promise offered by God to Abraham’s descendent is so significant for Paul to mention it here?  Because Jesus is that descendent, who ends up being God in human form. Paul details this in Colossians 1 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross—through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.” Colossians 1:15-20 NET

That is one of the most powerful verses in the bible, as it tells us who Jesus is and His role as Messiah, who is the reconciler for all of creation. It also tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh and that ALL THINGS were created by Him and for Him. Even though the world may seem to be in chaos, a battle is going on, and He has already won against every principality and power. So, I am left with a profound question, why does God allow so much suffering in the world if He has already won the battle against the principalities and powers? The answer is in the book of Revelation, we are to be overcomers, not just participants in this cosmic drama as it unfolds. The apparent end is death, but there is a victory over death, which is greater than life itself. The enemy does not know anything greater than death, for they are born of earth and only have the perspective of power over life, but Jesus has conquered Hell and death and made it impotent, and we are given life in Christ which is eternal and does not die.

So, to sum up, Paul is saying that the covenant does not invalidate the promise. God, in His grace, gave Abraham the enduring promise that the Messiah would come from his body. This promise, separate from the covenant, is in some ways greater than the covenant. It is a source of reassurance and security, for it has become our salvation. Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of this promise, has become our salvation, our righteousness, and our faith, our all in all.

Stephen Barnett