Inheritance through the Promise

FAITH IN ACTION:
LIVING AS FAITHFUL PEOPLE
God's Covenant
According to the Promise

Galatians 3:13-18

The Message

 ^13-14Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.
 ^15-18Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person's will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say "to descendants," referring to everybody in general, but "to your descendant" (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will.
 ^18-20What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. But if there is a middleman as there was at Sinai, then the people are not dealing directly with God, are they? But the original promise is the direct blessing of God, received by faith.

For Reflection
You have been redeemed.  No more self-loathing.  No more self-reliance.  No more selfishness. 

Whoa!  Wait a minute.  No more self-reliance? 

Yes.  No more self-reliance.  It is no longer all about you.  It is about God.  You may rely on Him to lead you through life, doing his bidding.  Christ has come, freeing you from a rule centered life.  Christ has come freeing you to fulfill the promise made to Abraham.

To be sure, your reliance upon God does not remove your responsibility to live a righteous life.  It does mean, however, you do not have to go it alone. Live in the Promise.

Pray
Pray for the courage to rely on God.  Pray for the strength to follow Him wherever He may take you. Pray for the wisdom to live a righteous life.  Pray for the patience to listen for the Holy Spirit.