Galatians Chapter 3 – Part  2

We saw in earlier studies that Paul had a pressing problem with the Galatians. It was caused when Judaizers came to Galatia preaching ANOTHER GOSPEL. Not a false gospel, a very real gospel, the gospel of the Kingdom, which is also called the gospel of the circumcision in Galations 2:7.

As we said earlier, the gospel of the Kingdom was the only gospel being preached from the time of John the Baptist, the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ during the time of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the ministry of his 12 apostles during and AFTER that, on into the early part of the book of Acts. But when Paul was saved in Acts chapter nine, the Lord gave Paul a different message than the message which Peter preached to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost and afterwards. So when Paul was saved and began to preach Jesus Christ according to the REVELATION gospel given to him, a contrast had to be made.

The blunder on the part of most of the fundamental, denominational religious system today is that, first of all they have been wrongly taught that all gospels are the same gospel and that there is only one gospel in the bible. Because of that, and because they are taught to support their denominational system instead of studying the bible on their own, they fail to see the most important distinction in the bible. That difference is NOT the difference between the so-called “old testament” and “new testament” But the biggest distinction or the most important division in your bible is between PROPHECY and MYSTERY.

When Peter preached to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two, it is true that he preached the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But he certainly doesn’t glory in the cross as we find Paul doing. Instead he preaches the cross as a shame. He preaches a murder indictment against the men of Israel and he tells the to repent, to change their mind about what they have done. He says you have killed your King, your have murdered your Messiah, but God has raised him from the dead. The good news preached by Peter is that Jesus Christ of the seed of David is the heir to the throne of David and that God has raised him up to sit on David’s throne.

All of Peter’s preaching is in one accord with the things which had been spoken by all of Israel’s prophets. But you find Paul saying something different. Paul doesn’t preach Jesus Christ according to PROPHECY. Not only that but Paul’s gospel is not at all about the restoring of the Kingdom to Israel, but about the forming of something new called the body of Christ.

Peter knew nothing at all about Paul’s message in Acts chapter two, and in fact didn’t understand it until the Lord sent Paul, 14 years after Paul was saved, to Jerusalem, to INFORM Peter and the others of THAT GOSPEL that I preach. Paul did that and the result of that meeting, which occurred in Acts chapter 15, is that they saw that a DIFFERENT message had been committed to Paul. The two messages are here:

Galatians 2:7 But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;

So the Galatian letter was written by Paul and sent to the churches of Galatia. Legalizers were “subverting the souls” of those Galations, by trying to persuade them to put themselves back under the law of Moses. Meanwhile, an agreement had been made in Jerusalem that Peter, James and John would confine their ministry ONLY to the circumcision. Here is that agreement:

Galatians 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

So from the time of Acts chapter fifteen onward, none of the original twelve apostles, Judas being replaced by Mathias in Acts chapter one, would have any right or interest in going to anyone other than the CIRCUMCISION. The CIRCUMCISION seems to clearly indicate that it is a reference to DEVOUT JEWS. A devout Jew would be the ones who kept the feasts, such as the Day of Pentecost. And there were certainly devout Jews, out of every nation under heaven, in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. The bible says:

Acts 2:5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Every indication seems to be that all those who believed Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost and in the days after, stayed in Jerusalem, waiting for the coming of the Lord. We know that they sold all that they owned:

Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

Acts 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Later, some time goes by and we see the same thing in Acts chapter four:

Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

Acts 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

Acts 4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Even Barnabas, who later was Paul’s companion in the Galatian ministry, and who was from the island country of Cyprus, did the same. Barnabas was a member of the church at Jerusalem before he joined Paul.

Acts 4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

Acts 4:37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

So it is clear that the forming of the ISRAEL OF GOD was taking place. The Lord had told the leaders of the nation of Israel that the Kingdom would be taken from them:

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

The preaching of the 12 was powerful with mighty signs and wonders, kingdom signs. As a matter of fact, their ministry was prophesied hundreds of years before by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

Isaiah 8:17 And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.

In other words, the “little flock” at Jerusalem was waiting for the Lord, for the second coming of Christ. That’s what Peter had preached to them:

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

So the entire group seems to be “tarrying” in Jerusalem, in the temple, in prayers and fellowship, waiting for the return of the Lord. And those DISCIPLES were for a purpose:

Isaiah 8:18 Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.

Signs and wonders were going on during that time and Israel and it’s leaders should have repented. Peter had said, “repent and be baptized, every one of you.” But they didn’t. And when a year had gone by, the acceptable year of the Lord, the offer of NATIONAL repentance was withdrawn and things began to change rapidly. Great persecution broke out against the church which was at Jerusalem and Saul of Tarsus, who was later to become Paul the apostle, was the ringleader of it.

Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

Acts 8:2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

So, Saul, who is called Paul, was on the road to Damascus to make more havock of the church. But he met the Lord on the way, and instead of preaching the message of “restitution of all things” as Peter did, the Lord gave Paul a totally DIFFERENT message. Peter had said, concerning Jesus:

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

But instead of preaching that Christ had been raised to sit on David’s throne and rule over the restored Kingdom in Israel, Paul said:

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

So when Paul began to preach, Peter’s message became a DIFFERENT gospel. Not a false gospel, there is no such term in the bible as a false gospel, but a DIFFERENT message. Paul’s message was different that Peter’s. It was REVELATION directly from the Lord:

Galatians 1:11 But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.

Galatians 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

That’s the point Paul is making to the Galatians. Now in chapter three he asked them six different questions in the first five verses. Questions that the Galatians knew the answers to, but Paul put them there to cause the Galatians to THINK. Paul says they were being “bewitched” that is like fascinated, by men who had come from Jerusalem. Now these men were BELIEVERS. They were BELIEVERS of Peter’s kingdom message, but they were not believers of Paul’s message. That is clear from what goes on at that meeting in Acts chapter 15:

Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Now some of the people in Galatia Paul preached to were most certainly circumcised. As a matter of fact, on Paul’s second trip through Galatia, he circumcises Timothy, a half Jew. But he did it for a reason:

Acts 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

Acts 16:2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

Acts 16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

Now why would Paul do that, since it is clear from his preaching that we looked at earlier in Acts chapter thirteen he preaches nothing at all about working righteousness to gain salvation, or to keep it? He doesn’t preach baptism for the remission of sins. In fact he preaches total justification APART from the Law of Moses:

Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

So why circumcise Timothy or do any Jewish thing, such as keep vows, keep Jewish feasts, shave his head or any of those things? Well, the verse just said, “because of the Jews.” You see Jews and Gentiles, called Greeks, were involved in Paul’s ministry during the book of Acts. Paul’s ministry during the book of Acts represents a “time of promise.” The Kingdom had been postponed. It was not coming until certain things happened. Now the Kingdom promises are very real promises so the Kingdom being restored to Israel is a reality and it will happen. But God had turned to another purpose. A secret  purpose.  And that purpose is THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Two things you need to know. First the body of Christ was a mystery. It is not the subject of old testament prophecy. Not a SINGLE prophet ever spoke of a time when there would be a joint body of believers made up of both Jews and Gentiles and both on an equal footing. The body of Christ is totally foreign from prophecy. It is also totally foreign from any preaching by Peter, James or John. There is NOTHING in the Hebrew scriptures about the body of Christ. Nowhere in the books of Hebrews through Revelation will you find a single mention of the body of Christ.

The body of Christ is only found in Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon. Only Paul has the information to the body of Christ and only Paul preaches the GOSPEL OF CHRIST. It is a specific term in your bible and it is only used by Paul. So only Paul and Paul alone has the GOSPEL OF CHRIST for the BODY OF CHRIST. Peter, James and John have a different gospel, not a FALSE gospel, there is no such thing as a FALSE gospel in your bible. But they have a DIFFERENT gospel for a different group of people.

Most of religion fails to see that during the time of the book of Acts there were TWO bodies of believers. There are not two bodies of Christ. There is only one body of Christ. But during the time of the book of Acts there were two groups of people alive and well, walking, so to speak, side by side.

There were the kingdom saints in Peter’s ministry and there was the body of Christ in Paul’s ministry. Peter and Paul are two different apostles of the Lord. They have two different messages, for two different groups, in two different churches. Their destination is two different places. One earthly, the other in heaven.

Peter’s group doesn’t exist today. There is NOT a separate gospel for a separate group of people today. There is no separate Messianic message which is a valid message for today. The gospel of the Kingdom, which is also called the gospel of the circumcision is not a valid gospel in this age. Anyone who is saved today is in the body of Christ. And anyone who ever got saved after the time of the book of Acts got saved by Paul’s gospel, not Peter’s. Anyone who ever got saved and anyone who ever preached a message which resulted in anyone getting saved got it from Paul and Paul got it from the risen and glorified Lord and he calls it MY GOSPEL. Not THE gospel and not OUR gospel and NOT the gospel Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two.

If you are not saved by Paul’s gospel today then you are not saved, because that is the only gospel God will honor today. It is salvation by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Christ died for your sins and he was raised again for your justification. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Don’t walk the aisle for Jesus, pray through at the alter, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, try to be good, turn over a new leaf or promise to endure to the end. Just simply trust the Lord, and him alone for salvation.

If you are saved today you are saved by Paul’s gospel. If you have ever preached or taught a salvation message today you got it from Paul. Only Paul’s gospel is the gospel that saves today, and today there is only one gospel. The one committed to Paul on the road to Damascus by the risen, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ.

Now what was going on in Galatia is exactly what goes on in religion today. There be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. That’s the case Paul makes all the way through the book of Galations.

Now while we continue through chapter three we will be looking at some very specific promises of God and at the same time we will see some people who are involved in those promises. Those people are the people Paul preached to in all those synagogues in Galatia, and in other places. In Thessalonica, in Corinth and in Ephesus in Asia. So let’s continue now:

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Paul is making the case to the Galatians, using Abraham, a very familiar name to the Jews, and the Jewish proselytes, those God-fearing Gentiles he had preached to. Notice he says that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. This would be a reference to both the Jews and the Greeks. The God-fearing Gentiles, who are called Greeks in the bible, called Abraham father. As a matter of fact Paul, in the book of Romans talks about the PROMISE being sure to ALL the seed:

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

The “promises made to the fathers” of the nation of Israel began with Abraham. About one thousand years of human history goes by from the time of the flood in Noah’s day until the call of Abraham. But God calls Abraham and in Genesis chapter twelve begins to make certain promises to him. We need to note that the promises are unconditional. In other words they don’t depend on Abraham doing anything but only on the faithfulness of God. That’s why Paul makes the statement he does in Romans:

Romans 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Some, in fact most, of the Israelites did not believe. They rejected their Messiah. And it was through their fall that God brought about the revelation of the mystery and that resulted in the salvation of the Gentiles:

Romans 11:11 I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

The fall of Israel occurred in Acts chapter seven with the stoning of Stephen. Since that time, the offer of the restored Kingdom has been withdrawn. It has been put on hold, Paul says, for a reason and for a season. Paul says in Romans that the blindness of Israel will continue until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

So they which be of faith, Paul says, are the “children of Abraham.”

Galatians 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

The gospel to Abraham, by the way, is a THIRD gospel to be mentioned so far in the book of Galations. There are two in Galations 2:7 and this is the third, the gospel unto Abraham. And what was that gospel? The simple fact that in thee, in Abraham, all nations would be blessed.

Abram the Gentile believed God, in Genesis chapter fifteen, verse six, and he (the Lord) counted it (that belief) for righteousness. So once again, all salvation, Genesis through Revelation is by faith. It is always by taking God at his word.  Then in Genesis chapter seventeen, and verse five, God changes his name from Abram to Abraham:

Genesis 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Notice it says “I have made thee,” a father of many nations. Now there were people out there among those many nations Paul went to and in all those synagogues where he preached who were people of faith. They had faith in the God of Abraham. So Paul says:

Galatians 3:9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Well, how were they blessed? By the call of Paul. Remember what the Lord had told Annanias the devout man who laid hands on Paul so that he could receive his sight?

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

And that’s just what Paul did. He took the name of the Lord, the glad tidings, and he had preached the message of total justification by faith alone to all those people in Galatia. The Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles were blessed with hearing Paul’s salvation message. Here is an example of it:

Acts 14:1 And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.

But now, Paul had word that they were being subverted to be back under the law. Paul had told them that they could not be justified by the law, but these people had been pressured by the Kingdom preachers, people who, although they believed in Christ, they were still under the law and they were zealous of the law. These Galations were complete in Christ, according to Paul’s gospel, and to turn back to the law would be to fall from grace:

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Paul had taught that Christ had been made a curse for us. He said that God had made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM. In other words, through this man, through Christ, is the forgiveness of sins.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

“The just shall live by faith” is actually what you could say is a misquote out of Habakkuk 2:4 which says the just shall live by HIS faith. That’s what Paul says back in chapter two, “the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith OF the son of God.”

Galatians 3:12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.

In other words if a man is going to “do the law” he is a debtor to do the whole law. He can’t just select the parts he likes, or the parts that sound good religiously. Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy contain the law, the whole law. And it consists of much, much more than modern day legalists that pretend they are keeping the law suppose. No man has ever kept the law. The law was not given to keep, it was given to demonstrate the righteousness of God. It witnessed the righteousness that God requires. It was given, not to keep, but to show you that you need a Saviour. If there had been a law given which could bring life, then righteousness should have been by the law. What did Christ say about the “weightier matters” of the law?

Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

But to continue in Galations:

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

Now there is a blessing for those who fear the God of Abraham:

Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Notice the “promise of the Spirit.” That’s why Paul says that he is an able minister of the SPIRIT of the new testament:

2 Corinthians 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

God had promised the Spirit when the new testament goes into effect in the future. But here, Paul says that he ministers the SPIRIT of the new testament. The Spirit of the new testament is righteousness, the righteousness of God. Now, where can we find a gospel wherein the “righteousness of God” is revealed? It is revealed in the gospel of Christ:

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Remember that only Paul preaches the gospel of Christ. Peter, James and John preach a “faith on trial” gospel, enduring to the end and the second coming of Christ. That is when Israel gets the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews chapter 8. There are people today who think that they are in “the new testament church” and in the new testament. The writer of the book of Hebrews didn’t think any such thing. The New Covenant is for Israel, and it was yet future when the book of Hebrews was written:

Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

So although the old covenant was old the Kingdom saints were very much still involved with it. The “old covenant” is a reference to the Law of Moses. They knew there was a change in the Priesthood, a change in the law, but as you can see in the verse the old was “ready to vanish away” but at the time had not vanished away. The new covenant is at the second coming of Christ and the fountain of Zechariah 13:1 being opened and the cleansing of Israel, the blotting out, as Peter said in Acts chapter three. Obviously, at the second coming of Christ.

But Paul has referred to the blessing of Abraham:

Galatians 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The Spirit was promised to those to whom the promises pertain. Now here Paul refers to the “blessing of Abraham,” which is a reference to Genesis:

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

That would be people who were IN the covenants of promise, like the Jews and the Greeks in the synagogues. The Ephesians, and people like you and I, were not in line to receive the “promise of the Father.”

Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

So the gospel of Christ is one thing, the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began. But the mystery of the gospel Paul writes about in the book of Ephesians is another thing:

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Ephesians 6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

Ephesians 6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: (in other words, at the time of the writing of the book of Ephesians, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles) that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

So to those who were familiar with the promises, those in the covenants of promise, Paul said he was “an able minister of the new testament, not of the letter but of the Spirit.” The Spirit of the new testament is righteousness, the righteousness of God which is revealed, and only revealed, in the gospel of Christ, in Paul’s gospel.

Now the blessing could not belong to those who sought to be justified by the law, because the law carries with it a curse for those who are under it. The law has the power to condemn but it has no power to justify. The law can only curse and condemn, it cannot save and justify a sinner. Only the price paid by Christ can do that, so, Paul says Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by taking our curse on himself on the cross.

So Paul had told the Galations that all that believe can be cleared of the curse so that they can receive the blessing. And that goes for the God-fearing Gentiles who heard Paul preach as well as the Jews. Also, the blessing involves not only being justified but also the gift of the Holy Spirit. So he said, “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.

So it involved God’s covenant with Abraham. So now Paul shows that once the covenant is made, no further conditions can be added to it. Notice also that the covenant was not like a contract between two people, but it was a covenant of PROMISE. And only God made the promise. Notice too that the blessing of Abraham can only be fully realized, not in Abraham’s multiple descendents, multiple SEED, but in a singular SEED, in ONE Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

So Paul says that even in a contract between men, once it is made, nobody can change it. But here, it was God who made the promise, He made the covenant.

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

This word SEED is spelled the same whether you are talking about a single seed or multiple seed. So the big picture of the two-fold purpose of God is revealed to Paul in an abundance of visions and revelations. Not all at once, but by progressive revelation. The central focal point, the very center of the whole plan and purpose of God is Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

But what Paul is getting across to the Galations is the fact that this covenant of promise can’t be made ineffective by the law.

Galatians 3:17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

The inheritance is eternal life and eternal life is in Christ. Only in Christ can you have eternal life. So all of the inheritance of God is in Christ, the singular SEED of Abraham.

So those who were in the covenants of promise heard Paul talk a lot about Abraham and the covenants and the promises. But his main point to the Galations is to not be entangled AGAIN with the yoke of bondage. He says that they have been called unto liberty, only use not liberty as an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Now the law was given for a reason. Paul says that the law was a schoolmater to bring us to Christ, and we will take that up in our next segment. But to sum up, just briefly, Paul had received a ministry on the road to Damascus. Remember the devout man named Annanias and what the Lord had said to him.

Acts 9:13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:

Acts 9:14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

So briefly, here is the “type” of Paul’s ministry during the book of Acts. Notice the order of mention: Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. Now on the island of Cyprus, Paul preached in the synagogue of the Jews. Then he goes through the island to Paphos and FINDS A JEW. Notice that Paul wasn’t going through the island to find “deputies of countries,” it says he found a Jew.

Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

Acts 13:7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

So here we have the man, Sergious Paulus, which is Latin. In other words he is a Roman and he is the deputy. He stands in the place of the king, he stands in the place of Caesar, the emperor at Rome. He is a Gentile. The Jew on the other hand is a “seed of Abraham.” He is a BAD SEED but a seed nevertheless, and he is WITH the deputy of the country. So what do we have here? A Gentile has blessed the seed of Abraham. He is in line, and qualifies for a blessing. So what happens? The Jew is BLINDED and the Gentile gets the blessing. He is blessed with hearing Paul’s gospel.

So all the way through Paul’s ministry during the book of Acts this is the type. The blinding of the Jew and the Gentile receiving the blessing. This is MYSTERY TRUTH. It is the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the “revelation of the mystery” which was kept secret since the world began, BUT NOW is made manifest. How was it made manifest? By the appearing of Jesus Christ to Paul on the road to Damascus.

So what is the mystery? Three major things. Number one, Christ died for OUR (for Israel’s) sins, according to the scriptures. That is now made manifest and by the scriptures of the prophets MADE KNOWN. In other words, the scriptures spoke of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow, BUT THIS IS WHY. Christ died for our sins.

Number two: Salvation is coming, not through the RISE of Israel, but through their FALL. The blessing of Abraham comes on the God-fearing Gentiles THROUGH Jesus Christ. The Gentiles receive the Spirit, the Spirit of the new covenant, which is righteousness. How? Through FAITH…not the works of the law.

Number three: The mystery of a joint body of believers, all equal IN CHRIST. The God-fearing Gentiles were in line for a blessing and that blessing came through Paul’s preaching of the gospel of Christ:

Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

So we have Jews and Greeks, EQUAL in the body of Christ. Now Paul poses a question in the Roman letter:

Romans 4:1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

As pertaining to the flesh, our father Abraham found nothing. He first thought to adopt Eleizer of Damascus to make him his heir. God said no that’s not the way it’s going to be. Then Sarah came up with the idea of Abraham going in unto the slave girl, Hagar, and fulfill the will of God. But God said no, that’s not it either, send the bondwoman and her child away because you will have a child by Sarah and HE will be the child of the promise. So we see that Isaac, not Ishmael, was the child of the promise and that the SEED, the descendent of Abraham to WHOM the promise, the promise of everlasting life, was made, was Christ. So Paul writes to the Romans:

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

Now we know that the Romans are Gentiles:

Romans 1:13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.

Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:

The Romans are Gentiles but Paul says that Abraham is the “father of us all.” So the time of promise, during the book of Acts, pertained to those who were IN the covenants of promise, as opposed to those like the Ephesians who were aliens and strangers from the covenants of promise. Paul never mentions Abraham in any of his letters written after the time of the book of Acts.  It had to do with a remnant which was being gathered at that time:

Romans 11:5 Even so then at this present time (the time of the writing of Romans, the time of Acts chapter 20) also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

When that remnant was gathered, Israel was cast away, scattered among the nations. Paul no longer went to the Jew first as he did all the way through the book of Acts but instead, in Rome he received all who came:

Acts 28:30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,

Acts 28:31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

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