Tuesday, 22 March 2016
So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians 3:9
This is a modification of verse 7 which said, “Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.” In the near repetition, Paul is emphatically stressing the connection between those who believe apart from works with Abraham, the great hero of Hebrew faith. This is because the Jews traced their lineage back to him. He was the first person noted as a Hebrew and he is who the Jews look to for the beginning of what constitutes their cultural life. Paul shows that not all who are from Abraham are actually of Abraham and do not possess the blessing he did. And those who possess the same faith as he did (which predated the Law of Moses) are counted as being blessed with him.
Taking verses 7 and 9 together, the truth is revealed that those who possess his same faith are blessed in him and they are also blessed with him. Because of faith in the promises of Christ we become a part of the same family, stemming back to Abraham.
Concerning the two words “with” and “believing,” Vincent’s Word Studies gives a reasonable analysis of what they are referring to –
With – “Not equals like or as, but in fellowship with. Believers are regarded as homogeneous with Abraham, and as thus sharing the blessing which began in him.”
Believing – “Those who are of the faith are one in blessing with him whose characteristic was faith.”
Life application: If one is relying on works of the law to be pleasing to God, then he is not in fellowship with Abraham, the great father of the faith. He does not bear the same characteristics which he bore. Instead, his circumcision is merely an outward sign without any true connection to what made him righteous in the first place. The reason for this is that Christ is the end of the law for all who believe. As the law is ended in Christ, the faith which he possesses in Him is the same faith that Abraham possessed which predated that same law. The promise was made; Abraham believed. The promise was fulfilled; we are expected to believe.
O God! Today lies ahead of me like an open sea. I don’t know if the sailing will be smooth or if storms will come and toss me about. All I know is that my future is in Your hands. And so I commit this day to You. I will hold fast to my faith that whatever happens, it was ordained by You and that because of Christ my Lord, it will all turn out as it should. I thank You for this certainty which I possess. Now, to unfurl the sails and to set out into those uncharted waters… Thank You for this day which lies ahead of me! Amen.