Galatians 3:15
15Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.
Truth to Learn
God has made a contract with us to give us eternal life if we believe His truth. Nothing and no one can change it.
Behind the Words
When Paul says: “I speak in the manner of men,” it does not mean that this truth is not from God. It means that Paul is about to use an example of an event that occurs between men. The word translated “confirmed” is a form of the Greek word “kuroō,” a word that refers to “authority.” This particular word is in the perfect tense, meaning this is past completed action with a present continuous effect. Hence, the word that Paul uses here refers to: “something that been made authoritative or that has been established as valid and now continues to be authoritative.”
Meaning Explained
When any two people today make a legal agreement with each other, it involves a contract signed by both parties. Typically, after the contract is signed, two copies of it are made and each retains one of the copies. From this point on, neither party can cancel or change the agreement unless both parties agree and, either mutually amend the contract or create a new one.
God’s contract with Abraham was:
Galatians 3:6 6just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
In other words, Abraham received righteousness in God’s accounting book in exchange for believing what God told him. This is the agreement—the contract—which God made with Abraham and it can never be changed.
But there is another agreement that Paul has told us about in the preceding verses: Those who are of faith, those who believe God’s Word as Abraham did, are blessed (declared righteous) by God just as Abraham was. The curse, that we earned by our failure to live up to God’s righteousness, was taken on by Jesus at the cross. Our curse has been taken away and Jesus’ righteousness has been given to us.
This contract, just like a human contract, cannot be annulled or changed by anyone. When we confess our sins and accept Jesus’ payment for those sins with his own blood, God makes a binding agreement with us. This agreement, as we saw in the previous verse, says that we have been purchased by God and taken off the market. Hence it is an eternal contract.
So What?
Have you made this agreement with God? Have you accepted Jesus blood as payment for your sins? If so, you are no longer for sale. You belong to God and He has declared you righteous forever.
You can’t add to it by good works and you can’t annul it by sinning. You are saved eternally!
Why not thank Him for this gracious contract.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.