NOTES ON THE BOOK OF GALATIANS. NO. 2.
By Wm. Brickey
WM. BRICKEY,
(Kimball, Minn.) “For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.” Gal. 3:18, 19. Sometimes we read in books and papers (not the Bible) that the seed has not yet come, and cannot come until all the children of Abraham are gathered home in the kingdom. The following text is sufficient answer to this position: “He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Paul’s whole argument is to show that Christ is the seed. Gal. 3:16. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son . . . to redeem them that were under the law.” Chap. 4:4, 5. But what was this law added to? Some say the “added” simply means “spoken.” The translators say it was added: I believe it. And as Paul is talking about the covenant, I see nothing else to which it could be added. But the question is asked, In chapter 3:15 does not Paul say that nothing could be added to it?—No. Paul says, “Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. . . . And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was [added] four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” Chap. 3:15, 17. I have supplied the word “added” in verse 17, in brackets. I do not think I have wrested the scripture; for in verse 19 Paul says that it was added. Now if it had not been added to the covenant, it would need no argument to prove that it did not disannul, or take the place of, the promise in the covenant. Let us see if we can make this plain. But first let us inquire, What is the covenant? Some say the promise was the covenant (the Bible does not say it). If the promise is the covenant, how would it do to read, “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my promise”? Ex. 19:5. The people could not keep their own promise, much less the Lord’s promise. To find what the covenant was let us go back to its origin. “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: Every man child among you shall be circumcised.” Gen. 17:10. God’s promise was a part of the covenant, but God says this is His covenant, that they should be circumcised. And when He renewed the covenant with Israel at Sinai, He said, “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant.” Ex. 19:5. Who will say this is not the same thing? Was the ceremonial law added to this? “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? . . . For these are the two covenants.” Gal. 4:21–24. This identifies the law with the covenants. “Whereupon neither the first testament [or covenant] was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law.” Heb. 9:18, 19. This is positive proof that there was a law that governed the old covenant; and it was surely added at Sinai. Once more I read: “He hath remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant He made with Abraham, and His oath unto Isaac; and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant.” Ps. 105:8–10. Here we see plainly that God made this covenant with Abraham, and renewed it with Israel, adding the ceremonial law; and, altogether, Paul calls it the old covenant, and says that it had ordinances of divine service. Heb. 9:1. He does not make the fine distinction that some of our modern writers make. He does not speak of the Abrahamic covenant apart from the old covenant. He does not call the covenant with Abraham the new covenant, and one four hundred years later the old. But he speaks of the covenant with Abraham, with the blessings to the Gentiles, and the law added four hundred and thirty years after. Compare Ex. 19:5, 6, with 1 Peter 2:9, 10. But why was this law added, and for how long?—It was added because of transgression. Now if transgression is sin, then it was added because of sin; not as a remedy, but to point forward to the real remedy—the Seed. It was to continue until the Seed should come. Gal. 3:19. It stood only in meats and drinks and divers washings and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the times of reformation (Heb. 9:10), the fulness of the time. Gal. 4:4. The added law had certain curses attached to it. See Deut. 27:14–26. Christ redeemed them from those curses. But the question is asked, Did not Christ redeem all believers from all law? With all my heart I believe that He did. But not in the same way that He redeemed them from this added law,—by taking it out of the way, nailing it to His cross. Gal. 2:14; Eph. 2:15. I have no objection to any one making a personal application of this scripture, and drawing all the consolation from it he can; but in the study of the Sacred Word, I have always thought it more safe to search for the exact meaning of the writers; and then, if from this one wishes to draw some lesson of personal comfort, there is no objection.