25 - the Concept of Promise (3)

Possibly the most difficult idea for me personally-at least in the top 5 - was how this "Promise" thing worked ! To deal with it involved three books primarily - Romans, Galatians and Hebrews. A section of 2 Corinthians helped as well- chapters 2-6.

PROMISE - what a concept ! Like the concept of faith - many in Christendom struggle and some go off into the corn field. Let's get to it.

Paul's major treatise takes up Romans 3-5 for sure - that along with Galatians 3 make up many words seldom really studied - so I cornered myself and decided to make my own translation. Well - that could well be a lifelong study. I am still at it - 30 years later.

Here's part of the concept - Paul said "If a law had been given that COULD save - then salvation would be by Law." Galatians 3:21 - which leads Paul to the problem - the purpose of Law is not to save - but to convict - that leads to verse 22 - "but the Scripture consigned all things to sin, so that what was PROMISED to the faith of Jesus Christ might be GIVEN to those who believe."

Two simple facts - LAW (any law, old, new or other) isn't designed to save mankind. And - number two - God's design was to PROMISE those who believe in Jesus' faith to be gifted with righteousness (which is the contextual subject of Galatians 3:21.)

That is also the subject and reasoning of Romans 3:21ff. Paul used a different concept - "apart from law" in Romans 3. He hastened to contend it wasn't opposed to law - but law as a concept is NEVER designed to save - only to point out sin. And - since NO sacrifice had been designed to totally forgive sin (in our human understanding) - that left God to satisfy His own justice - and HE did ! He came up with Jesus as a sacrifice before He even made the world - and chose to sum up everything in Jesus.

Jesus - is the child of Promise. So - Jesus embodies PROMISE - and since HE is sent to be a covenant - and He is "kept covenant" - even KEPT LAW - then HE is the only focus of forgiveness of sin and ultimate righteousness. No other provision has ever been made to forgive sin ultimately. Any forgiveness always fell back on Jesus as Sacrifice in the ultimate sense. (In other words - any ultimate forgiveness focused on Jesus' sacrifice to have any true forgiveness effect.)

THE Promise - started with Eve after the Fall - and referenced JESUS as the answer to the Fall. But - once it got to Abram - one bigger focus was "all nations on the earth will be blessed" - and several Messiah sections focused on Gentiles. Paul brought that up in Acts 13 as he refined his focus to Gentiles - and shared with Jews that it was Scripturally a fulfilling of Prophecy. Amazingly enough - it was mentioned a couple times right as Jesus was born. Allow me to just list the Scriptures - Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 42:6; 49:6-8; Luke 1:72; 2:32 - and obviously the passages from Romans and Galatians.

Conclusions - JESUS was designed as a "joiner" of Jew and Gentile - male and female - all designations of every sort get to be "one and the same" in Christ. That is part of what PROMISE is meant to accomplish - making us "one new man in Christ" - Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 2:15.

PLUS - all previous Promise concepts look forward to JESUS - and all NT focus concepts focus on Jesus. What about US ? Well - allow one secret - "YOUR LIFE is hidden with Christ in God" Colossians 3:3 - more about that next