Unlimited: The Promise Didn’t Come Through the Law
Jul 19, 2022 1219
It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith (Romans 4:13).
Paul is turning the theology of most first-century Jews, and all modern-day legalists, on its head. He is telling us here that Abraham didn’t receive the blessings that God had promised him through the law. In other words, it wasn’t in connection with the law, or because Abraham was obedient or fulfilled any requirement.
Doesn’t that entirely overturn the common idea that to receive God’s blessing you have to do something first? You might have to be obedient, or live a certain kind of lifestyle, or pray more or in a specific way, or give more money to a church or a Christian ministry. The implication here is that anyone that tells you that you need to do any of these things to be blessed by God isn’t preaching the Gospel of Jesus, instead they are trying to get you to accept the false gospel.
Abraham didn’t receive the blessings that God had promised him through the law.
The false gospel is very common. That’s why Jesus said that we should enter through the narrow gate. There are only two gospels: the real one which is through faith in Jesus and the fake one which is always, though often deceptively so, through works. The fake gospel is always very bad news indeed.
Spiritual Application
Think seriously about this: is the news you learnt at the core of your religion good news or bad news? How has that influenced the trajectory of your life?
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