The gospel of Jesus Christ
is for all nations. Paul the apostle has declared this to be true by
using the example of God promising to Abraham of old, “in you
shall all nations be blessed.”
This promise was given before the law of God was ever shared with
Moses who received the ten commandments, and Abraham received God's
promise by faith. God promises salvation by His grace to all who will
by faith receive the substitutionary sacrifice of His Son Jesus for
their sins. When we receive God's promise by faith, Paul concludes
there is a special benefit in chapter three and verse nine of
Galatians. He wrote:
So then they which be
of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Paul
first makes a distinction as to whom he is speaking about, “so
then they which be of faith...” When
we read the Bible we discover that God is watching over everyone, and
there is no one whom He does not desire to save - “Who
will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.” (1 Timothy 2:4). There
are those, however, who choose not to believe in God's gift of Jesus
Christ. They pursue other venues and ways to “get to God”, but
they will never succeed. The very idea of the gospel of Jesus Christ
is that God came to us, not us to Him. This is obtainable. This is
available. “They which be of faith”
are the ones to whom Paul is speaking, and in his reasoning with the
Galatians about those who would impose rules and laws in addition to
receiving Jesus Christ, Paul notes once again it is by faith and not
by keeping the laws that we are blessed.
Paul
shares the benefit be being “they which are of faith”
when he wrote, “are blessed with faithful Abraham.”
Those who believe in God's provision of grace align themselves with
one of the most blessed people in the Bible – Abraham. God said to
Abraham in Genesis chapter fifteen and verse one, “Fear
not, Abram: I [am] your shield, [and] your exceeding great reward.”
This promise included God's
protection (your shield)
and provision (your exceeding great reward).
When we think about it, what more do we need in our lives than God's
protection and provision? This blessing is promised to those who
simply believe in the gospel of grace offered by God through His Son
Jesus Christ. It is hard to imagine that anyone would reject it.
God's promise is available, and the blessing that God gave to
faithful Abraham is open for all to receive.
Next time we will
discover a curse that is associated with the law, so read ahead, and
let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it
locally
at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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