THE CHILDREN OF PROMISE
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise." (Gal 4:28 KJV)
Devotion 13 of 15

YOU CAN MISS THE BLESSING

It is possible to miss the blessing, even though it is prepared for you. With great power Peter preached to the very people who rejected and killed the Prince of life. He refers to the promise God gave to Abraham, and states that it can be theirs. "It is you who are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, 'AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED'" (Acts 3:25 NASB).

What a powerful appeal! It can again be made to those who wear the name of Jesus, yet are living beneath the privileges of the covenant. If you cannot lay claim to the blessing because you are the seed of Abraham, do so because you are a member of the "families of the earth!" Jesus has brought the blessing close enough to be obtained by "whosoever will" (Rev 22:17).

You may recall that the birthright belonged to Esau. Yet, he forfeited that birthright because he "despised" it, considering it less important than one single meal (Heb 12:16-17). It is written that Esau "despised HIS birthright" (Gen 25:34).

Faith, not the Law!

The vehicle through which the blessing is obtained is not the Law. It does not come by fulfilling a moral code, or qualifying by human effort. You must be righteous to obtain the promise, and faith in Christ brings that righteousness to you. "For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom 4:13). It should not be necessary to say this, but faith does not obviate works, it opens the door for them. Yet, even the works that flow from faith do not
justify the soul or qualify it for the promised inheritance. It is the righteousness of God, reckoned to us upon the basis of our faith, that qualifies us for the blessing! The works of faith confirm the righteousness of faith. This is the emphasis of James dissertation on the necessity of works (James 2:21,25). He was speaking of works of faith, not "deeds of the Law" (Rom 3:20,28).

The Spirit drives the point home with language that cannot be mistaken. "For if those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified" (Rom 4:14 NASB). If the individual can qualify for the promise by measuring up to the code of Law, faith is made void. In such a case, there is no need for faith, and it becomes foolish to talk about believing. In arrangement, doing is the point, not believing! That condition nullifies the promise of God, making it void, because the promise is to the one that believes!

The Law Produces Wrath

When it comes to law as a basis for salvation, it only produces wrath. It always finds those to whom it is addressed deficient, and worthy of condemnation. "For the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, neither is there violation" (Rom 4:15 NASB). But when we die with Jesus, we die to the condemning power of the law, which has no authority over a dead man. Mind you, the Law does not die, we die to the Law, and to the realm over which it presides. As it is written, "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God" (Rom 7:4). This describes the condition of the "children of promise."

The Law Does Lead To Christ

It is quite true that on the way to Jesus, we are led by the Law. It is a "our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Gal 3:24). Like a toddling child, we are under tutors and governors until we come of age (Gal 4:2). "But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor" (Gal 3:25). We love the Law, but it is not our Master! We do not look to the Law to justify us, for God is both "Just and Justifier" of him that believes in Jesus (Rom 3:26).

Why It Is This Way

There is a reason for this arrangement. It secures salvation for ALL of the children of promise. Faith becomes the means of appropriation because it, and it alone, is common to all of the "children of promise." This is a wonderful provision! "For this reason it is by faith, that it might be in accordance with grace, in order that the promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all" (Rom 4:16 NASB).

Here is where we assume identity with our father Abraham. We become the "children of promise" through our faith--our persuasion that God is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6). That persuasion is fully realized in Christ Jesus, in Whom dwelt all "the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 1:19; 2:9). Like Abraham, they believe when there is no earthly reason to do so. "In hope against hope he (Abraham) believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, 'SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE"" (Rom 4:18 NASB).

PRAYER POINT: Father, I desire the blessing You have promised in Christ Jesus. Through him, I seek grace to help me to maintain that desire, not shrinking back from it.

-- Tomorrow: THE CHILDREN OF THE FLESH --