According to His promise . . .

Imagine a dad who promises his daughter that he will give her a pony at the end of the summer. He is an honest and faithful man, has already picked out the pony and is preparing to have it brought to his little girl.

In the meantime during her summer holidays from school, she is part of the family and expected to help with chores. She is told to clean her room, dry dishes, feed the chickens and various other chores. However, these chores have nothing to do with the promise of a pony. She is not earning that pony; it is promised to her. At the end of summer, she didn’t always do all the chores on dad’s to-do list. Some days she was tired, or busy playing with her friends. Nevertheless, dad kept his promise and the pony was hers.

This is how the New Testament explains salvation by faith rather than trying to be saved by keeping the laws of God. The promise was made to Abraham; God would bless him with a mighty inheritance. Later the Law was given but that did not change the promise . . .

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. (Galatians 3:16–18)

God’s Word says that Abraham was justified or saved by faith because he simply believed what God said. He trusted God to keep His promise. The Law came later and as explained by Paul in Galatians; it could not give life. All it could do was show people how we need to believe that promise. We need faith because of our utter failure to keep the Law (do what is on God’s to-do list) The Law reveals how badly we need His saving grace. At the same time, the Law is not a bad thing . . .

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. (Galatians 3:21–25)

Just as the pony was promised, eternal life is promised to those who believe. We have a responsibility and desire to keep at that to-do list, but it is not the source of life or forgiveness. Salvation comes to us by God who promises it to all who believe, and all who believe find themselves wanting to behave God’s way instead of in their old sinful ways.

It doesn’t matter who these people were before salvation, or their identity after salvation . . .

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:26–29)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You have promised eternal life to all who put their trust in You. It does not matter what race, or occupation we have, our gender or anything else that makes us different from one another. All who believe are Your children, heirs of Your promise, just like Abraham. We might not agree on many things, from what color to paint the Sunday School rooms to the way to practice baptism and communion, but by faith we are justified, all written into Your book of life. Perhaps eternal life needs to be ‘eternal’ so I’ll be able to know and fellowship with everyone in Your huge family! Yet I want to always have an increasing ability to know and love Your people!

Today’s thankful list . . .

My brothers and sisters in Christ.

Sunday brunch at our church where we can get to know one another.

Soccer games and Sunday naps.

Supper with our son and his sweetheart with all of us cooking and laughing.

Steak, corn on the cob and carrot cake.

Modern technology.