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| Jesus, the Faithful One | | Date Created: Dec 06, 2004, 12:02 AM |
From Galatians 3:6, Paul is concerned with the proper identity of the true "sons of Abraham" (3:7). Who receives the blessing of Abraham? Who is reckoned to be righteous, that is, faithful to God's covenant? Who is/are the true offspring of Abraham?
The answer, of course, is two fold: 1) Jesus is the true seed of Abraham (3:16), and 2) those who are of the faith of Abraham (3:9) are also sons of Abraham and God.
But these two answers are carefully woven together by Paul so that at the end all who are "in Christ" are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
What this means is that Jesus himself is not only Abraham's physical seed, but also himself the supreme instance of the truth: "those of faith who are the sons of Abraham." He was faithful to the law by becoming a curse for us (3:13-14). Furthermore, surely Paul is reflecting on the promise of Gen. 12:3, which he referred to at the head of his argument (Gal. 3:8), when he says,But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise, arising from (ek) faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah, might be given to those who have faith" (Gal. 3:23). What he says next can only really make sense if we take v. 23 as a reference to the supreme fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant's requirement of faith. Jesus' faithfulness secured the promise Abrahamic blessings for all.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 [ours? of Christ? both?]. But now that faith has come. . . for in Messiah Jesus you are all sons of God through faith (3:23-26). Paul personifies, if you will, "faith." His use of pistis ["faith"] in reference to the coming of Jesus Christ clinches it for me. It follows hard after his last use of "faithfulness of Jesus Christ" in v. 22 and seems to bring it all together. Jesus' faithfulness fulfilled the Abrahamic covenantal promises. When Jesus came, "faith" came. Because of him and "in him" we are all "sons of Abraham" and "sons of God" who believe. |
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