Children of Promise

Dear Brethren,

In a world beset by natural disasters and wars of men, it is easy to forget the wonderful pledge that God has made to us – we are the children of promise.  God has made that promise to us here and now.  The same promise is made to the world, but they will have to wait until after the Kingdom of God has been established over all the earth.  “This is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.”   (1 John 2:25)

Being the children of promise is an incredible truth that the apostle Paul strove diligently to make clear to the Galatians.  It seems that at one time, when first called by God, the Galatians were indeed the children of promise – but the enemy came upon those immature converts and turned their hearts from their faith in Jesus Christ.  With their conversion being incomplete, they left off believing that they were redeemed by Christ.  They stopped looking to Him in faith, and sought to become righteous on their own terms through various rituals and works after the commandments and doctrines of men – namely the Judaizers who came from Jerusalem.

In the Book of Galatians, Paul expresses his dismay that theyleft the true gospel that Jesus Christ brought for a counterfeit gospel – which is no gospel at all .  The Book of Galatians is so important to us today because it not only shows clearly the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and Isaac, but makes the concept relevant right down to the present day.  Paul in his own inimitable way elucidates the consequence of Abraham’s attempt to bring about God’s promise through his own methods – not God’s.  The intent for the Galatians is that they are attempting to do the exact same thing – bring about the promise of God their own way – not God’s.

There are tremendous implications in the Book of Galatians for the Church of God today.  God’s Will is going to be worked out – no doubt about that.  But, how many brethren are making the same mistake the Galatians made by trying to bring about their own salvation, their own way, aside from the way Jesus Christ would have us go about it.  Are we living by every directive and command of Christ in faith, or has our once ardent faith deteriorated into a substitute religion – as happened to the Galatians?   Let's internalize these words of Paul:  “You are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3:26)

Abraham was unable to bring about the promise of God through his own devices.  God gave him Isaac when it had become entirely impossible for him to father the child of promise.  Likewise, the Galatians were unable to obtain the promise of God by substituting works of the ritual law.  Do we realize and understand the difference between living a life faithful to Jesus Christ and that of substituting our own works?  The promise to us is the same:  “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.”  (Galatians 4:28)

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Sermon:  "Children of Promise"      


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