Galatians 3:15-25

3:15 | Covenant probably refers to a last will and testament. Because humans cannot add to or annul their covenants without voiding them, humans could not change the divine covenant between God and Abraham.

3:16 | Wehn God made his covenant with Abraham, He also made it with his Seed (singular), not seeds (plural) (Gen. 12:1-3; 22:18). The Seed that came from Abraham was Jesus Christ. God wanted to reach the whole world, not through mere human descent but through the God-Man, Jesus (Gen. 3:15; 13:15; 21:12; 22:18; 24:7).

3:17 | The law was temporary, lasting from Moses until Christ. It was given not to annul God’s promise to Abraham but to show our need for a Savior. When believers recognize how far short they fall, they long for someone to help (Gen. 3:15; Ex. 12:40; Rom. 4:13).

3:18 | The Abrahamic Covenant was given before teh law - therefore the inheritance comes by way of the promise made to Abraham, not through the law given to Moses. Paul is driving home to the Galatians that, because it is of the law, circumcision is not the road to the promise.

Note: Paul’s audience may have been confused about the law and its purpose. The Pharisees and other pious Jews were careful to do everything they thought the law required, believing that keeping the law as they interpreted it would earn them God’s favor. But Paul repeatedly opposed that idea (Rom. 3:20), declaring that the law’s purpose was to: demonstrate our weakness (3:21), display our sinfulness (3:19,22). and drive us to Christ (3:22-25).

3:19 | The law was given to define sin, not to defeat it. It is like a doctor who can diagnose a sickness but cannot cure it (4:4; Ex. 20:19; Deut. 5:5; John 15:22; Acts 7:53).

3:21 | The law and the promises of God are not against one another. The problem is that the law, with its humanly impossible standards, does not save; it only condemns. In our failure to keep the law, we bring judgment upon ourselves (2:16,21; 3:11; Acts 13:39; Rom. 8:3).

3:22 | The law does not make us sinners; it reveals that we already are sinners. Paul’s words illustrate that all humanity is trapped (confined) in sin (Rom. 3:20; 7:7-9).

3:24 | The law was put in charge as our tutor to lead us to Christ. In other words, the law is like a straight edge to show us how crooked we are - and to highlight our need for a Savior.