August 5, 2025

IN COVENANT WITH CHRIST

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.”

Galatians 3:15-17 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

Key Takeaways from our passage today:

1. Covenants Can’t Be Rewritten

Paul uses a legal analogy: if two people sign a contract, no outsider can come along later and change the terms. The same applies to the covenant God made with Abraham—it was permanent, binding, and rooted in promise, not law.

2. God Initiated the Covenant

Genesis 15 tells us God Himself initiated the covenant. Abraham didn’t negotiate; he believed. He simply trusted God’s word. That’s grace. That’s faith.

3. The Blood Covenant Symbolism

• In ancient Middle Eastern culture, covenants were sealed with blood sacrifices.

• God told Abraham to lay out the animals for sacrifice, which signified a serious, life-binding agreement. (Genesis 15)

• Abraham fell asleep—and while he slept, God alone (represented by a “smoking firepot” and “blazing torch”) walked through the pieces.

• Abraham didn’t walk between the sacrifices. Only God did.

• This act showed that God took full responsibility for keeping the covenant. Abraham’s role? Faith.

4. Jesus Is the Seed

Paul zooms in on a single word: seed, not seeds. That distinction matters.

• God’s promise was made to Abraham and to his “seed”—which Paul identifies as Christ.

• This means the covenant was not just between God and Abraham’s biological offspring but was forward-looking to Jesus, the one true heir.

5. The Law Didn’t Undo the Promise

• The law came 430 years after the Abrahamic covenant.

• But it didn’t overwrite the original promise. Why? Because law and promise operate in different spheres.

• The law shows us our need for salvation. But it cannot offer it.

• Faith in Christ brings us into the blessings of Abraham—not keeping the law.

Application: Living in the Covenant

If you’ve put your faith in Christ, you are now in covenant with God, just like Abraham was—but even better: Jesus fulfilled the covenant on your behalf. You didn’t have to walk through the blood. He did.

That means:

• You don’t work for the blessing—you receive it by faith.

• Your salvation is secure—not based on your performance but on God’s promise.

• You now belong to Christ and are Abraham’s seed (Galatians 3:29).

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, thank You for including me in the covenant. Help me not to strive to earn Your favor, but to walk in faith, just like Abraham did. Help me receive and live in the blessings that come through Jesus—the true Seed of promise.

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