Galatians 3:9–10

How could this blessing come? Surely in the same way Abraham himself received the blessing. Faith, all of faith, and only faith. "So that the ones on the principle of faith are blessed with the believing Abraham." A rendering nearer to the Greek would be "the 'having faith Abraham.'" It was faith that marked Abraham. It was faith that brought the blessing to Abraham. So the ones on the principle of faith are marked out as being in the likeness of Abraham, and these are blessed just as Abraham was.

Every believer is a child of Abraham in a spiritual sense. And more than that, as verse 9 shows us, every believer enters into the blessing of Abraham. Verse 8 shows what the blessing of Abraham is. It was not just his own personal blessing, but that in him all nations should be blessed. He was not only to be counted righteous before God and to stand in the blessings that go with righteousness. Countless people from all nations were also to enjoy the same favour, and it was to reach them in him.

Others now hear the voice of the same God, in any language. They listen as He preaches peace by Jesus Christ. They too are blessed with believing Abraham — only in a fuller measure.

He refers to the first promise made to Abraham, because when it was made there was no thought of circumcision. It showed that they would be blessed as Gentiles — not by becoming Jews in effect; for the blessing would flow out to them as Gentiles... There he closes that part of the subject, proving that the blessing depends upon faith, and not upon the works of the law or circumcision. Abraham was blessed by faith, and God had promised him, "In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" — not in circumcision, but in Abraham.

Such are of faith, and are blessed with faithful Abraham (Gal. 3:9). They are his sons (Gal. 3:7), and all who are in Christ, or Christ's, are reckoned as Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29). So the Lord takes hold of a class among men — a class from which none are excluded, whatever their nationality, if only they really believe on Him.

As in verse 7 he claimed Abraham's fatherhood for all believers, so here the blessing that goes with the birthright is claimed for them on exactly the same ground. For God blesses only in the way of faith; His delight is always in those who rest their souls on His word. But it is a personal, not an inherited, faith that receives the blessing. The whole strength of the Jew's claim to stand above the Gentile was that Israel was the family God had blessed. The apostle sets that unreal privilege aside for good, by tracing God's blessing back to its true and only cause. Flesh takes no blessing, and finds no entrance into the kingdom of God. He blesses whom He will, and on His own terms only.

Know, then, says the apostle, that Abraham, the father of the faithful and the holder of the promises, received everything by faith. So those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Those, on the other hand, who are of the works of the law, are under the curse. The law is good and holy, but it does not give a new nature, it does not give life, nor the strength needed to do what it commands.

The works of the law are not bad works. They are right works: loving God and our neighbour, and not breaking the commandments that forbid sin. But those who are of the works of the law are under the curse. They stand under the law's obligation to do these works, whether someone else put them there or they put themselves there. He does not say the one who has broken the law is under the curse, or the one who sins, or the one who has done evil. He says the one who is of the works of the law. That is the one who goes on the principle of being under its obligation, bound to keep it.

Suppose I bring a right and true measure to a man who is in the habit of using a wrong measure — what do I do it for? Not to make him honest, but to prove his dishonesty. It is useless for him to say, "I will change my character"; the thing is already done. The question is, does he have a character? And the measure proves him a dishonest man… God gave His right, perfect, holy law as a rule. But that rule comes to a sinner who cannot keep it. It searches him with all the power of God's holiness. So he stands judged, and comes under its curse.

Not those who have broken the law, but those who take their stand on legal ground — these are under the curse. Whoever tries to please God on this principle has fallen under it. And why? Because there is such a thing as sin… So that, if I stand on this ground, there is not the slightest provision made for failure.

If one link of this chain breaks, will the rest of the chain hold him? No, he plunges into the abyss. And so if a person breaks one commandment, he breaks the whole law, and he comes under the curse.

The quotation here is from Deuteronomy 27, and it is very striking. There six tribes, Simeon and the others, were to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, and six tribes on Mount Ebal to curse. The Levites were then to say with a loud voice to all the men of Israel, "Cursed…" But where are the blessings? They are not to be found in the chapter at all. Why are the blessings from Mount Gerizim not named? Because God knew well that they would never be wanted.

It is useless to talk of using the law for sanctification, or as a rule of life, and not for justification. You cannot use the law for one purpose or another as you please. It will use its rights over you as it pleases… You cannot deal with God's law as you like. If you will have God's law, you must take it with all the consequences God has attached to it.

Think of the curse as a great sword hanging by a thread over my head. It may fall at any moment and destroy me. Christ came above me, between me and the sword. The sword fell on Him; He received the blow that must have taken us down to hell; He took us out from under the curse.