How does CT explain Gal 3:16

Matthias · #1 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 10:15 PM

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

If CT holds that "the promise to Abraham and his seed" (singular) involves either the Jews and their physical children (plural) or Christian parents and their children (plural) then is this not contradicting Paul's statement in Galatians?

DonP · #2 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthias

Galatians 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

If CT holds that "the promise to Abraham and his seed" (singular) involves either the Jews and their physical children (plural) or Christian parents and their children (plural) then is this not contradicting Paul's statement in Galatians?

The seed is Christ. The elect are in the Seed. In Christ.
Therefore the spiritual promises were made to the elect in Christ. He is their federal head. He got the promises for them. Isn't this beautiful and glorious!!

The physical and temporal promises were had by all in the visible covenant, the ethnic Jews and proselytes, national Israel.

Obviously the spiritual promises were not made to the reprobate in Israel.
The reprobate covenant members, covenant breakers, were not in Christ, were not to receive the spiritual eternal promises.

So today as in national Israel which was a visible covenant people, the members of the visible church and their seed get the temporal physical benefits of being in the visible covenant. But only the spiritual promises if they are elect and in the invisible church / covenant of Grace.

Isn't this amazing? It is so beautiful and simple.
It was only confusing to me when I was collapsing the distinction between the visible and invisible covenants. The Cof G and the visible church, or national Israel and Spiritual Israel of promise, the elect of all nations.

In this way all Israel shall be saved. All in the Seed of Promise. All in Christ.
All who get the spiritual promises to Abraham. All in the invisible C of Grace.

See the thread what benefit is their being a Jew or a covenant child.

Rangerus · #3 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 10:32 PM

Here Paul is referring to the "oneness" that is found in Christ which fulfilled the promises made to Abraham and his Seed.

Quote:

Geneva Bible Notes - both the Jews and the Gentiles grow together in one body of the seed of Abraham, in Christ alone, so that all are one in Christ, as it is afterward declared in (Gal_3:28).

(l) Paul does not speak of Christ's person, but of two peoples, who grew together in one, in Christ.

Quote:

John Gill Notes - that the Scripture speaks not of any particular person, but of seed in a general and collective sense, of a large and numerous offspring; since the apostle designs such a seed by Christ, as numerous as the stars of the sky, and the sand on the sea shore, even all believers in all nations, Abraham is the father of; though did the apostle mean Christ particularly, and personally considered, there are instances to be given, where the word "seed" is used, not in a collective sense, but of a single person, as in Gen_4:25. Nor has the Jew (d) any reason to charge him with a mistake, in observing that the word is not in the plural, but in the singular number, when it is the manner of the Hebrew language to speak of seed only in the singular number; but this is false, the word is used in the plural number, and so might have been here, had it been necessary, as in 1Sa_8:15 concerning seed sown in the earth, from whence the metaphor is here taken.

A.J. · #4 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthias

If CT holds that "the promise to Abraham and his seed" (singular) involves either the Jews and their physical children (plural) or Christian parents and their children (plural) then is this not contradicting Paul's statement in Galatians?

No, it doesn't contradict Paul's statement. All those who are united to Christ by faith are the seed of Abraham. The Reformed standards affirm that.

Quote:

The Larger Catechism

Q31: With whom was the covenant of grace made?
A31: The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed.[1]

1. Gal. 3:16; Rom. 5:15-21; Isa. 53:10-11

The promise to Abraham (which Paul explains as the gospel itself, see Gal. 3:8; Acts 3:25; Gen. 12:3; Gen. 22:18) didn't mean that the children of believers are necessarily saved or are necessarily guaranteed salvation. Being born into a believing family doesn't save. Sinners are saved only by the sovereign will of God (John 1:12, 13; Rom. 9:6-8). But the promise did involve God committing Himself to raising seed of Abraham from the physical seed of His people.

The balance must be maintained. No one is saved by being born into a believing family (e.g. Ishmael and Esau). But God does pour out his grace to families and raises a people for Himself (the seed of Abraham) from the children of His people (e.g. Isaac and Jacob). This promise given to the father of all who believe (Gen. 17:7) is true for believers today in the New Covenant (Luke 18:15-17; Acts 2:38, 39; Acts 16:31, cf. Psa. 103:17, 18; Jer. 32:38-40; Isa. 44:3; Isa. 59:20, 21; Ezek. 37:24-28). God is a God to us and to our seed. He is a God of families. And in Abraham's seed, the Lord Jesus, all the families of all the nations (not just the nation of Israel, cf. Matt. 28:18-20) of the earth will be blessed (Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:8). The substance of the promise to the believing patriarch remains.

An interesting essay explaining the meaning of God's promise to Abraham to be a God to him and to his seed after him (Gen. 17:7) may be read here: Johannes Weslianus: The Question of Infant Baptism. I think it answers your question more clearly than I can. Thanks.

***Contra_Mundum*** · #5 (**permalink**) 04-10-2009, 11:20 PM

Gen 17:7, plural sense
Gen 22:18, singular sense