Our Bible Text today is Galatians 3:8 …
“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”
This Verse is literally “loaded” with truth! With “insight” after “insight!”
Look here how God’s Word is said to be “alive!” That first clause … “And the scripture, foreseeing …” Traits of intelligence (the ability to see, even to foresee) now belong to “Scripture!” A Greek noun (“graphe”) meaning Writing (singular number, the Bible as a Whole, as a Unity) is employed here. A Wise Book indeed! It “thinks!”
Paul elsewhere gives “life” to the Bible. (In 2 Thessalonians 3:1, for example. “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course ….” Here the verb “have free course” is “trecho,” meaning “to run, to run freely, to run without hindrance!” A vibrant, living, running, active Bible!)
Next Paul has the Scripture “preaching!” (Another proof of “Life!”) As in the Text: “And the scripture … preached before the gospel unto Abraham!”
Wow! This verb, “preached” in English (“euaggelizomai” in Greek) means “to declare the Good News!” Telling (here foretelling) the Death and Burial and Resurrection of the coming Messiah, of Jesus Christ the Son of God!
Plus … God is going “so save” (“justify”) sinners (non-Jews here, “heathen,” ethnic groups other than the literal seed of Abraham) “through faith.” Not by human works, but by belief, simple trust in Jesus and His Finished Work!
“By Grace through faith,” folks!
But then even more thrilling, Paul here tells us exactly how that Gospel was worded to Abraham! (This becomes then a superb Lesson in hermeneutics, in Bible interpretation.) ” … saying, in thee (Abraham) shall all nations (“ethnos,” the very same word used for the “heathen” in the verse) be blessed.”
In Abraham?
Is he a savior?
No!
But from the loins, the body of Abraham comes Isaac, then Jacob, then Judah … then a long (godly) line of descendants unto/until a virgin named Mary who was to marry a man named Joseph … Mary through whom (via a miracle called the Holy Ghost overshadowed Virgin Birth) JESUS was born!
And HE is The Saviour!
That’s the Gospel, when the Blood of Calvary is mixed therein!
Abraham and Jesus?
Matthew 1:1 says it well: “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Wow!
Jesus … Son of God, of course … but also “Son of Abraham!”
And in HIM … in Jesus, Descendant of Abraham, physically speaking … through HIM … all the nations of the earth shall be (have already been) blessed!
Have been given salvation, eternal life!
“Whosoever will may come!”
Hallelujah!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
Revelation 22:17 … “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”