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Romans 9: 3-5.
A | According to the flesh.--Brethren.
B | Who are Israelites.
C | To whom pertaineth the ADOPTION.
D | And the glory.
E | And the covenants.
E | And the giving of the law.
D | And the service of God.
C | And the PROMISES.
B | Whose are the fathers.
A | As concerning the flesh, Christ came.
The reason for this connection will more easily be appreciated after we have seen the
teaching of Galatians. The other references repudiates the flesh. This is the item added
to those already seen in Rom. 4:
The third group of passages is found in Galatians:--
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law . . . . . that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of
the spirit through faith" (Gal. 3: 13, 14).
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made" (Gal. 3: 16).
"This I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law,
which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul that it should make the
promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law it is no more of promise: but
God gave it to Abraham by promise . . . . . the law . . . . . was added . . . . . till the seed
should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3: 17-19).
"Is the law against the promise of God? Let it not be! The Scripture hath concluded
all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given unto them that
believe" (Gal. 3: 21, 22).
"If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise"
(Gal. 3: 29).
"Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman, but he
who was after the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by
promise . . . . . these are the two covenants" (Gal. 4: 22-24).
"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4: 28).
The theme in this group is related to the covenant, and upon examination the
following items come to light. The law has a curse, and is therefore quite contrary to
the blessing of Abraham. The latter is related to the promise of the Spirit through faith.
This is a partial answer to the question of Gal. 3: 3: "Received ye the Spirit by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" The remaining references are to be
understood in the light of the Greek law of adoption in force in Galatia at the time the
epistle was written. The existence of this law and its application is not within the range
of pure exegesis, and under God we owe the knowledge of its bearing upon the theme to
the research of Sir William Ramsay, D.C.50: The following is a condensation of his
remarks upon the passage in Gal. 3: