24 "THE law hath been our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that 25 we might be justified by faith. But now that faith is come, 26 we are no longer under a tutor. For ye are all sons of God, 27 through faith, in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were 28 baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be neither 29 Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye are all one man in Christ Jesus. And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise."
NOTE.—We now come to the close of this most remarkable chapter, and with the six weeks' study that we put upon it, each student should have a firm grasp of all its statements. Of course no one can expect fully to understand the chapter in that time, but we ought at least to have made so much of its acquaintance that it is no longer a stranger to us. As usual, review thoroughly from the beginning before taking up the new lesson, and then study the verses of the lesson until you could no more forget them than you could forget your own name.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) State the relation of the law to the promises. (2) Why was the law given at Sinai? (3) Was the standard of righteousness greater after that than before? (4) In what state does the law hold all who do not believe? (5) To what end? (6) What, then, is the law to those who do not believe? (7) What takes place when faith comes to us? (8) What does belief do for us?—"Ye are all the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus." "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. Believing Christ is receiving Him. (9) Who have "put on Christ"?—"As many of you as were baptized into Christ." (10) What, then, can there no more be?—"There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female." (11) Why not?—"For ye are all one man in Christ Jesus." (12) Since we are one man in Christ, what follows?—"If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed." (13) And what then?—"And heirs according to the promise." "If children then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Rom. 8:17.
NOTES.
1. THE law has shut us up in prison as transgressors, yet not without hope. The door of mercy was open, and as soon as we believed, we were free; no longer slaves of sin, but sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
2. BELIEF in Christ includes baptism into Christ. When the eunuch asked, "What doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip replied, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest;" and the eunuch said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," whereupon Philip baptized him. Acts 8:36-38. Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Mark 16:16. It is thus that he put on Christ.
3. BEAR in mind that it is only by being baptized into Christ that we put on Christ. It is not the repetition of a formula, nor the mere application of a water—being buried in it—that constitutes the true baptism—baptism into Christ. "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?" Rom. 6:3. Baptism into Christ means the giving up of our lives, being crucified with Him, that we may live a new life. So it is "no longer I, but Christ liveth in me." This is a new life, the putting on of "the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. 4:24.
4. "ONE in Christ Jesus." "One man in Christ Jesus." There is but one Man, and that is Christ. God created man in His own image in the beginning, male and female, "and called their name Adam,"—man. Gen. 5:2. But they fell, and so became less than men; yes, less than dumb brutes in the knowledge of God's ways; for says God, "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider." Isa. 1:3. "Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming; but My people know not the judgment of the Lord." Jer. 8:7. By faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, we come "unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." Eph. 4:13. Christ makes "in Himself of twain one new man," so making peace. Eph. 2:15. Just as it takes the whole of creation to reveal the whole of the glory of God, so it takes all the believers in all the world to reveal the perfect Christ.
5. "IF children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Compare verse 29 with verse 16. There is but one Seed, and that is Christ. But in Christ all things consist. In Him we are not many, but one, and He is the One. Therefore we also form a part of "the seed to whom the promise was made." The promise is as sure to us as to Christ, and will be ours as soon as it is His, if we abide in Him. So here again we see that the coming of the seed to whom the promise was made, embraces the gathering of all the faithful in the kingdom of God.
