Galatians 3:14. so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
When God called Abraham out of Ur, he made promises to Abraham. God told Abraham from the very start that all the nations on earth would be blessed through him. Now we know exactly what that blessing is: The Holy Spirit. Through the offspring of Abraham, Jesus, all who have faith in him receive the promised blessing—the indwelling life of Christ by the indwelling Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit was promised as part of God’s coming New Covenant with Israel.
Ezekiel 36:26. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass… that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
You see, when God rescued Israel from Egypt, brought them to Sinai, and gave them the law, what he didn’t give them was the heart needed to obey it. All the externals were there, but the internal spirit was still too weak. But now, by faith in Christ, we have received the “promised Spirit.” The Holy Spirit has brought us into the New Covenant of grace and has given us a new heart and a new spirit—one that loves and obeys God from the heart (Rom. 6:17).
Does this mean that the Holy Spirit now helps us to keep the law? There are many Christians who would say the answer to this question is yes—that the Holy Spirit empowers us to keep the Old Testament Law. But the truth is that we are no longer under the Law of Moses, but under grace. The law will never again be our standard or our guide. In Christ, we have a far greater standard and guide: Christ himself. It is the “law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), the law of love, that guides our life in him.
Is this “law of Christ,” then, just another law that we can’t keep or that binds us in our sin the way the Law of Moses did? Not at all. Why not? Because of the promised Spirit’s life inside of us—the new heart, the new mind, and the new spirit that every believer in Christ shares with Christ himself. You see, the Law of Moses required no faith to follow, but the Law of Christ is only followable by faith. The Law of Moses offered no freedom, but the Law of Christ is freedom. It is life in the Spirit of Liberty, setting our hearts free to love.
You: How would you describe your relationship with the Holy Spirit?
You in Christ: How does union with Christ also give us the “promised Spirit”?
Christ in you: Where can you see the Spirit at work setting your heart free to love like Christ?
Prayer: Father, you have given me everything as a promise, not as a paycheck. You have given me yourself through the Son and the Spirit. Keep me trusting in your indwelling presence and promises today. Amen.
