Galatians 3:16
16 Now [de] to Abraham [Abraam] and [kai] his [autos] seed [sperma] were [rheo] the promises [epaggelia]
made. [rheo] He saith [lego] not, [ou] And [kai] to seeds, [spermata] as [hos] of [epi] many; [polus] but [alla] as [hos] of [epi] one, [heis] And [kai] to thy [sou] seed, [sperma] which [hos] is [esti] Christ. [Christos] KJV-Interlinear
16 Now the promises were spoken
to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as
referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is,
Christ. NASB
The passage being referred to here is from Gen.
22:17-18.
Gen 22:17-18
17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will
greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which
is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." NASB
The subject is still faith versus works, as the
means of securing salvation and the process through which the spiritual life
functions.
This faith comes through one person and one person
only, and that person is Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the distant seed, or descendant of
Abraham. Abraham lived about
two-thousand years before the birth of Jesus.
It is through this single seed, Jesus, that the
world will be blessed.
It is not through the many descendants, or the many
seeds, by which the world will be blessed.
People have nothing to do with securing blessings
for the human race. If that were the case
then works, good deeds, good intentions, sincerity and so forth would have a
place in securing the spiritual life, but that is not the case.
Faith and faith alone is the path and means of the spiritual
life, not works.
The descendants of Abraham both in his genetic
descendants, and descendants or others by means of the pattern of faith which
Abraham demonstrated, all may be the recipients of Gods blessing, but only
through their individual faith, not and never by means of anyone's lifestyle.
You cannot earn your way into heaven. You do not deserve admission into heaven.
That is a gift from God through faith, and by no
other means. Otherwise you would boast
as to your unique ability to achieve that which no one else has ever been able
to achieve.
