What I am sayingis this:the Law,which camefour hundredand thirtyyearslater,does not invalidatea covenantpreviously ratifiedby God,soas to nullifythe promise.
[God] saidto Abram,"Knowfor certainthat your descendantswill be strangersin a landthat is not theirs,where they will be enslavedand oppressedfourhundredyears.
On that daythe LORDmadea covenantwith Abram,saying,"To your descendantsI have giventhisland,From the riverof Egyptas faras the greatriver,the riverEuphrates:
But Godsaid,"No,but Sarahyour wifewill bearyou a son,and you shall callhis nameIsaac;and I will establishMy covenantwith him for an everlastingcovenantfor his descendantsafterhim.
"Will you reallyannulMy judgment?Will you condemnMe that you may be justified?
[The] [covenant] whichHe madewith Abraham,And His oathto Isaac.
The LORDnullifiesthe counselof the nations;He frustratesthe plansof the peoples.
"For the LORDof hostshas planned,and whocan frustrate[it]? And as for His stretched-outhand,whocan turnit back?"
"Your covenantwith deathwill be canceled,And your pactwith Sheolwill not stand;Whenthe overwhelmingscourgepassesthrough,Then you becomeits trampling[place].
"Godis not a man,that He should lie,Nora sonof man,that He should repent;Has He said,and will He not doit? Or has He spoken,and will He not makeit good?
"But ifon the dayher husbandhears[of it], he forbidsher, then he shall annulher vowwhichshe is underand the rashstatementof her lipsby whichshe has boundherself;and the LORDwill forgiveher.
For the Lawwas giventhroughMoses;graceand truthwere realizedthroughJesusChrist.
"But Godspoketo this effect,that his DESCENDANTSWOULD BE ALIENSIN A FOREIGNLAND,AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ENSLAVEDAND MISTREATEDFOR FOUR HUNDREDYEARS.
whomGoddisplayed publiclyas a propitiationin His bloodthroughfaith.[This was] to demonstrateHis righteousness,becausein the forbearanceof GodHe passed overthe sinspreviously committed;
Whatthen?Ifsomedid not believe,their unbeliefwill not nullifythe faithfulnessof God,will it?
NowI meanthis,that each oneof you is saying,"I amof Paul,"and "I of Apollos,"and "I of Cephas,"and "I of Christ."
For Christdid not sendme to baptize,but to preach the gospel,not in clevernessof speech,sothat the crossof Christwould not be made void.
Whatdo I meanthen?That a thing sacrificed to idolsis anything,orthat an idolis anything?
But thisI say,brethren,the timehas beenshortened,sothat from nowon thosewho havewivesshould be as thoughthey hadnone;
For as manyas are the promisesof God,in Him they are yes;thereforealsothroughHim is our Amento the gloryof Godthroughus.
Nowthis[I say], he who sowssparinglywill alsoreapsparingly,and he who sowsbountifullywill alsoreapbountifully.
Brethren,I speakin termsof humanrelations:even thoughit is [only] a man'scovenant,yetwhen it has been ratified,no onesets it asideoradds conditionsto it.
Is the Lawthencontraryto the promisesof God?May it neverbe! For ifa lawhad been givenwhich was ableto impart life,then righteousnesswould indeedhave beenbasedon law.
But I say,walkby the Spirit,and you will not carryout the desireof the flesh.
You have been severedfrom Christ,you whoare seeking to be justifiedby law;you have fallenfrom grace.
[remember] that you were at that timeseparatefrom Christ,excludedfrom the commonwealthof Israel,and strangersto the covenantsof promise,havingnohopeand without Godin the world.
SothisI say,and affirmtogetherwith the Lord,that you walkno longerjustas the Gentilesalsowalk,in the futilityof their mind,
I saythissothat no onewill deludeyou with persuasive argument.
Allthesediedin faith,withoutreceivingthe promises,but having seenthem and having welcomedthem from a distance,and having confessedthat they were strangersand exileson the earth.
For, on the one hand,there is a setting asideof a formercommandmentbecauseof its weaknessand uselessness
For He was foreknownbeforethe foundationof the world,but has appearedin theselasttimesfor the sakeof you
