Chapter One

The Denial That Healing and Prosperity Belong To Christians Is Based Upon The Greatest Theological Blunder In Old Testament History.

  Dr. Jay Snell Newsletter Feed and Free Bonuses  

The promises God made to Abraham (The Abrahamic Covenant) established a peculiar and special relationship between himself (God) and Abraham. These promises alone established this special relationship. He imposed no conditions or prerequisites. He required neither merit nor worthiness on their part. He based their relationship solely upon his grace. God made certain promises to Abraham And his  heirs that granted them this privileged position forever.

Four hundred-thirty years later, when the descendants of Abraham numbered over two million, God forged them into a nation under the leadership of Moses. He named this new, fledgling nation "Israel." And the promises God made to Abraham included this nation of his descendants in its provisions and benefits. Even today, these same promises include this nation.

What is the Relationship of Moses' Law to Abraham's Blessings?

Under the leadership of Moses, God gave the Law to this young, special nation to enable them to maintain the flow of blessings granted them in the Abrahamic Promises. The Law of Moses neither originated nor secured this special relationship between God and Israel. God did not institute the Law for this reason. He gave the Law to enable them to maintain and continue the relationship that had been established with Abraham four hundred-thirty years earlier. Nowhere does Scripture teach that the promises to Abraham, which established their relationship to God, have been contradicted, canceled, postponed, replaced, superseded, set aside, or even modified by the Law of Moses or anything else.

The relationship of the Israelite in the Old Testament era to the sacrifices of Moses’  Law is (at least in a limited sense) similar in function to the relationship of a Christian to the provisions of 1 John 1:9. The following discussion will make this similarity clear. When a man receives Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, God becomes his Father and the man becomes God's child. This relationship is permanent. When he sins, his fellowship is broken, but not his relationship. God is still his Heavenly Father and he is still his Father's child. The confession of his sin, according to 1 John 1:9, restores the fellowship between them. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Although the fellowship within the preexisting relationship was broken by sin, the relationship itself was not. However, the confession of a believer's sin in accordance with 1 John 1:9 neither originates, secures, nor establishes in any way, a relationship with God. This was established the actual moment of receiving Christ as their personal Savior. The confession serves to maintain the blessings of the preexisting relationship.

The sacrifices of Moses' Law performed the same function for the Israelite that 1 John 1:9 performs for Christians today. Neither the sacrifices nor the Christian's confessions were intended to secure a relationship with God. Both were given to maintain the blessings of a preexisting relationship. For the Israelite, the  relationship existed because of the promises made to Abraham. When the Israelite sinned under Moses' Law, he presented the appropriate sacrifice to God. In so doing, he maintained the blessings of the preexisting Abrahamic relationship. The "works of the law," i.e., the prescribed sacrifices were never given to originate, earn, merit, or in any way secure a relationship with God. The sole purpose of the sacrifices were to maintain and continue the blessings established with Abraham and his heirs over four centuries earlier.

Nevertheless, by the time Jesus walked the shores of Galilee, Israel had departed from the original purpose of Moses' Law, i.e., to maintain the Abrahamic blessings. They had disconnected Moses' Law from Abraham's promises. They still claimed Abraham as their father, but his promises had taken a back seat to the Law, which had become their entire religion. They believed they could secure acceptance with God by earning it through keeping the law. By works, they attempted to deserve his favor, forgetting they already had it granted to them by grace in the Abrahamic Covenant. Sadly, Jewish religion had degenerated to a doctrine of works.

The great Jewish mistake, then, lies in their disconnecting the Law of Moses from the promises to Abraham. (In this book, we call this mistake The Great Disconnect Theory.) Having disconnected the two, they  attempted to establish their own righteousness by the works of the law, not realizing that "...by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16). By viewing the Law of Moses as "Dis-Connected" from Abraham, they lost sight of its only purpose: to continue the blessings in the Abrahamic Covenant. They tried to earn what they already possessed. They tried to secure a beachhead on the shores of God's blessings, forgetting that father Abraham had previously planted their flag on it. They no longer realized that they had no need to secure this beachhead. God's gracious promises secured it for them two thousand years before. Their disconnecting Moses’ Law from Abraham’s Promises is the greatest theological blunder in Old Testament history.

Moses laid the foundation that God gave the Law to maintain the Abrahamic Blessings. He began this foundation by citing the promises to Abraham as the sole reason God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt. Then, with their liberation accomplished, Moses set it in concrete: keeping the Law determined their future participation and continuance in the blessings of Abraham's promises. First, we look at Moses' statements citing the promises as the grounds for the exodus.

Numerous Scriptures cite the promises as the grounds for the Egyptian rescue. God warned Abraham, over four hundred years in advance, about the bondage of his descendants (Genesis 15:13). He also told Abraham that he would free them (v. 16). Later, during their slavery in Egypt, God "...remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exodus 2:24), and commissioned Moses to deliver them. In so doing, He identified himself to Moses as "...the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:6). In like manner, He commanded Moses to "...say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you..." (Exodus 3:15). He also commanded Moses to call the elders together and reveal his (God's) identity as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:16). Then, in Exodus 6:1-8, Moses cited the Abrahamic Covenant as the reason why Pharaoh would be forced to let his people go. In verse 4, God said that he established his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob "...to give them the land of Canaan...." In verse 5, God said that he heard their groanings in Egypt and remembered this same covenant. In verse 6, he said that because of this same covenant, he is going to bring them out of Egypt. And, in verse 8. Moses specified this same Abrahamic Covenant as the reason God would shortly bring them into the land which he swore to give to Abrahan, Isaac, and Jacob for an inheritance.

After the deliverance, Moses again cited the promises to Abraham as the reason "...he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers." (Deuteronomy 6:23). Finally, Deuteronomy 7:7-8 confirms that God loved them, chose them, and brought them out of Egypt "...because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers...." Every Scripture cited above specified the Abrahamic Covenant as the grounds for the deliverance from Egypt.

The preceding discussion established the promises to Abraham as the reason for the exodus. Next, Moses shows that God gave the Law to maintain these same promises that formed the basis for the exodus.

First, Moses said that the Lord had loved them, chose them, and delivered them from Egypt because he would keep the oath (covenant) that he had sworn to their fathers (Deuteronomy 7:7-12). Then, he said that he would continue keeping the same covenant and mercy (which formed the reason for the exodus) with them if they loved him and kept the Law. He said, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9). In verse 12, Moses buttresses this statement, saying that, in the future, God shall continue keeping the same covenant and mercy (which formed the reason for the exodus) which he swore unto the fathers if they hearken to the Law, if they keep the Law, and if they do the Law. "Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgements, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers" (Deuteronomy 7:12). These three verses demonstrate that God kept the covenant in the past (v.8); He is keeping on keeping the covenant in the present (v.9); He shall keep on keeping the covenant in the future (v. 12). In addition, Moses made it plain in verses 9 and 12 that obedience to the Law maintains the same covenant EULOGIA (which formed the reason for the exodus) in both the present and the future. In other words, God gave the Law to maintain the same Sixty Promises-(BARAK-EULOGIA)- Abrahamic Covenant that formed the basis for the exodus.

Furthermore, verse 8 describes the Abrahamic Covenant as "the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers...", while verse 9 describes the Abrahamic Covenant as the "covenant and mercy...to a thousand generations." (The Psalmist also applied this same term, "to a thousand generations," to the Abrahamic Covenant. In Psalms 105:8-9, he said. "He hath remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac:...") And in verse 12, Moses described the Abrahamic Covenant as "the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers." Verse 12 combines "which he sware unto thy fathers" from verse 8 with "the covenant and the mercy" from verse 9. Consequently, this context makes it crystal clear: Moses declared that the Abrahamic promises that constituted the reason for the deliverance from Egypt are the same promises that obedience to the Law maintains. The application of the Eight Questions to this passage, links this passage to the Abrahamic Covenant, showing that the "blessings" contained herein and maintaned by obedience to Moses’ “Law of the covenant," are indeed, derived from the Sixty Promises.

In Volume I, What Are Abraham's Blessings Anyway?, we cited fifteen Scriptures, after the giving of Moses' "Law of the covenant," which identify specific blessings or EULOGIA. One of those Scriptures was Deuteronomy 7:6-15, cited above. In the following pages, we cite the other fourteen passages from Volume I. We do not name the Abrahamic EULOGIA, but we quote Moses' statements that demonstrate the "blessings" derived from Abraham's promises are maintained by keeping the Law. In Volume I, we asked the reader to apply the Eight Questions of Scripture Analysis to all fifteen passages. Consequently, all fifteen citations were traced to the covenant, i.e., all EULOGIA in the fifteen texts derive from Abraham's promises. Listed below are the remaining fourteen contexts showing that the purpose of the Law is the maintenance of Abraham's EULOGIA:

1. Exodus 23:25-33 cites eight covenant blessings ascribed to Abraham's promises. And concerning these eight blessings, Moses said that if "Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images" (v.24). "And ye shall serve the Lord your God..." (v.25), then the eight Abrahamic “blessings” will be maintained. In other words, the continuance of Abraham's blessings is contingent upon their keeping Moses' "Law of the covenant."

2. Leviticus 26:4-12 cites twenty-three blessings attributed to the Abrahamic Covenant. Concerning these twenty-three Abrahamic blessings, Moses said that, "If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them:..." (v.3), then the twenty-three "blessings" derived from Abraham's promises will continue. To put it differently, obedience to the Law maintains the blessings of Abraham.

3. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lists twenty-seven Abrahamic blessings concerning which Moses declared that "...it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day...and shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand or the left, to go after other gods to serve them," then the twenty-seven Abrahamic blessings shall be maintained. In other words, obedience to the Law maintains the blessings of Abraham.

4. In Deuteronomy 4:40, Moses said, "Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day,…” to maintain the Abrahamic blessings of going well with them and their children, and prolonging their days.

5. In Deuteronomy 5:32-33, Moses cried, "Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you,..." In so doing, they would maintain the "blessings" of Abraham.

6. In Deuteronomy 6:1-3, Moses stated that they could maintain the covenant blessings if "...thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life:..."

7. Moses further stated that "Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord:..." (Deuteronomy 6:17-18). In so doing, they would maintain the Abrahamic blessings.

8. In addition, Moses said, "All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do,..." (Deuteronomuy 8:1) in order to maintain the covenant blessings.

9. The covenant blessings could be maintained only if "...thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him" (Deuteronomy 8:6).

10. But, not only would their enjoyment of the covenant blessings be interrupted, they would also perish as a people if they disobeyed Moses' "Law of the covenant." Moses confirms this statement in Deuteronomy 8:19-20. He said, "It shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God."

11. Since God gave no other way to maintain the blessings of Abraham, Moses further declares that, "Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command you this day,..." (Deuteronomy 11:8-9).

12. And since God gave the Law to enable the Abrahamic Seed Group, before the time of Christ, to maintain the Abrahamic blessings, Moses said "...ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul...." (Deuteronomy 11:13-15).

13. The purpose of Moses' Law was the maintenance of Abraham's blessings. Therefore, Moses wrote, "...ye shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house and upon thy gates...."  (Deuteronomy 11:18-21). Consequently, they could maintain the Abrahamic blessings.

14. Finally, since God gave the Law to maintain the blessings of Abraham, they must "Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them...." (Deuteronomy 29:9); Otherwise, the flow of Abraham's blessings cease until the proper sacrifice is made.

A complete exposition of the Law is beyond the scope of this work since we confine our discussion to its purpose: God gave the Law to maintain the promises he made to Abraham. But, a question naturally arises from this discussion – namely –  If the Law maintains the promises to Abraham, how does it do it?

In Deuteronomy 6:20, Moses framed the same question: "And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgements, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?" Then, in verse 24, he answered the question. He said the testimonies, the statutes and the judgements are "...for our good always that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day." The "good" that the Law "preserved them alive" to receive, as we saw previously, was the EULOGIA of the Abrahamic Covenant. In other words, the Law was to "preserve them" so that they could continue receiving the Abrahamic blesings. The Law "preserved them alive," to receive the blessings in three basic ways. First, the regulations concerning their diet preserved their health, both as individuals and as a nation, so that sickness would not lessen their number. Second, the restrictions against mingling with the Gentile nations in the region preserved them against their being assimilated into foreign cultures and disappearing as a national entity. Third, the Ten Commandments preserved them against the wrath of God, in that it taught them what constituted sin against both man and God. Actually, a violation of any rule in any of the three categories described above constituted a sin.

Finally, God instituted the sacrificial system for use when any violation (sin) occurred in any of the above categories. The Law prescribed a specific kind of sacrifice for each violation. When they presented the specific, prescribed sacrifice to God, the violation was temporarily covered and the blessings of Abraham continued.

Disobedience to the Law resulted in the total loss of the covenant blessings, including the land (Deuteronomy 4:25-28). But a return to God and obedience to the Law restored the covenant blessings. Moses said as much in Deuteronomy 4:30- 31, "When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient to his voice (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God), he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them." In other words, a return to obedience to the Law would restore the blessings of "the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them."

The Apostle Paul Supports Moses' View of the Relationship of the Law to Abraham's Blessings

The apostle Paul supports this view. In Galatians chapter 3, he proves that God gave the Law to maintain the blessings in the Abrahamic Covenant. He does this in three ways (See Volume I): (1) He said that the Law did not set aside, disannul, or make of none effect the promises to Abraham. (2) He demonstrated the continuing force of the promises due to the New Testament era. (3) He concludes by showing us five distinct things about the relationship of the Law to the Abrahamic Covenant:

1. The Law is an act of grace.

2. As an act of his grace, God made the Law a part of the Abrahamic Covenant without changing, even slightly, the terms or the duration of the Abrahamic Covenant,

3. Added to the covenant, the Law functioned as their fortified defense, protecting the children of Israel against any possible loss of the Abrahamic blessings.

4. He shows precisely how the Law protects them against loss of the Abrahamic blessings.

5. He shows how long the Law performs this protective function.

We said previously that the promises of Abraham were an act of God's grace. Paul agrees. He said, "God gave it (the inheritance) to Abraham by promise" (Galatians 3:18). "Gave" in verse 18 is the translation of KARIS, the Greek word for “grace.”  Literally, God “graced” the inheritance to Abrahamc by promise.  But, is the Law also an act of grace? Yes. In verse 19, Paul said that the Law "...was added (to the Abrahamic Covenant) because of transgressions...." (Galatians 3:19). The word "transgressions" tells why God added it. "Transgressions" is the translation of the Greek word PARABAINO; the combination of PARA, which means "by the side of" (from which comes the English word parallel) and BAINO, which means "to go." Jointly, they mean" a going aside," hence "transgressions." Therefore, God added the Law to the promises because of the "goings aside" or the transgressions of the children of Israel.

The expression "because of" in verse 19, denotes that the addition of the Law is Abraham's promises was an act of grace. "Be cause of" is the translation of the accusative case form of the same Greek word KARIS, meaning "grace," and translated "gave" in verse 18. KARIS, in this form, occurs nine times in the Greek New Testament. It is translated "wherefore" two times, "because of" two times, "for this cause" three times, "for the sake of" once, and "to speak" once. In every occurrence, this word designates a benevolence, a benefit, a favor (grace) for the one to whom it is directed.

The following list contains all occurrences of this form of KARIS in the Greek New Testament. Each occurrence contains a benefit or a grace directed to someone in the verse. And in each occurrence, the benefit is conveyed by this form of the word KARIS. The readers may study each passage at their leisure.

In Luke 7:47, the woman directed the benefit of being loved much to Jesus because he forgave her many sins. In Ephesians 3:1, Paul aimed the benefit of his being Christ's prisoner to the Gentiles since God included them in the Church: the historic unfoldment of the Abrahamic Covenant. In Ephesians 3:14, Paul pointed his graceful act of bowing his knees to God because he made the Gentiles fellow-heirs with the Jews in the Abrahamic Promises. The younger women who deviated from Paul's instructions potentially directed a benefit to the Adversary in 1 Timothy 5:14. Paul directed the benefit of leaving Titus in Crete to ordain elders, and set things in order, to the variousn churches in Titus 1:5. In Titus 1:11, those who teach for money receive the benefit. In 1 John 3:12, Cain directs to himself the advantage gained from murdering his brother. In Jude 16, the benefit is directed to those who admire certain men, believing it to prove profitable to them. In Galatians 3:19, God directs the benefit (grace) to those who committed the "goings aside."

In other words, the transgressions of the people drew forth an act of grace on the part of a loving, caring God. Consequently, he added the Law to the promises to “preserve them alive” and enable them to maintain the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant. The inheritance was "graced" by promise in verse 18. The Law was "graced" in verse 19. In a subsequent chapter, we demonstrate that the Law is by no means a "...ministration of death" (2 Corinthians 3:6). It was an act of God's grace.

As an act of his grace, God made the Law part of the Abrahamic Covenant, combining them. But this combination, this attachment, caused no rearrangement in the terms of the promises. Rather, this addition of the Law functioned as the guardian of the promises, guaranteeing their continuance for the children of Israel. And this, in spite of their "goings aside."

However, Paul's statement in verse 19, that the Law was added to the promises, contradicts his statement in verse 15. There, he said that a confirmed covenant could not be "added to" without the express consent of all parties. But, in verse 19, he states that the Law "...was added because of the transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made,..." (Galatians 3:19). Since Abraham died centuries before God added the Law to the covenant, obviously if he gave his approval for this addition, Scripture provides no record of it. We must conclude then, that God added the Law to the covenant without the approval of Abraham. (See Volume I.)

Therefore, verse 19 contradicts everything Paul said in verse 15. How can he say in one breath that a confirmed covenant cannot be "added to" without the express consent of both parties, and in the next breath say that God "added" the Law to the covenant four hundred-thirty years later without the permission of Abraham? How then, do we resolve this contradiction?

The resolution lies in this: Paul used two different Greek words in verses 15 and 19, both of which translate by the English word "add." He uses EPIDIATASSO in verse 15, which we noted previously, means "to rearrange," but he uses PROSTITHEMI in verse 19. This word combines PROS, meaning "to," with TITHEMI, which means "to put." Joined together, PROSTITHEMI means “to put to,” i.e., “to put something to something;" hence, "add." Paul's use of two different words differentiates between what he meant in verse 15 and what he meant in verse 19. The following examples from the Greek New Testament make this difference in meaning clear.

In Luke 17:5, "...the apostles said untthe Lord, Increase our faith." "Increase" is the translation of PROSTITHEMI. They asked Jesus for more faith to be added to the faith they already possessed. They asked for more "faith" to be put with the "faith" they had. They are not asking for the faith they have to be "rearranged," (EPIDIATASSO) so that it no longer resembles its original condition.

In Luke 20:11, we read that, “…again, he sent another servant and they beat him also...." "Again" is the translation of PROSTITHEMI. He sent the first servant in verse 10. In verse 11, he adds to the list of servants whom he had sent. And in verse 12, he adds yet another servant to the list of "sent" servants, sending three in all. He adds servant to servant to servant, i.e., PROSTITHEMI. He adds the same thing to the same thing; he adds servant to servant, equaling more of the same thing, more servants. He does not "rearrange" (EPIDIATASSO) the nature or the classification of the sent group, (i.e., he does not add presidents, kings, soldiers, etc.). Adding these, the classification would be rearranged. But he confines the classification to servants: he just adds more servants.

In these two examples, the difference emerges between EPIDIATASSO and PROSTITHEMI. The first means to "rearrange" the original by imposing upon it something not present in the original. The latter means simply "to put to" the original more of its own essence or substance. PROSTITHEMI does not "rearrange" by changing the substance or classification. It adds two or more of the same things together, making the total greater but not different. EPIDIATASSO, on the other hand, rearranges the original, making it different but not necessarily more. In conclusion, EPIDIATASSO rearranges, PROSTITHEMI adds, yet causes no rearrangement.

All occurrences of PROSTITHEMI in the Greek New Testament demonstrate this difference between the two words. Note the following examples: "...he proceeded further to take Peter also...." (Acts 12:3). "Proceeded further" is the translation of PROSTITHEMI. Herod had already vexed some disciples. Now, he adds Peter to the list of vexed disciples. The classification is not rearranged from disciples to sailors (EPIDIATASSO). Peter, the disciple, is added to the other disciples previously vexed. In Acts 13:36, "David...was laid unto his fathers,..." "Was laid" is the translation of PROSTITHEMI. David was "added to" His ancestors in death. The dead, being added to the dead, caused no rearrangement, just more of the same. Hebrews 12:19 states, "...which voice they heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:..." PROSTITHEMI is translated "spoken to any more." They wanted no more words "added to" the words they had previously heard.

In Luke 17:5, faith was added to faith (PROSTITHEMI). In Luke 20:11-12, servants were added to servants (PROSTITHEMI). In Acts 12:3, disciples were added to disciples (PROSTITHEMI). In Acts 13:36, the dead was added to the dead (PROSTITHEMI). In Hebrews 12:19, words were added to words. In each case cited above, the things added were always more of the same, never rearranging the original nature or classification.

Various writers used PROSTITHEMI eighteen times in the Greek New Testament. They always used it to add two or more of the same substances, things, etc. They never used it to add different things causing a rearrangement. There are no exceptions. Below is a brief examination of the remaining occurrences of this word in the Greek New Testament. Cubit is added to cubit (Matthew 6:27). The possession of things shall be added to your possession of things (Matthew 6:33). Measure is added to their measure (Mark 4:24). Evil is added to evil (Luke 3:20). Things shall be added to their possession Of things (Luke 12:31). Spoken things are added to spoken things (Luke 19:11). Souls were added to souls (Acts 2:41). The ones being saved are added to the ones already saved (Acts 2:47). Believers were added to believers as members of the Lord's body (Acts 5:14). Much people were added to the Lord's people (Acts 11:24).

In the Greek New Testament, the use of PROSTITHEMI causes no change of substance, i.e., rearrangement in the things being added together. In the statement, "Apples plus apples equal more apples," no rearrangement occurs in the nature of the original apples. But, in the statement "Apples plus oranges equal fruit," the nature of the things being added (oranges), is different from the nature of the original (apples). A new condition (oranges) has been imposed upon the original (apples), thereby causing a rearrangement, fruit. No New Testament writer used PROSTITHEMI in this manner. EPIDIATASSO was used to add oranges to apples.

Paul's use of EPIDIATASSO, comparing a "man's" covenant and the Promise covenant, demonstrates that neither covenant could be rearranged (adding oranges to apples) without the consent of all parties. Abraham died before the Law was added and couldn't consent to a rearrangement. Therefore, Paul did not use EPIDIATASSO in Galatians 3:19 for the simple reason that Without Abraham’s consent the Law could not and did not rearrange the terms of the promises. Rather, he used PROSTITHEMI, which adds two or more of the same things together, meaning more of the same. We must conclude then, that the Law of Moses and the Abrahamic Covenant are, in some way, the same thing, since they are added together, i.e., PROSTITHEMI. In what way then are these two entities separated in time by four hundred years the same?

We determined previously that both the covenant and the Law are the same in essence; they are both an act of grace. In addition, we can now conclude that they are the same in purpose. The covenant granted blessings to Abraham and his heirs. The Law guaranteed the same blessings to the same group. God added it to preserve the heirs. enabling them to maintain the blessings of the covenant, even when they sinned (Deuteronomy 6:24). Upon sinning, the presentation of the proper sacrifice guaranteed the continuance of the covenant blessings. The Law enabled the people to maintain the blessings. As such, both are identical in purpose, i. e., both deliver the promises in the Abrahamic Covenant. The covenant delivers by grant. The Law delivers the blessings of this same grant by preservation and maintenance. Where then, does the foregoing discussion lead us?

It leads us to this: the Law of Moses was not disconnected from the Abrahamic Covenant as the Jews of Jesus’ day believed. If the addition of the Law to the covenant had set it aside in anyway, had it rearranged it only slightly, had it unauthorized it in the least, Paul would have used EPIDIATASSO in verse 19. This word, would have indeed demonstrated that the Law was disconnected and separate from the promises. But, Paul's use of PROSTITHEMI, adding as it does the same things together, refutes the Jewish error, The Great Disconnect Theory. The Law of Moses was not disconnected from the Abrahamic Covenant. They became, temporarily at least. one and the same in both essence and purpose, i.e., the covenant granted the blessings and the Law guaranteed them.

Summarizing to this point, Paul made seven decisive statements about the relationship of Moses' Law to Abraham's Covenant.

1. He said both are an act of God's grace. (How can an act of grace be a "ministration of death?)

2. His use of the Greek Perfect Tense emphasized the continuing force of the Abrahamic Covenant in the New Testament era. (See Volume I.)

3. His use of ATHETEO demonstrated that the Law did not set the covenant aside. (See Volume I.)

4. His use of EPIDIATASSO declares that the Law did not rearrange the terms of the covenant. (See Volume I.)

5. His use of AKURAO stated that the Law did not unauthorize the covenant. (See Volume I.)

6. His use of KATARGEO thundered that the Law did not reduce the covenant in rank so that it no longer works for the benefit of the heirs of the promise. (See Volume I.)

7. His use of PROSTITHEMI (adding the same together) denoted that the Law and the Promises are one and the same in essence (grace) and purpose (delivering the blessings of the covenant).

Added to the covenant, the Law functioned as a fortified defense, protecting the children of Israel against any possible loss of the blessings promised them through Abraham. Paul describes this fortified defense in Galatians 3:23. He said, "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." "We were kept" is the translation of FRUREO, the noun form of which means fort or garrison. The verb form used here, means "fortified" or "garrisoned." This is a military term used to express defense, security, or protection. Paul used this word in 2 Corinthians 11:32 describing the governor's turning of Damascus into an armed camp to prevent the loss of his fugitive. "In Damascus the governor...kept the city with a garrison...." "Kept with a garrison" is the translation of FRUREO. He used it again in Philippians 4:7, saying, "The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." "Shall keep," here, is the translation of FRUREO. He means that God's peace shall put a garrison around their hearts and minds, holding them steady, stable, and fortified. Peter used it to reassure Christians that God's power keeps, garrisons, fortifies, and protects them. He said that Christians "...are kept by the power of God...."  “Kept” is the translation of FRUREO. The above examples demonstrate that FRUREO means a fortified defense. And in Galatians 3:23, God made the Law their fortified defense and placed the heirs of promise under its protection. As such, the Law, God's act of grace, defended them against any possible loss of the Abrahamic blessings, even when they sinned. This defense was an act of pure grace, not a "ministration of death."

In addition, "shut up" in verse 23 is the translation of SUGKLEIO which means "enclosed on all four sides." Luke used this word in Luke 5:6 when Jesus instructed the disciples to let their nets down. And, when they did, "...they inclosed (SUGKLEIO) a great multitude of fishes…” The fish were shut up or enclosed on all four sides in the net. Paul's use of FRUREO and SUGKLEIO indicates two things. God made the Law a fortress, as it were, to protect, defend, and secure the heirs against any possible loss of the covenant blessings, even when they sinned. Then, by his gracious act, he completely enclosed them on all four sides within this fortress of defense and protection, not leaving them exposed and unprotected in any way. In Luke 5:6, the fish were enclosed in the fish net. In Galatians 3:23, the heirs were completely enclosed on all four sides in the protection net of the Law. Nothing, including their transgressions, could penetrate that defensive enclosure and deprive them of their promised blessings.

Since God's act of grace made the Law their fortified defense and completely enclosed them within it, how does the Law guard them against losing the blessings when they transgress? Put another way, how does the Law maintain the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant for them even when they sin? Paul answered this question in Galatians 3:24. He said, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster...." The Law maintained the blessings for them when they sinned by functioning as their schoolmaster. "Schoolmaster" is the translation of PAIS, meaning "boy" or "child," plus AGO meaning "to lead." The combination then means “child-leader.” Paul used the word in 1 Corinthians 4:15. "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers...." "Instructors" is the translation of PAISAGO, which means instructor, trainer, teacher, or schoolmaster. The Law defended them against any possible loss of their blessings by giving them certain instructions as a schoolmaster. teacher, trainer, or leader.

What composed these instructions and how could these instructions fortify them against the loss of EULOGIA? The Law (instructions) taught them what constituted sin. It taught them what God required of them on the one hand, and what he prohibited them from on the other. These commands and prohibitions were "for their good, always" (Deuteronomy 6:24).

The teachings of the Law, however, did not stop with commands and prohibitions. The instructions included provisions for a complete sacrificial system to be utilized by them when they sinned. The teachings included complete directions concerning which sacrifice they must make for each kind of sin, when to make it, where to make it, and how to make it. When they broke a command or prohibition, the presentation of the prescribed sacrifice for that specific violation caused God to defer judgement against them. With the judgement deferred, they maintained the blessings. Failure to make the prescribed sacrifices, however, interrupted the blessings then and there. This shut off lasted until their repentance showed by resuming the prescribed sacrifices.

This gracious protection by the Law against loss of the blessings was temporary. It lasted "until the seed (Jesus) should come" (Galatians 3:19). It lasted unto "...the faith which should afterwards be revealed" (Galatians 3:23). It lasted "...unto Christ..." (Galatians 3:24). "Until" in verse 19 is the translation of AKRIS, the regular Greek word for "until." "Unto" in verses 23 and 24 is the translation of EIS. This word is used to express the duration of time or to set limits to time in Matthew 6:34; 21:19; Luke 1:20; 1:50; 12:19; 13:9; Acts 13:42; Philippians 1:10; 2 Timothy 1:12; Hebrews 7:3; and 1 Peter 1:11. EIS in Galatians 3:23 and 24 should be translated "until." Paul defines the relationship of the Law to Abraham's Covenant as temporary. He emphasized, three times, that their enclosure under the fortress of the Law would last until the faith should be revealed, and the schoolmaster function of the Law would last until Christ appeared. Christ’s' death terminated the Law forever.

The preceding discussion reveals no difference between Paul's view of the relationship of the Law to the Abrahamic Covenant and Moses' view. Both inspired writers declare that God gave the Law for the heirs of promise to maintain the blessings of the covenant with Abraham. Why then does Paul call the law a “ministration of death" in 2 Corinthians 3:7? For the answer, see the next chapter.

In addition, the next chapter shows how current, conservative, Christian theology has accepted as fact this great Jewish theological blunder of disconnecting Moses' Law from the Abrahamic Blessings. Current, conservative, Christian theology has not only accepted The Great Disconnect Theory as fact, but they use this same error as the basis for their theological system, building interpretations of Scripture upon this error. In so doing, the Church moves herself further away from Abraham. This is so because the basis of her theological system is itself disconnected from Abraham. Once disconnected, the Abrahamic EULOGIA of health and wealth soon became forgotten. And we Christians even forget that we are the "Seed Group" of Abraham. When we do remember it, what difference does it make? We are part of a theological system that, because of error, has no part in Abraham's EULOGIA. Abraham is, in current Christian thought, nothing but a fuzzy, nebulous example of faith. We call this current, Christian theological system the God-Looked-Down Theory, and show in the next chapter how this theory separates the Church from Abraham.

Before leaving this chapter, may we say that "the proof is in the pudding"? The answers to the following two questions attest that most Christians do not know that Moses' Law was given to maintain the Abrahamic blessings. Did you, the reader, know the real purpose of the Law? Most do not. How many sermons or Sunday school lessons have you heard which declared that Moses' Law was given to maintain Abraham's blessings? Probably not very many. Were these sermons and lessons based on The Great Disconnect Theory?

Copyright 1996 - 2009
Date Last Updated: April 15, 2009
PO Box 59  ¦  Livingston, TX  ¦  77351
936-327-3676
http://jaysnell.org