Grace in Galatians (Part 119): Stop Trying to Earn God’s Blessings

https://youtu.be/UI5j_dFjWBA

Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)

"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."

(Galatians 5:4 TPT)

"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"

(Romans 6:14 ERV)

"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."

(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)

"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."

Scripture we will study today:

(Galatians 3:29 TPT)

“And since you’ve been united to Jesus the Anointed One, you are now Abraham’s true descendants, and all of God’s promises to him belong to you as your rightful inheritance!”

(Galatians 3:29 NLT)

“And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.”

Supporting scriptures:

(Romans 4:13 NLT)

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.”

(Romans 8:17 NLT)

“And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”

(Ephesians 1:11 TPT)

“Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Before we were even born, he gave us our destiny; that we would fulfill the plan of God who always accomplishes every purpose and plan in his heart.”

(Hebrews 6:12 NLT)

“Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.”

(Genesis 22:17-18 NLT)

“I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Setting the Stage:

Paul has taken us on an INCREDIBLE journey through Galatians chapter 3, and now, with the last verse of this chapter, he’s bringing us full circle back to where he started! Let me provide the context so you can appreciate the brilliance of what Paul just did.

Way back in verses 6-9, Paul introduced us to the blessing of Abraham, teaching us that we don’t just get blessed LIKE Abraham; we get blessed WITH Abraham! We learned that when God blessed Abraham 4,000 years ago, He was simultaneously blessing US because God exists outside of time. This blessing is ours through faith, not works or the Law!

Then Paul explained how the Law came 430 years AFTER God’s promise to Abraham, showing that the Law cannot cancel what grace established. He revealed that God’s promise wasn’t made to Abraham’s “seeds” (plural) but to his singular “Seed“—and that Seed is CHRIST! This means everything God promised Abraham was ultimately about Jesus!

After that, Paul walked us through WHY God gave the Law (to get us to the end of ourselves and to reveal our need for Christ), how the Law was like a guardian/tutor preparing us for Christ, and then how faith in Jesus makes us sons of God, not slaves! We discovered that through baptism into Christ we are clothed with Christ, that grace makes everyone EQUAL (no more Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female), and that our old identity is GONE: Christ is our ONLY identity now!

Now, after this entire theological journey, Paul brings it all together in one powerful verse that connects everything he has just taught. He’s essentially saying: “Remember how I told you about being blessed WITH Abraham? Remember how I explained the promise was to the singular Seed (Christ)? Remember how I showed you’re sons of God and all equal in Christ? Well, HERE’S THE CONCLUSION…“

If you’re in Christ (the singular Seed to whom the promise was made), then YOU are Abraham’s Seed, and EVERYTHING God promised Abraham is YOURS!

This is the climactic conclusion of everything Paul has been building toward in Galatians 3. This is where grace, faith, sonship, equality, and inheritance all come together in one glorious declaration: You belong to Christ, so you ARE Abraham’s descendant, and ALL of God’s promises are YOURS!

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Being IN CHRIST Makes You Abraham’s Seed; Your Spiritual Inheritance Doesn’t Depend on Natural Bloodline!

Paul doesn’t say, “Jews are Abraham’s seed, and Gentiles can be adopted if they keep the Law.” He says, “Since you’ve been united to Jesus the Anointed One, you are NOW Abraham’s TRUE descendants!” Your connection to Abraham isn’t through your natural ancestry; it’s through CHRIST!

How this applies to you:

— Remember back in verses 6-9 when Paul said we’re blessed WITH Abraham through faith? Now he’s explaining HOW that works! Being IN CHRIST connects you to Abraham spiritually, making you his TRUE descendant with equal rights to every promise God made to him!

— Paul already showed us that God’s promise was made to Abraham’s singular “Seed” (Christ), not “seeds” (many descendants). Now he’s revealing the significance of it. If the promise was made to Christ, and you’re IN Christ, then YOU are part of Abraham’s Seed through your union with the One to whom the promise was made!

— This means you don’t need Jewish ancestry to inherit what God promised Abraham! Your ethnicity doesn’t matter, your family background doesn’t determine your access, and your natural bloodline doesn’t qualify or disqualify you! Being IN CHRIST is the ONLY requirement, and if you’re in Him, you’re Abraham’s Seed!

— To be clear, this would have been radical in Paul’s day. The Juadaizers, who were trying to get non-Jewish Christians to start living under the Jewish customs would have had their minds blown when Paul explained that every non-Jewish person who believes in Jesus receives the SAME inheritance that Abraham’s bloodline was receiving. To say that the BLESSING OF ABRAHAM has nothing to do with natural DNA anymore, and it only had to do with a spiritual connection to Jesus, would have been revolutionary back then! Sadly, most Christians don’t even understand this today. As a result, they accept THE BLESSING OF JESUS (spiritual blessing), but they don’t even think about THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM (natural blessing).

— Romans 4:13 confirms this: God’s promise to Abraham “was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.” Abraham was made righteous by FAITH, and you’re made righteous by FAITH in Christ! Same principle, same promise, same inheritance!

— This is why Paul kept emphasizing throughout chapter 3 that we’re “in Christ,” “baptized into Christ,” “clothed with Christ,” and “one in Christ”! Your position IN CHRIST gives you access to EVERYTHING! When you’re in Christ, you’re connected to Abraham through the singular Seed, making you his TRUE descendant!

— Today, stop thinking your background determines your blessing! NO! If you are IN CHRIST, you have access to all the blessings connected to Jesus and all the blessings connected to Abraham! Please open up your heart to receive BOTH!

2. ALL of God’s Promises to Abraham Are YOURS!

Notice what Paul says: “ALL of God’s promises to him belong to you” and “ALL of God’s blessings are yours.” Not some promises, not a few blessings, but ALL! EVERYTHING promised to Abraham is yours!

How this applies to you:

— Remember when we studied how the blessing of Abraham is already yours? Now Paul is taking it further! Paul is explaining that “the blessing” comes with “all the promises!” Every covenant promise God made to Abraham belongs to you through Christ!

— Paul already established that the Law came 430 years later and cannot cancel the promise. Now he’s showing you that since the promise stands, and you’re in Christ (the Seed to whom it was made), ALL those promises flow directly to YOU!

— Genesis 22:17-18 lists some of what God promised Abraham: multiplication, conquest over enemies, and being a blessing to ALL nations! These aren’t just historical facts; they’re YOUR inheritance as Abraham’s Seed! Every promise made 4,000 years ago is legally YOURS today!

— Deuteronomy 28 lists even more of Abraham’s blessings that are NOW YOURS through Christ: blessed in the city and in the field, blessed coming in and going out, blessed in your work and your home, the Lord commanding His blessing upon you storehouses (your bank accounts), making you the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath, opening heaven’s storehouse of bounty over your life, granting you abundant prosperity, and freedom from sickness and disease! These aren’t conditional blessings you earn through Law-keeping; they’re covenant blessings you inherit through being Abraham’s Seed in Christ! Everything listed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 as blessings for obedience under the Law are NOW yours through faith in Christ, because Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly, and you’re IN Him!

— Ephesians 1:11 confirms this: “Through our union with Christ we too have been claimed by God as his own inheritance.” You’re not working toward becoming an heir; you ALREADY ARE God’s inheritance, and He is YOURS! The promises are secured!

— This eliminates the “maybe someday” mentality! Paul isn’t saying you MIGHT receive some promises IF you’re good enough. He’s declaring you ALREADY HAVE LEGAL RIGHTS to ALL of them! The promises aren’t future possibilities; they’re present realities waiting for your faith to access them!

— Today, declare boldly: “I am Abraham’s Seed through Christ, and ALL of God’s promises to Abraham are MINE! Every blessing, every promise, and the fullness of the inheritance belongs to ME because I’m in Christ!“

3. You’re an HEIR by Right, Not by Earning!

Paul doesn’t just say you have access; he says you’re an HEIR! This connects back to his earlier teaching about sonship versus slavery. Slaves earn wages; heirs receive an inheritance! You’re not earning God’s blessings; you’re INHERITING them because you’re a legal heir through Christ!

How this applies to you:

— Remember when Paul taught that we’re sons, not slaves? Now he’s explaining what sonship means practically: You’re an HEIR! Heirs don’t work for the inheritance; heirs RECEIVE the inheritance based on their legal standing in the family!

— Paul already showed that the Law made everyone slaves, but faith in Christ made us sons. Now he’s revealing what comes with sonship: HEIRSHIP! Being a son means you inherit, and being Abraham’s Seed means you inherit EVERYTHING God promised him!

— Romans 8:17 declares: “Since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory.” Joint-heirs means you inherit EQUALLY with Christ! What belongs to Him belongs to YOU because you share the same Father and the same inheritance!

— This means the promises aren’t rewards for good behavior; they’re your INHERITANCE! You can’t lose your inheritance through poor performance because you didn’t earn it through good performance! It’s yours by BIRTHRIGHT, not by merit!

— Hebrews 6:12 encourages us to “follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” You inherit through FAITH, not works! Faith accesses what grace provided; works try to earn what grace freely gave!

— Today, stop trying to EARN what’s already yours and start INHERITING it by faith!

4. Your Inheritance Is Secure Because It’s Based on God’s Faithfulness, Not Yours!

Here’s the ultimate security: your inheritance as Abraham’s Seed isn’t based on YOUR faithfulness; it’s based on GOD’S faithfulness to His promise! This connects everything Paul taught about grace, Law, promise, and covenant. Your inheritance is SECURE because God keeps His Word!

How this applies to you:

— God’s promises are unchangeable! Your inheritance is as secure as God’s faithfulness!

— God promised Abraham these blessings 4,000 years ago, and He’s been faithful to that promise through every generation! Abraham believed God, and you believe in Christ, receiving the SAME promise!

— This means your bad days don’t cancel your inheritance! When you mess up, when you fail, your inheritance remains SECURE because it’s not based on your ability; it’s based on God’s unchanging promise and Christ’s finished work!

— Paul already taught that grace makes everyone equal, and your old identity is gone. Your inheritance isn’t tied to your old performance or your current struggles; it’s tied to your NEW identity in Christ, which is permanent!

— Romans 4:13 emphasizes: the promise came through FAITH, not Law! Your faith connects you to God’s faithfulness, which is PERFECT! You’re not maintaining your inheritance; God is maintaining it through His perfect faithfulness!

— Today, REST in God’s faithfulness! God promised Abraham, He keeps His word, and you’re Abraham’s Seed with ALL the promises! Enter into this day determined to walk and live by faith; knowing that your faith will access God’s grace for His promises to be manifested in your life! You get to walk in THE BLESSING OF JESUS and THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM!

That's enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that I am Abraham’s TRUE Seed through my union with Christ!

I declare that ALL of God’s promises to Abraham are MINE because I’m in Christ!

My inheritance is not based on my bloodline but on my spiritual connection to the Singular Seed!

I am an HEIR, not an employee, and I receive my inheritance by RIGHT, not by earning!

Every blessing God promised Abraham is legally MINE through Christ!

I don’t need Jewish ancestry to access the promises; being IN CHRIST makes me Abraham’s descendant!

My inheritance is SECURE because it’s based on God’s faithfulness, not mine!

I stop trying to earn what’s already mine and START accessing my inheritance by faith!

I am a joint-heir with Christ, and everything promised to Abraham flows to ME!

I’m living the Grace Life where I inherit by faith, not earn by works, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!