"The Law - A Death Sentence Ended Through Christ" Galatians 3:22-25

22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Galatians 3:22-25

In ending last week’s study in verse 21, the question was asked? Is the law then against the promises of God? Paul's answer was, "CERTAINLY NOT" or "GOD FORBID." While some may have thought or tried to accuse him of being AGAINST the law, Paul said: For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. In other words, there is absolutely no way to be saved by a "law."

The law and the promises are not in conflict because each has a distinct function; they do NOT have the same purpose. The law shows us WE ARE GUILTY before a just and holy God. Whereas, the promise(s) by faith in Jesus Christ shows us SALVATION IS OF THE LORD.

Note: To put it another way, our main problem is we have wrongly been taught to think the purpose of the law (especially the 10 Commandments) were given for us to keep them, and thus, go to heaven. NO! They were to show us we CAN'T keep the law. By showing us that we are doomed to fail in keeping all the law(s) (See James 2:10), we see that we desperately need to turn to God to save us, as it is not in ourselves to save ourselves.
That brings us to verses 22-25.

Let's take a look at today's passage:

22 But the Scripture [in this case the law] has confined (Gk. Sunkleio) all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Confined in the Greek is an interesting word, Sunkleio – to shut up, to confine [as in a prison].

23 But before faith came (Jesus our Saviour), we were kept under guard (Gk. Phroureo) by the law, kept for the faith (Jesus our Saviour) which would afterward be revealed.

The Greek word “kept” is from “phroureo,” which means “to guard” or "to keep inward under lock and key." Simply put: We were in the custody of the law.

So the law captured us; there was no escape. There was no way to get out from under the law, there was no way to bust out. We were sentenced, we were locked up.

Every man in the world is a prisoner of God's law, waiting on spiritual death row for execution as a law-breaker until the pardon is offered by faith in Jesus Christ.

The law shut them up (as in a prison) with only ONE way to escape, namely, faith in Christ.

24 Therefore the law was our tutor (Gk. – paidagogos) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Paidagogos was a slave whose duty was to discipline boys. The paidagogos was not the teacher (that's didaskalos in the Greek and would have been the word used if this was talking about a teacher), that's a totally different word), he was the guardian of young boys. He was not the boys' teacher, he was their disciplinarian. It's a very important point. Thus, the word refers to a guardian of a child rather than to a teacher or schoolmaster.

This is one of the purposes of the law, to create in lost sinners a sense of guilt and need. The law has performed its purpose: the Savior has come and the "guardian" is no longer needed.

25 But after faith has come (Jesus our Saviour) , we are no longer under a tutor (Gk. – paidagogos).

If there is a point you must grasp out of these lessons it is this. We can't preach the message of grace until we've preached the standards of God because grace means nothing until people understand that they've broken the law, and have NO hope of keeping it (100 % guilty before God).

The day that you fell on your knees before Jesus Christ and received Him as Savior, the law had done its work. You saw your sin, you came to Christ.

In a nutshell, these verses plainly explain:
1. The purpose of the Law (convict us).
2. The ONLY way to Christ (faith).

I would like to close with this example as shared in “Our Daily Bread” written by D. C. Egner

“THE MIRROR, FLASHLIGHT AND PLUMBLINE”
Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). The law has never saved anyone, and it never will. God did not give it to redeem us from sin, but to show us our need of salvation. That's why the apostle Paul called it "our tutor."In an unforgettable sermon, evangelist Fred Brown used three im­ages to describe the purpose of the law. First, he likened it to the small mirror dentists use. With the mirror they can detect cavities, but they can't drill with it or use it to pull teeth. The mirror reveals the decayed area or other abnormality, but it can't fix the problem.Brown then drew another analogy. He said that the law is also like a flashlight. If the lights go out at night, you use it to guide you down the darkened basement stairs to the electrical box. When you point it toward the fuses, it helps you see the one that is burned out. But after you've removed the bad fuse, you don't insert the flashlight in its place. You put in a new fuse to restore the electricity.In his third image, Brown likened the law to a plumbline. Builders check their work by using a weighted string. If this plumbline reveals that the work is not true to the vertical, the plumbline cannot correct it. The builder must get out a hammer and saw.Like the mirror, flashlight, and plumbline, the law points out the problem—sin, but it doesn't provide a solution. The only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law. Only He can save.

That brings this week’s teaching to a close. During the summer we will do a lesson every other week.

I look forward to taking you further on this Journey of Faith. I pray that you are no longer a prisoner to the law.

I hope you have allowed the law to serve its purpose of showing you your guilt, and driving you to faith in Jesus Christ.

"Purpose of the Law" Freedom Series Galatians 3:19-21

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.

We have learned in the past lesson that our spiritual inheritance is not based on our performance. Our spiritual inheritance is based on God’s promise.

This week’s question:
What purpose does the Law serve, if Christianity is all by promise and faith!!!

I would have to say I went many, many years NOT understanding what the answer to that question was. Here in today's passage we have the answer to that question :-)

Let's take a look at today's passage:

19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed (Christ) should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator (Moses).

What purpose then does the law serve? In this passage that is THE BIG QUESTION!
"...It was added because of transgressions..." The Law is to make transgression known.

Why the law?
1. It was added because of transgressions. See Romans 5:20 which says, “the law was added so that the trespass might increase.” The law brings sin to light in our lives with an overwhelming sense of damnation and wrath. You see the law was not designed to lead us in another way, but to point us back to Christ as the only way.

The problem is not the law, but our sinful disobedience that the law brings to light and further exasperates in order to show us how hopeless we are apart from the interposition of divine grace. God always intended to save by grace apart from law. God gave the law in order that it would condemn all, and thus, prepare negatively for redemption on the basis of faith. The law was not given to make alive – Galatians 3:21. The law entered, then, that it might fail. It has by the great mercy of God directed us back toward salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

2. The law was added until the seed had come. The law had temporary parameters and limited duration. "...until the Seed (Christ) should come TO WHOM the PROMISE was made..."

The law was only meant to last “until the Seed” (Jesus) had come.

It was not forever to rule us, as the promise was to forever to bless us."

3. The law was not on the same par as the covenant of promise because it was handed down by angels (Acts 7:38, 53 and Hebrews 2:2) with a man (Moses) acting as a go between.

“it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator (Moses).”

John 1:17 “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

The purpose of the Law of Moses was not to justify humankind in God's eyes (2:16). Rather, the law was added after God's promise to Abraham (v. 16, 17) to clarify the issue of sin until Christ the Seed (v. 16) came.

The law was NEVER intended to stop sin in the world or to save you.

But what the law did do was show man his desperate need for God’s grace and a Savior.

It is not enough that something is free—it must also be NECESSARY.

When I see a sale in a store or an ad, it may be a real bargain, but I pass up the purchase because it serves no real usefulness and I don’t see the NEED! The fact that the gift of salvation in Christ is free is not enough to compel men to accept it. Men must first be convinced/convicted by the Holy Spirit of their need of salvation before grace is recognized as a desirable solution.

The Law was given to bring men to the point of recognizing their NEED for grace.

20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
He (God) alone can apply that plan in accordance with the terms He established – promise, faith, and grace rather than law, works, and ceremonies.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! (Gk - me genoito) For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. (See Galatians 2:21)

You can almost hear the Judaizers shouting at Paul, "Is the law then against the promise of God?"

Is the law therefore against the promises of God? Paul’s answer is absolutely not. “Absolutely not” in the Greek is me genoito – it conveys horror and shock at the very concept under consideration. The thought that God’s law and promises are contrary to one another is UNTHINKABLE to Paul. The REAL ISSUE is that the law by nature was NEVER to save.

Example: The law is like a mirror that helps us see our "dirty faces." James 1:21-25. But you do not wash your face with the mirror. The mirror (the law) doesn’t take the dirt away, it just lets you see you are dirty!

The Law’s purpose was to demonstrate that man is unable to please God by his own works. The Law showed us how imperfect we really are.
The Law leads us to the conclusion that we can never make it on our own.

We eventually see that we need Jesus more than anything.

The law was not designed by God to give eternal life and righteousness. Rather, the law showed humanity's need for the promise of life through faith in Jesus Christ (v. 9; 2:16), having confined all people under their sin (see Rom. 3:23; 6:23).

Closing thoughts:
If a law could have been given that “could impart life,” then Jesus need not have gone to the cross. If law could impart life, then righteousness would have come through law. But, no law could impart life. No law could pay the price of our sin. All the law could do was EXPOSE our sin.

When we finally see ourselves trapped in sin, it is then we can put our trust in God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ ALONE!

CONCLUSION:

1. You can never fully appreciate the blessings of God’s grace and mercy until you see yourself against the backdrop of the law.

2. When we see how much the law had enslaved us; we appreciate how fully God’s grace has delivered us.

3. When we see how completely the law had condemned us, we appreciate how freely we’ve been forgiven (through Jesus ONLY).

4. When we see how trapped we were under the law, we appreciate how free we are under God’s grace.

Praise God on June 21, 1975 – I saw my desperate state and need for a Savior – And His name is Jesus Christ.

The law is to reveal sin and cause men to see their need of a savior. Its purpose is not to try to achieve salvation by keeping the law "all under sin." Galatians 3:22.

The law imposes a curse on everyone who does not obey it perfectly, which is to say, everyone. Everyone (NO EXCEPTIONS) who has been declared righteous before God (Jew or Gentile) has come into this relationship through faith in Jesus Christ and not by observing the law.

Question: Have you believed (complete trust and abandonment) on the Lord Jesus Christ?

I also pray that if you have lived a legalistic, works kind of contact with God,
that the Lord will set you free to live a faith-filled, loving relationship with God through our living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

THIS CONCLUDES THIS WEEK’S TEACHING.

I look forward to questions, comments, and testimonies from you.

"The Changeless Promise" Galatians 3:15-18

Galatians 3:15-18
15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. 18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

Not to get ahead of ourselves, but some may ask then what is the purpose of the law??? We will get to that next week. This study is one where we try to keep questions and comments to the weekly passage, but this is an open book study and reading ahead is a good idea as it will answer many, if not all, of your questions. Also, read Romans as it is a great letter that will give many answers to our questions on the law and on grace.

Review:
Paul takes the Old Testament, which the Judaizers claim to believe and study and use to support their view of works, and he turns it around to show them that the Old Testament, in fact, teaches salvation by grace through faith. If you go back through our previous teachings in this series, you will find Paul quoted MANY Old Testament scriptures to prove his points.

Let's take a look at these 4 verses in today's study.

15 Brethren, I speak in the manner of men [in a human analogy]:Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it.

In Genesis God made a promise to Abraham. This promise, or covenant as Paul called it here for the first time, was unconditional! No ifs, ands, or buts; no strings attached. When Moses delivered the law it contained burdensome requirements, a code of behavior that makes demands and issues threats. Quite a difference between a covenant promise and the law!

I here quote John Macarthur: “ Let me show you the difference [Abraham’s Covenant and Moses’ Law]. To Abraham, God said, "I will. I will. I will." To Moses, He said, "Thou shalt. Thou shalt. Thou shalt, or else." There is quite a difference. The promise set forth a religion for God; the law set forth a religion of man. The promise talked about God's plan, God's grace, God's initiative, God's sovereignty, God's blessing, God's promise. The law talked about man's duty, man's works, man's responsibility, man's behavior, man's obedience. The promise, which stood for grace, had only to be believed; the law, which stood for works, had to be obeyed. They were two different things.

Once a will or covenant (Greek diatheke) has been ratified (with Abraham), it cannot be altered. The covenant God made with Abraham is irrevocable, it can never be annulled or added to. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 4:29

16 Now to Abraham and his Seed (singular) were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds (plural),” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed (singular),” WHO IS CHRIST.

Christians are the spiritual seed of Abraham (see v. 29).

To avoid ANY misinterpretation of the word "seed," this passage clearly brings out that this passage was NOT referring to "seeds" as of MANY, but as of ONE. So NO spiritualizing this to be many seeds. And then it goes even further to say that this Seed is CHRIST, not the Jews, in this passage. So we see the PROMISE was made to Abraham AND Christ. This scripture makes that point clear!

Note: Thank God for the extra clarification of this verse or we would likely have many misinterpretations of who is the "seed."

17 And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.

Keep in mind the LAW (through Moses) did not come until 430 years LATER and that law CANNOT annul the covenant! The covenant still stands, it was NOT made ineffective by the law. The law did not replace the covenant!!!

The law, which was put into force after 430 years, could not override or annul the standing covenant with Abraham (see Gen. 15:18).

Thus, stressing the seniority of the Abrahamic covenant over the Mosaic law. For Paul, the law

was not merely a late edition in the history of salvation; rather it was completely different from the covenant God completed with Abraham centuries before.

18 For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

In this passage we just read, Paul shows the supremacy of the way of GRACE over the way of the LAW.

Our inheritance IN CHRIST is not of the law, if that were the case it would not be of promise. But it was given to Abraham BY PROMISE.

For Paul, it was crucial that this original covenant of promise be distinguished from the law of Moses. The law demands, “Do this!” The promise grants, “Accept this!” Paul drew the two into sharpest antithesis. If law…not promise; if works…not grace.

There is really not a whole lot of commentary or understanding of the original Greek to get this message. It's so clear! We sometimes make the Bible harder to understand than it has to be. This passage is a clear example of this.

Question:
Have you believed (complete trust and abandonment) on the Lord Jesus Christ?

I also pray that if you have lived a legalistic, works kind of contact with God,
that the Lord will set you free to live a faith-filled, loving relationship with God through our living Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!!!

For some reason the 3 last blogs from this series are not showing. To view and read them go to:

Galatians 3:1-5: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/04/freedom-series-stop-your-foolishness.html

Galatians 3:6-9: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/05/who-are-sons-of-abraham.html

Galatians 3:10-14: http://biblefood.blogspot.com/2011/05/curse-of-law-freedom-series-gal-310-14.html

THIS CONCLUDES THIS WEEK’S TEACHING.

I look forward to questions, comments, and testimonies from you.