The Law Is Not Contrary to the Promise. (Galatian 3:21-29)

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. 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. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You can almost hear the Judaizers shouting the question “Is the Law then against the promises of God?” Is God contradicting Himself? Does His right hand not know what His left hand is doing? As he replies to this question, Paul reveals his deep insight into the ways and purposes of God. He does not say that the Law contradicts the promise, but rather that it cooperates with the promise in fulfilling the purposes of God. While Law and grace seem to be contrary to one another, if you go deep enough, you will discover that they actually complement one another. Why, then, was the Law given?

I. The Law was not given to provide life, but to reveal sin (vv. 21-22).

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. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

A. The Law of Moses regulated the lives of the Jewish people.

The Law did not and could not provide spiritual life to the people. If life and righteousness could have come through the Law, then Jesus Christ would never have died on the cross.

Jesus did die; therefore, the Law could never give the sinner life and righteousness. It was “worship of the Law” that led Israel into a self-righteous religion of works, the result of which was the rejection of Christ.

B. The Law and grace cooperate in bringing the lost sinner to Jesus Christ.

Law shows the sinner his guilt, and grace shows him the forgiveness he can have in Christ. The Law is “holy, and just, and good”, but we are unholy, unjust, and bad. The Law does not make us sinners; it reveals to us that we already are sinners. The Law is a mirror that helps us see our “dirty faces”. It is grace that provides the cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ.

There is a lawful use of the Law, and there is an unlawful use. The lawful use is to reveal sin and cause men to see their need of a Saviour. The unlawful use is to try to achieve salvation by the keeping of the Law. All are under sin, then all may be saved by grace! God does not have two ways of salvation; He has but one—faith in Jesus Christ.

II. The Law was given to prepare the way for Christ (vv. 23–26).

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. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

A. The Law separated Israel from the Gentile nations.

The Law governed every aspect of their lives. During the centuries of Jewish history, the Law was preparing for the coming of Christ. The demands of the Law reminded the people that they needed a Saviour. The types and symbols in the Law were pictures of the coming Messiah. (Luke 24:27) And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

A good example of this purpose of the Law is in the account of the rich young ruler. This young man had everything anybody could desire, but he was not satisfied. He had tried to keep the commandments all his life, but still something was missing. But these commandments brought him to Christ! This is one of the purposes of the Law, to create in lost sinners a sense of guilt and need.

B. The Law has performed its purpose.

The Saviour has come and the “guardian” is no longer needed. It is tragic that the nation of Israel did not recognize their Messiah when He appeared. God finally had to destroy the temple and scatter the nation, so that today it is impossible for a devoted Jew to practice the faith of his fathers.

Today the devoted Jew has no altar, no priesthood, no sacrifice, no temple, no king. All of these have been fulfilled in Christ, so that any man—Jew or Gentile—who trusts Christ becomes a child of God. The Law cannot change the promise, and the Law is not greater than the promise. But the Law is not contrary to the promise: they work together to bring sinners to the Saviour.

III. The Law Cannot Do What the Promise Can Do (Gal. 3:27–29)

27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

A. The Law could never justify the guilty sinner.

It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that the sinner is justified—declared righteous—before God. The Law could never give a person a oneness with God; it separated man from God. There was a fence around the tabernacle and a veil between the holy place and the holy of holies.

The phrase put on Christ (Gal. 3:27) refers to a change of garments. The believer has laid aside the dirty garments of sin and, by faith, received the robes of righteousness in Christ. The believer in Christ is not just a “child of God”; they are also sons and daughters of God. The believer has an adult status before God.

B. The Law could never make us heirs of God.

God made the promise to “Abraham’s Seed”, and that Seed is Christ. If we are “in Christ” by faith, then we too are “Abraham’s seed” spiritually speaking. This means we are heirs of the spiritual blessings God promised to Abraham. This does not mean that the material and national blessings promised to Israel are set aside, but that Christians today are enriched spiritually because of God’s promise to Abraham.

Your Christian life ought to take on new wonder and meaning as you realize all that you have in Christ. And all of this is by grace—not by Law! You are an adult son in God’s family, an heir of God.