Why The Law?

Galatians 3:19–29 (ESV) — 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 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 no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Why The Law?

We’ve been teaching through Galatians for weeks now about how Paul stresses to the Galatians that their salvation comes by grace and faith instead of coming by their strict adherence and obedience to the law.

But we have to ask ourselves, why does the law even exist? What’s the point?

It seems like when we read our Bible that God desired the people to obey the law, even in the New Testament, but then read Paul making strong arguments against the law?

Look at the dilemma: Sometimes it looks like following the law is what God wanted and other times it looks like following the law will get you into trouble. And according to Paul earlier in Galatians, even damn you.

So, what’s the point? Are we to obey or not? Why is the law even here?

Recap:

Paul has been explaining that the good news has never changed. God hasn’t messed up or changed the way he wanted to deal with people. From the very beginning, God took a broken, and according to Rom. 4:19, dead man and made a covenant with him. The covenant was a promise (remember that word), that God would bless Abraham and that through him all the nations would one day be blessed, and that the people of Abraham’s line would be God’s people and He would be their God. They would be children of God - an intimacy with God.

God took animals and had Abraham split them into two parts, and what normally would be a “bilateral” (cooperative) covenant was ratified by God alone.

Here’s what that means. God makes promises and he alone will see them fulfilled. The promise is a gift of grace. The language from God to the helpless man Abraham is “I will”, “I will”.

But the Galatians are Moses people. That is, instead trusting God when he says, “I will, I will”, they found their comfort from Moses when God said as he gave the law “you will, you will”.

But we remember that their is a curse with the law v.10

Galatians 3:10 (ESV) — 10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Galatians 3:13 (ESV) — 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—

Exposition:

Galatians 3:19–20 (ESV) — 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Why the law? Two reasons:

(1)Because of transgressions and (2)until the offspring (seed) should come to whom the promise had been made.

Transgressions:

Romans 3:20 (ESV) — 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

No longer is there ambiguity or confusion regarding sin, it is exposed and clear. A line in the sand. The Holy and perfect God defines sin.

We aren’t as bad as we could be, but we’re as bad off as we can be.

Exposes

Romans 7:7–12 (ESV) — 7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Provokes (It’s not a power against sin, it is used by our sin to condemn us)

What do you think of if I say, “don’t think about elephants”? You think of an elephant. In the same way, the law says don’t do this or do this and our natural bent is to do those things and to recognize that we have already done them.

One commentator said it this way: “Satan would have us to prove ourselves holy by that which God gave to prove us sinners,”

The law exposes and provokes

What was meant to be a picture of God’s holiness had become a monument to personal pride. (When Moses brought the law down from Sinai he found the people worshipping a golden calf, but the Galatians, and their situation, what that they turned the law into a new golden calf - an idol to save them instead of to expose their need for a real Savior.)

Luther explained it thus:

“The Law cannot do anything except that with its light it illumines the conscience for sin, death, judgment, and the hate and wrath of God. Before Law comes, I am smug and do not worry about sin; when the Law comes it shows me sin, death and hell. Surely this is not being justified; it is being sentenced, being made an enemy of God, being condemned to death and hell. Therefore the principal purpose of the Law in theology is to make men not better but worse; that is, it shows them their sin, so that by the recognition of sin they may be humbled, frightened, and worn down and so may long for grace and for the Blessed Offspring.”

Next Question From Paul:

Galatians 3:21–22 (ESV) — 21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Is the law working against the promises of God - the grace of God? No!

There is no law that leads to right standing with God. That’s not the point of the law (This answers the question about why there is a law).

“While the law may be our guardian, it can never be our savior.” “Its job is not to save; its job is to slay.” (Bush, Daniel, and Noel Due. Live in Liberty)

Paul picks up this illustration of prison and a prison guard.

The imprisonment forces us into that narrow path. Forcing us to the only Gate of Salvation, Jesus Christ. “Promises that by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (v.22).

What are the promises of God in Christ? What is the life that was promised to Abraham in Gen. 15 & 17? (Maybe highlight this pandemic of death - where does our hope come from when all seems out of control and lost?)

John 10:10 (ESV) — 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV) — 9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—

Ephesians 3:20–21 (ESV) — 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

John 17:3 (ESV) — 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

1 John 5:10–13 (ESV) — 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

Colossians 3:2–4 (ESV) — 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Receiving, Not Achieving

Galatians 3:23–25 (ESV) — 23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

Grace (God’s gift of Christ) fulfills the death sentence and removes the prison bars and prison guard. That is only applied to us by faith. Salvation comes by receiving and not by achieving.

Galatians 3:26–29 (ESV) — 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 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 no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

In Christ, and in Christ alone, we are sons of God, through faith.

Baptized into Christ. Baptized into what? What have we put on? His death and resurrection.

All of the abundant life, from Abraham to us, comes by faith in God’s glorious gift of grace. That grace had a name: Jesus. That grace broke the curse of the law by his death as he paid for the sin of the world. That grace fulfilled the promise of life as he rose from the grave. Death does not have any final grip on us. In Christ, everything is going to be ok, but only in Christ! No fear of pandemic, no fear of death, no fear of accusation against us. In Christ, we are sons of God. And it levels any hierarchy. It crosses cultural, geographic, economic and race barriers to bring us all into the family of God.

So, why the law? It’s a sheepdog to bite at your heels until you run to Christ. It is a prison guard that won’t let you go until you say uncle and receive the grace given to you by God in Christ.

Challenge

Washing hands: Repent and Be Thankful