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Devotional For the Week 29th November 2004

Gems from Galatians: Why Then The Law?
Scripture Reference: Galatians 3: 19 – 29

The Galatians had graduated from “Law School” but they were still living like undergraduates. Now as followers of Jesus Christ, the Galatians were guilty of making the law’s demands their path to perfection. Paul reminded them that the law’s chief purpose was to point them to faith in Jesus Christ. Is the law contrary to the promise of God? The law is not contrary to the promise of God, but cooperates with the promise of God in fulfilling His purposes. And if this is so, why then the law?

Paul explained three purposes of the law:

1. The Law was given to regulate their life but not to give life (v. 19-21)

The Law of Moses was given as both a guide to show what righteous living is about and a deterrent to keep one from sinning. However the Law could not impart spiritual life (Gal 3:21 & Gal 2:21). Only Jesus Christ can. If life and righteousness could have come through the law, then He would have died on the cross in vain.

The problem with the Jews is that “their worship of the law” led them to self-righteousness, causing them to reject Jesus Christ (Rom 9:30–10:30). For example, the elements of creation, such as the sun, moon and stars should point us to the Creator, yet man chooses to worship them.

2. The Law was given to reveal sin. (v. 19a, 22)

The 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,” (Rom 7:12) but we are unholy, unjust and bad. The law does not make us sinners. It reveals to us that we already are sinners (Rom 3:20). The Law is a mirror that helps us to see our “dirty faces” (James 1:22-25), but you do not wash your face with the mirror! It is grace that provides the cleansing through the blood of Jesus Christ.

When people claim that they are saved by keeping the law, say the Ten Commandments, they are revealing their ignorance of the true purpose of the law. The Law concludes that “all men under sin” (Gal 3:22), Jews and Gentiles, are alike. Yet all may be saved by grace! God does not have two ways of salvation. He has but one – faith in Jesus Christ.

3. The Law was given to prepare the way for Christ (v. 23-26)

Paul illustrates in Galatians 3:24 that in the Roman and Greek households, well-educated slaves were employed as guardians to bring the children to and from school and to watch over them during the day. Sometimes they would tutor the children or even discipline them.

According to Paul, that was like the function of the law. It was provided to lead a man to Christ. It could not take him into Christ’s presence, but it could take him into a position where he himself might enter. It was the function of the law to bring a man to Christ by showing him that he was utterly unable to keep the law all by himself. But once a man had come to Christ, he no longer needed the law, for now he was dependent not on law but on grace.

Reflection

John Stott said: “We cannot come to Jesus Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses and acknowledge our sin, guilt and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ.” (The message of Galatians, IVP, p.102)

May our understanding of God’s law not bind us, but bring us closer to Him today.

- Rev Vincent Goh

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