Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Law Our Schoolmaster Galatians 3:24 - Equipped for Battle

As Paul the apostle has been explaining the relationship between the law of God and the promise of God to the church members at Galatia, we have been learning that God has a perfect design for people to have fellowship with Him. Because we have a sin problem that keeps us separated from God, we must know that we have a sin problem, and the law let's us know it. Once we realize our problem of sin, we can acknowledge it, ask God to forgive it, and He by His promise extends grace to us that was paid for in full by Jesus Christ's substitutionary work on the cross. In chapter three and verse twenty-four Paul gives us the conclusion to his reasoning where he wrote:

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

As we have learned before, whenever there is a “wherefore” or a “therefore” in the Bible, we should always look in the verses preceding them to know what the “wherefore” is “there for”. In this case Paul has asked the question, “Is the law then against the promises of God?” To which he answered an emphatic, “God forbid!” or “Perish the thought!” He showed his readers that the “scriptures concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.”
And Paul let us know that “before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.” Now he adds, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.”

Paul likens the law to a “schoolmaster” or a “teacher, tutor, instructor or guardian”. In other words, the law watched over us until such time as revelation and maturity arrived, and the reason and purpose of the law was “to bring us unto Christ.” The law governed over us until we realized that we were in need of a Savior. Those who dare read the law and the spirit of it will soon find themselves lacking and coming up short for fulfilling its every word. The law shows us our need for Jesus, and those who are exposed to the law find themselves guilty and ashamed before God when they consider its full implications.

This brings about the rest of Paul's conclusion concerning the law when he states, “that we might be justified by faith.” Now that we have experienced the effect of the law and known its tutoring us toward Jesus Christ, we may be justified (just as if I'd never sinned) by faith in Him. This is the promise of God. They who trust in Jesus Christ's finished work on the cross, which took away our sin and paid the price for it, are now just as if they had never sinned before God. The law serves its great purpose in showing us our need for Jesus, and when we believe in, trust in, rely upon and cling to Him, we receive the promise of the grace of God and are justified in His site.

Once again this verse should make anyone who thinks about it very long desire to shout, “Glory to God! Glory to God! Great works He has done!” It was God's plan all along to bring people into a relationship with Him. Sin was the problem, and sin had to be realized and recognized. The law of God exposed sin, and then when guilt and shame enter a person for failure to keep the law, by trusting in Jesus Christ's substitutionary sacrifice for sin on the cross, anyone who believes may be justified. Again, our response should be, “Glory be to God! Great works He has done!”

Next time we will see when we are not under the schoolmaster, so read ahead, and let us join together then.

Until tomorrow...there is more...

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major
bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it


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