Why Then The Law?
24013 Galatians 3:19,21 The Context: Paul was writing to Christians in the Roman province of Galatia. Evidently they had become followers of Jesus Christ having heard and believed the simple message of the Messiah Jesus being God’s provision for their need of a savior. Jews who believed it was necessary to keep the Old Testament Laws were drawing the new Christians back into their old religious beliefs. Paul challenged them to think very carefully about the difference between law keeping and faith as the way into their relationship with God. Here, God (through Paul) anticipates the natural question: “If keeping laws is not the way to God, why did God give the Law?” God then answered the question. He gave the Law to reveal our sin and the fact that it is impossible to perfectly keep and thus ineffective for our salvation.
God Asks Us: 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. :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.
jne: Anyone who is encouraged by seriously thinking they can obey the Ten Commandments (and all the other laws and rules God gives in the Bible) is not really thinking about them. Our usual response to laws and rules is that we believe by keeping them we please the authorities and live in their good favor and away from their punishment. So, we tend to read the Bible and think that we please God and avoid His judgment by keeping His rules. The problem is that if we seriously read the laws we soon realize that they are impossible to keep. Yes, we may be able to keep some of them, some of the time. But to keep all, or even some of them, eludes us all. While God’s laws are a description of life as God designed it to be, and thus is life at its best, it is primarily designed to dramatically demonstrate to each of us the impossibility of having or earning God’s Life by our own strength of will or behavior. God’s Law proves to me that I cannot earn LIFE by keeping God’s Law. Jesus came to pay the penalty of my disobedience. I know that I could never earn God’s forgiveness by keeping His Ten Commandments. Do you?
God Asks Us: 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. :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.
jne: Anyone who is encouraged by seriously thinking they can obey the Ten Commandments (and all the other laws and rules God gives in the Bible) is not really thinking about them. Our usual response to laws and rules is that we believe by keeping them we please the authorities and live in their good favor and away from their punishment. So, we tend to read the Bible and think that we please God and avoid His judgment by keeping His rules. The problem is that if we seriously read the laws we soon realize that they are impossible to keep. Yes, we may be able to keep some of them, some of the time. But to keep all, or even some of them, eludes us all. While God’s laws are a description of life as God designed it to be, and thus is life at its best, it is primarily designed to dramatically demonstrate to each of us the impossibility of having or earning God’s Life by our own strength of will or behavior. God’s Law proves to me that I cannot earn LIFE by keeping God’s Law. Jesus came to pay the penalty of my disobedience. I know that I could never earn God’s forgiveness by keeping His Ten Commandments. Do you?