From Law to Grace
April 23, 2017

Scripture: Galatians 3:19-25

I. God gave you His Law to reveal your sin.

A. In Galatians 3 we see that the Law had a definite beginning date and an end date in history. In Galatians 3:17 we see that the law was given to Moses 430 years after God made a promise to Abraham. And the law was given until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made (vs. 19). In Galatians 3:16 we see that the offspring Paul is referring to is Christ. The Law then was given by God for a good purpose from the time of Moses until the time of Jesus Verse 19 says that the law was added because of transgressions. The law made people aware of their transgressions. A transgression is a violation of a known law.

B. God then gave the Law through an intermediary according to vs. 19 and 20. He gave the Law through the intermediary of Moses. His purpose was that His chosen people could have their sin revealed to them. The same thing that happened to Israel in Moses’ day happens to us today. When you read God’s Law, you say “There is no question about it. I am a sinner. I am guilty.” It is actually a good thing for us to know that we are guilty sinners.

C. In vs. 21 Paul asks, “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?” Basically, he is asking if the law of God is a bad thing. But Paul says that the law and grace are on the same team. They both will lead to salvation from God. Paul writes in vs. 21, “if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.” All that you realize by trying to obey God’s law is that you are sinner. That is the bad news that you need to hear before you hear the Good News about God’s gracious promise that will actually lead you to eternal life.

II. God gave you His Law to lead you to faith.

A. This is the second good purpose of the Law that Paul writes about in Galatians 3. After he writes about how the Law cannot give us eternal life with God in vs. 21, Paul says in vs. 22, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” Paul is saying that the demands of God’s Law, because they are impossible for us to fulfill, serve to imprison everything under sin. You don’t have to be afraid though when the Law tells you that you are a guilty sinner. God has made a way for you to be righteous and that way is through faith in Jesus. Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

B. Paul uses two pictures to show us how the Law leads to grace and faith in Jesus. The first picture in vs. 23 is of the Law as a prison warden that imprisons us until a certain time. What is that time? We are imprisoned by the Law until the coming faith would be revealed. And that faith has been revealed in the person of Jesus. The second picture of the Law leading us to grace and faith in Christ is found in vs. 24 and 25. It is the picture of a guardian watching over a child. The guardian was a disciplinarian who shaped the child’s ethics. The Law of God would discipline Israel for its sin. It told God’s people what to do, and then it punished them for failing to do it. But the Law’s role in the life of Israel was temporary. Every child grows up, and when they grow up they no longer need a guardian. The law leads us to faith in Christ.

Application:
Move from law to grace. Believe that Jesus and Jesus alone can make you righteous.

Sources:
The letter to the Galatians
Commentaries on Galatians by Philip Ryken and Douglas Moo