Galatians 3.23-26
“Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
Paul is teaching us the truth about the law and how the law fits into God’s plan for his people. Paul is also opposing and correcting the false teaching of the Judaizers, as he does not want the Galatians (or us) to have a faulty understanding of the law.
Up to this point, Paul has repeatedly made the point that the law cannot save. The law is not a way of justification with God, because it cannot make a person righteous. No one is able to obey the commandments of the law completely and thereby meet its standards of righteousness. Here is a quick summary of statements Paul has made in the letter to the Galatians about the law’s inability to save:
“…we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ … by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2.16)
“…if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.” (Galatians 2.21)
“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse.” (Galatians 3.10)
‘“It is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “the righteous shall live by faith.” (Galatians 3.11)
As I wrote last week, the message is not that we shouldn’t seek to obey God’s moral standards. The Bible is exceptionally clear: we should always seek to obey the Lord. The message is that we should not seek to use obedience to the law as a way of salvation. The logical question, then, is why was the law given? If the law cannot save, what was its purpose? Galatians 3.23-26 quoted at the top provides the answer by telling us the law had two functions: It provided protective custody, and it was a tutor/schoolmaster until the Messiah came.
The Greek word for “held captive” in verse 23 is phroureo, which means “to protect by military guards.” When used for a city, it was used both of keeping the enemy out and keeping the people in. The word that Paul uses for “imprisoned” is sungkleio, and it means “to hem in or coop up.” Both of these verbs paint a picture of God’s law and commandments holding his people in custody and keeping them confined so they would not wander off into wrong belief or wrong behavior.
In verse 24 he says that law was our guardian until Christ came. The word for “guardian” is the Greek paidagogos, a word that means “tutor” or “schoolmaster”. It referred to a family servant who would become a young boy’s “guardian-trainer.” This tutor or guardian was in total control of the master’s son, and his duty was to teach the boy good manners, and if necessary, to punish him. When the boy grew to adulthood, the tutor’s work would be over.
These metaphors explain the purpose of the law: protective custody and tutor / schoolmaster.
Ever since the fall in Genesis 3, the human race was beset by sin and in need of redemption and correction. God gave the promise to Abraham, which was a foreshadowing of the Messiah who would eventually bring redemption. However, the Lord’s people — the seed / descendants of Abraham — needed standards and guidance on how to live so that they could effectively function as God’s representatives.
The promise to Abraham provided the pledge and assurance of a blessing to God’s people, but it did not provide standards for how to live. The promise did not provide specific boundaries and constraints for the beliefs and behavior of God’s kingdom community. The standards, boundaries, and constraints for the people of God were provided by the law.
Note what the Lord said to the people of Israel when he gave the law at Mt Sinai: “You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:4-6)
The people of Israel were redeemed and delivered out of Egyptian bondage by the grace and power of God. They were saved for a purpose: to be the earthly agents and representatives of God’s kingdom. As the descendants of Abraham, they were heirs of the promise, which means they were saved and called to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. To be effective representatives of God’s kingdom, it was necessary for their behavior (individually and collectively) to reflect God’s standards. The law explicitly forbade them to absorb the beliefs/behaviors of the surrounding pagan nations.
This then was the purpose of the law: It established standards that restrained, guarded, protected, and disciplined the people of Israel so that they would effectively represent God’s character and kingdom before a watching world. Salvation came by grace; standards of behavior came through the law.
Keep in mind also that grace-through-faith is not only the key to receiving salvation, it is also the key to obeying God’s commands. People who say that “exerting effort to obey God is legalism” are wrong. Dangerously wrong.
Scripture teaches that obedience to God’s standards requires effort and striving. For example, 2 Peter 1 says “make every effort.” That is exceptionally clear. The distinction is that spiritual growth and obedience is not effort guided by self-centered pride; rather, it is effort guided and empowered by grace-through-faith. It is of the Spirit, not the flesh.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone. It instructs us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live sensible, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2.11-12)
Grace saves us, instructs us, and empowers us to renounce sinful passions and live in obedience to God in the midst of a watching world.
