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Gal 3:15-25 (ESV)
The Law and the Promise
15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, "And to offsprings," referring to many, but referring to one, "And to your offspring," who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
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. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.
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. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we all found ourselves learning new things and making all kinds of adjustments to how we lived which included becoming familiar with words and phrases such as; “restrictions,” “pivot,” “mask mandate,” “social distancing,” and of course “quarantine.”
But “quarantine” is not a completely unfamiliar word to parents. Prior to COVID-19, parents often quarantined their kids at home when they came down with a cold or the flu. Parents would keep their children away from school, cancel playdates, and stay away from other social situations where their children might interact with other children and pass along a cold or flu virus.
The self-imposed quarantine is often quite a stressor for parents and children alike (as we all learned during COVID-19). However, everyone is grateful for the day when the quarantine is over, and all are once again free to interact with others.
A quarantine is a good way to understand this passage, as Paul discusses the relationship between God's promise and Moses's Law.
In verses 15-18, the focus is on Paul’s explanation of a legal covenant. Paul explains that God set up a legal covenant before the Law of Moses was put in place. He also states that the covenant, once established, is not altered or annulled.
Verses 19-25 are probably the most important regarding the relationship of faith to the Law of Moses.
Paul explains the function of the Law as a caretaker until the promise given to Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah.
N.T. Wright has a great explanation of Paul’s thoughts in these verses. Wright notes that there is not a problem with the law, rather the problem resides with Abraham’s physical family. They, like all of us, are sinners. If the Law of Moses could have dealt with that problem, then we’d be just fine, and the covenant promise given to Abraham would have been fulfilled.
However, the law can’t do that. In N.T. Wright’s words, “[The Law] was simply a quarantine regulation, important and healthy in itself but a steady reminder that all the human race, including the family of Abraham, was sinful.”
What’s needed is the cure, the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham; that cure is Jesus.
This is really an amazing passage of freedom for us because we can stop trying to live up to a set of rules. Our faith, our relationship with Jesus, is never about rules and regulations. Yes, Jesus has the best way for us to live, however we live in obedience to Him not out of obligation, rather our obedience is a response born out of our love for Him.
This is all about a relationship and about pursuing our relationship with Jesus as we seek to be in His presence. The simple reality for Paul, and for all of us, is that we gain our identity and purpose based on our faith in Jesus Christ, not based on conformity to a set of rules and regulations.
Today, I want to encourage you to spend time with Jesus as much as possible. Simply be with Jesus and enjoy being in His presence; after all, if you’ve entrusted your life to Jesus, you are already a complete member of God’s family so why not enjoy some time with your heavenly family?
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott
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