Purpose of the Law

Gal. 3:19-29

Introduction

Law could not give the Holy Spirit (vv. 1-5); could not bring justification (vv. 6-9); could not alter the permanence of faith (vv. 15-18); but does bring a curse (vv. 10-12). What, then, was the purpose of the Law?

Illustration/Application: The Purpose of the Law
Evangelist Fred Brown used three images to describe the purpose of the law. First, he likened it to a dentist’s little mirror, which he sticks into the patient’s mouth. With the mirror he can detect any cavities. But he doesn’t drill with it or use it to pull teeth. It can show him the decayed area or other abnormality, but it can’t provide the solution
Brown then drew another analogy. He said that the law is also like a flashlight. If suddenly at night the lights go out, you use it to guide you down the darkened basement stairs to the electrical box. When you point it toward the fuses, it helps you see the one that is burned out. But after you’ve removed the bad fuse, you don’t try to insert the flashlight in its place. You put in a new fuse to restore the electricity.
In his third image, Brown likened the law to a plumbline. When a builder wants to check his work, he uses a weighted string to see if it’s true to the vertical. But if he finds that he has made a mistake, he doesn’t use the plumbline to correct it. He gets out his hammer and saw. The law points out the problem of sin; it doesn’t provide a solution.

I. The Answer (Gal. 3:19)
A. It was added because of transgressions. This means:

It was given to reveal sin and to show man that he is a guilty sinner before God (Rom. 3:19-20; 7:12-13; 1 Tim. 1:9-10).
It was given to bring men to Jesus Christ (Gal. 3:24-25).
The Law was never intended to be the way of salvation.
B. It is important to know why God gave the law so that we do not misuse or abuse it. If you know the purpose of Dettol, you will not drink it! The law will curse us if we misuse it. If we use the law to get ourselves to heaven, it will land us in hell.
C. Until the seed should come – that is until Christ should come. The Law was temporary and served until the Seed (the Messiah, Gal. 3:16) came, after which it was no longer needed.
D. Ordained by angels – The account of the giving of the Law through Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:9-25) makes no mention of angels, although it does record the prolonged sounding of a trumpet. Apparently, a mighty host of angels was present. Deut. 33:22 mentions “ten thousand of saints” as “the Lord came from Sinai” (Ps. 68:17, Acts 7:53). The Bible does not tell specifically what role the angels played.
E. It was not given personally, but through Moses a “mediator,” or go-between. “I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord…” (Deut. 5:5), affirms Moses. A mediator stands between two parties and helps them to agree; but there was no need for a mediator in Abraham’s case since God was entering into a covenant with him, not Abraham with God. “God is one” (Gal. 3:20), therefore there was no need for a go-between.
F. The Judaizers were impressed by the incidentals of the Law – glory, thunder, lightning, angels, and other externals. But Paul looked beyond incidentals to the essentials. The Law was temporary, and required a mediator. The covenant of promise was permanent, and no mediator was required. There could be but one conclusion: the covenant was greater than the Law.

Illustration/Application: Law Like a Brush Fire
A duck hunter was with a friend in the wide-open land of south eastern Georgia. Far away on the horizon he noticed a cloud of smoke. Soon he could hear crackling as the wind shifted. He realized the terrible truth; a brushfire was advancing, so fast they couldn’t outrun it.
Rifling through his pockets, he soon found what he was looking for—a book of matches. He lit a small fire around the two of them. Soon they were standing in a circle of blackened earth, waiting for the fire to come.
They didn’t have to wait long. They covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and braced themselves. The fire came near—and swept over them. But they were completely unhurt, untouched. Fire would not pass where fire already had passed.
The law is like a brushfire. I cannot escape it. But if I stand in the burned-over place, not a hair of my head will be singed. Christ’s death has disarmed it.
Adapted from Who Will Deliver Us? by Paul F. M. Zahl

II. Insufficiency of the Law (Gal. 3: 21-26)
A. Is the law then against the promises? (Gal. 3:21) No. The law does not give life at all. If it did, and could impart righteousness, then it might be said to be opposed to the promises of righteousness by faith
B. Hath concluded all under sin (Gal. 3:22). The Scripture hath concluded all under the condemnation of sin; that is, has declared all men, no matter what their rank and external character, to be sinners. All, therefore have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; and, being tried and found guilty, the Scripture hath shut them up – put them in prison, and locked them up, till the time should come in which the sentence of the law should be executed upon them. That the promise of justification, by faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe.
C. But before faith came. (Gal. 3:23). Before the system of salvation by faith in the Lord Jesus came, all sinners were under the condemning sentence of the law.
D. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster (Gal. 3:24). The Greek word for schoolmaster means servant whose office it was to take the children to school; (by implication, (figuratively) a tutor (“paedagogue”): — instructor, schoolmaster. The schoolmaster escorts the children particularly boys to and from the school until they come of age usually about 18 years old. They too watched their behavior at home. Tutors are often strict disciplinarians, causing those under their care to long for the day that they would be free from their schoolmaster’s custody. Symbolically, the law was our schoolmaster which shows us our sins and was escorting us to Christ.

IllustrationApplication: Promises From God
A promise from God is a statement we can depend on with absolute confidence. Here are 12 promises for the Christian to claim. God’s presence— “I will never leave thee” (Heb. 13:5) God’s protection—” I am thy shield” (Gen. 15:1) God’s power—” I will strengthen thee” (Isa. 41:10) God’s provision—” I will help thee” (Isa. 41:10) God’s leading—” And when He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before them” (Jn. 10:4) God’s purposes— “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil” (Jer. 20:11) God’s rest—”Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28) God’s cleansing— “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9) God’s goodness— “No good thing will He withhold from them that work uprightly” (Ps. 84:11) God’s faithfulness—” The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name’s sake” (1 Sam. 12:22) God’s guidance—” The meek will He guide” (Ps. 25:9) God’s wise plan—” All things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28)

III. New Dispensation (Gal. 3:25)
A. But, after that faith is come – after believing on Christ, we no longer need the Law.
B. For ye are all the children of God. (Gal. 3: 26). Those who put their faith in Christ become children God. This truth is very simple.
C. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ – All of you who have believed in Christ as the promised Messiah, and received baptism as a public proof that ye had received Christ as your Lord and Savior, have put on Christ.
D. The phrase put on Christ (Gal 3:27) refers to a change of garments. The believer has laid aside the dirty garments of sin (Isa 64:6) and, by faith, received the robes of righteousness in Christ (see Col 3:8-15). But to the Galatians, this idea of “changing clothes” would have an additional meaning When the Roman child came of age, he took off the childhood garments and put on the toga of the adult citizen. The believer in Christ is not just a “child of God”; he is also a “son of God” (see Gal 3:26, where children ought to be translated “adult sons”). The believer has an adult status before God – so why go back into the childhood of the Law?
E. For ye are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28). Since all believers became one with each other, human distinctions lose their significance. None is spiritually superior over another, that is, a believing Jew is not more privileged before God than a believing Gentile (Greek, in contrast to Jew, suggests all Gentiles; cf. Col 3:11); a believing slave does not rank higher than a believing free person; a believing man is not superior to a believing woman
F. If ye be ” Christ’s” by faith, then ye are “Abraham’s seed”. Spiritually speaking This means we are hers of the spiritual blessings God promised to Abraham This does not mean that the material and national blessings promised to Israel are set aside, but that Christians today are enriched spiritually because of God’s promise to Abraham.

IV. Conclusion:
The Law points out the problem of sin but it doesn’t provide a solution. We are all guilty sinner before God and the Law was intended to bring us to Jesus Christ. It is never the way to salvation and those who wants to get saved through the Law are committing a very big error and are doomed to hell.