Daily Devotional Wednesday 21st October 2020

by William Moody

Galatians 3:21–29

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, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave1 nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Footnotes

[1] 3:28 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface

(ESV)

Paul is concerned about the relationship between God’s promises to Abraham about salvation and the Law. Paul has made it clear that the law is impossible to make people right with God (3 v11). He now asks if the law is contrary to or works against God’s promises (v21)?

Paul teaches that the scriptures (including the Law) imprisoned people under sin (v22). This means the law made people more guilty before God as it made clear what people were required to do and which they failed to do. The law made people more aware of their sinfulness and the purpose of this was to point them to their only hope which would be through faith in Christ.

The law was a temporary guardian to help people and point people to Jesus, but when Christ came the Law was no longer necessary (v23-26).

Through faith in Christ the believers comes into the exciting position of being a child of God (v26) and they’re baptised into Jesus (v27). The Christian is someone united to and washed through Jesus and His sacrifice.

The problem with returning to an insistence on the law is that these Jewish believers were taking a backward step and losing out on the privileges they have in Christ. In what they were doing they lost sight of the truth that in Christianity and salvation Christ is everything. Don’t you lose sight of Jesus.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.