The Book Of Galatians – Chapter 3:21-29 - Message 10 – The Law Was The Guide Dog – All Locked Up Under Sin – Exploring Baptism In The New Testament Series

THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 3:21-29 - MESSAGE 10 – THE LAW WAS THE GUIDE DOG – ALL LOCKED UP UNDER SIN – EXPLORING BAPTISM IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

[A]. ARE PROMISES AND LAW IN A MORTAL BATTLE?

{{Galatians 3:21 “Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be, for if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law,”

Galatians 3:22 “but the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”}}

So far in this chapter we looked at the promises of God given to Abraham and saw that these promises are all part of an everlasting covenant. They will never be abolished or superseded. The Law came into effect after the Abrahamic promises and lasted until the promised offspring came who is Jesus Christ. We saw that the Law cursed the adherents because they could not keep the Law and consequently they were cursed by the Law but Jesus became the curse, taking the curse of sin on Himself when He died on the cross.

Paul is still in the area of Law and promise and the purpose of the Law, so it is at that point we continue this explanation.

Verse 21 begins with a question that may have arisen in the minds of some when Paul was showing the superiority of the covenants of promise over the Law. Even so Paul was showing that the promises are everlasting but the Law was temporary so should there really be a conflict? Promises came first and the Law later so is the Law contrary to the promises given to Abraham?

The question is short lived because it is answered in the very next thought. The answer in the NASB is “May it never be.” The AV has “God forbid.” The ESV renders it as “Certainly not,” and the NIV and Holman use “Absolutely not”. Strong’s explains – “it negates the underlying idea of a statement ruling out its possibility.” I might say ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE!

Verse 21 says it all. The Law was incapable of imparting life to the one keeping the Law so it was a failure in that regard. It had a purpose though and some of that came out in the previous message and more is to come out later. Everlasting life could not be imparted through the impossibility of keeping the Law, in contrast to the everlasting promises of God to Abraham especially “your seed” which is Christ the Messiah.

Of course, if everlasting life could not be obtained through the Law, neither too, could the attainment of righteousness. Everlasting life and righteousness are like co-joined twins. They function together. In Romans when Paul said this – {{Romans 3:10 as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one,”}} the inference therefore is that no one can keep the Law because no one is righteous. The reverse is what Paul is saying, “If people could keep the Law then they would be righteous and have life.”

Remember something I said in an earlier message, only the Jews were given the Law. It was God’s standard of righteousness if kept. The Gentiles never had the Law and God holds them accountable for their knowledge of God from creation according to Romans 1.

In this Romans passage, Paul takes up Law and righteousness and the conclusion is that righteousness can only come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – {{Romans 3:21-23 “Now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST for all those who believe for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and (keep) fall(ing) short of the glory of God.”}} {{Isaiah 64:6 “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and ALL OUR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS ARE LIKE A FILTHY GARMENT, and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”}}

ALL ARE SHUT UP UNDER SIN – VERSE 22

When we come to verse 22, we have yet another parallel with Romans. In fact Galatians and Romans are so closely related that you should not study either of those books in isolation from the other. Verse 22 begins with the statement that “scripture has shut up all men under sin.” When Paul says “scripture”, he means exclusively the Old Testament because the New Testament was sill being written and he would never have included his writings as scripture. Beside Galatians is one of the earlier books.

Therefore where are these scriptures that say this? Although there are specific scriptures we could quote, more to the point, I think Paul is writing a concluding statement here. The whole of scripture would prove that.