Gal. 3:21-25 - Protective Custody

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.
22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The Purpose of the Law

vs. 21 - “Law then contrary to the promises of God?” - God gave the promise; He also gave the Law. We make the mistake of believing (hoping?) that keeping the law (obeying it tenants) will make us righteous. By ‘righteous’ we tend to think ‘acceptable to God’.
Our premise: ‘keeping the Law’ equals ‘acceptable to God.” If that were true, Christ would not have had to pay our penalty for sin. If that were true, the promises of God - righteousness comes by faith in Him - would be null and void.
Paul is horrified at that conclusion, thus the exclamation, “May it never be!” This is a very strong statement...

“For if a law... was able to impart life” - We must be sinless and holy, without blemish or spot to spend eternity with Jesus. (See: Jude 1:24, 25) If any law, not just the Mosaic law, could make us sinless...

vs. 22 - “Scripture has shut up everyone under sin” - (See: Rom. 11:23) Scripture does not cause us to be guilty of sin - that is, without the Bible, we would all be free and clear, without sin. (By the way: This is one of the themes of atheists and people antithetical to Judeo/Christian faith - “If only we were not held down by religion, then...”)
C. S. Lewis noted that every person has a sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. He posits that this natural law is from God. It is in our conscience, and it is nearly universal. The downside of this natural law, since it is abstract, is it can be ignored. The conscience can be ‘seared’, or ‘dulled’ so that the understanding of what is right or wrong, good or evil, is perverted. In which case, right and wrong is a rumor rather than fact.
Scripture takes away that relativism. The Law makes it clear what sin is: active or passive disobedience to God.
Now you know! It is up to you: what do you do with this information? Do you turn to God and Jesus for forgiveness? Do you go your own way, and expect God to forgive you on your terms, not His. You must decide, not I. The decision is yours alone.

vs. 23 - “Before faith came” - Interesting phrase... So faith is not a ‘mystery’ in the New Testament sense. That is: It was not missing, or hidden, to be revealed at the proper time. God laments in the OT the failure of the Israelites to believe and obey. A common lament is: “If only...” See: Isa. 48:17,18.
The promise to Abraham was a reward for his faith. See Gal. 3:6, above. The Jews seemed to have lost sight of the need for faith. Instead, they relied on adherence to the Law. Some translations word this phrase: “Before this faith came” (CSB - see note 1), or “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us” (NLT - see note 2) This echoes Eph. 2:8 - “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift  —...” Faith is a gift, not by our works. See also Jude 3. “...appealing to you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all.” Salvation by faith is the faith that came to us!

“kept in custody”- Did the Law ‘keep us in jail‘? That is a negative way of thinking about it. This line of thinking is similar those who feel the Church has hindered us - “We could be free if it weren’t for the constrictions of religion.” The Jews, by keeping the Law, were at least kept in “contact” with God. Gentiles only had the Jews as possible witnesses of the power and grace of God.
Yes, I know some of you will think of the beauty and majesty of nature, that God is seen there. But ‘nature’ is too easily kidnapped by science and reason, devoid of any God-relationship. Our faith in Him helps us equate God’s power and grace with the beauty of nature. The Jews knew (if they paid attention to the Scripture) that God wanted the best for them. (See Jer. 29:11-13) We can also think of the Law acting as a guard, protecting us from worldly influences. Think of it as “protective custody”.

“Shut up to the faith”- In effect we were ‘imprisoned’ until faith in Christ was revealed. I am not sure this means we were captive of the Law. Remember, the Law could not save us from our sins, but it did lead us (the Jews, in particular) to God. We are slaves to sin until Christ sets us free - that is, we are prisoners of our sin nature. That salvation is by faith in a person, not by works, was not known until Jesus and the apostles revealed it. That sin nature kept us from seeing God and Jesus as the spiritual solution. C. S. Lewis said in “Screwtape Letters” that God does not coerce, He only woos us to Him. God does not force us to believe in Him. He offers gifts of hope and salvation, freedom and power. He does not make us grasp them. He does not make us work for them. They are offered freely. We only need to respond to Jesus.

vs. 24 - “Has become our tutor” - Although we cannot be saved via the Law, it serves an important purpose. The Law tells us God is reaching out to us. We tend to think of the Law as ‘salvation by works‘. That is our problem when we focus on the multitudinous little tasks. You did not earn salvation by feeding the poor, healing the sick, building houses for the homeless.
You had to trust when the Lord instructed you to offer this sacrifice that He would follow through. The sacrifices - the lambs, the bullocks, the goats or birds, grains and drinks - are all from the Lord. You had to trust the lamb’s blood on the door posts and lintel would save your first born. You had nothing to do with making the lamb. You could only obey, or not. You had to trust the manna would be there every morning. You did not create the manna. Did the blood on the altar cover your sin? Faith that God’s word was true brought that to reality for you. It easier to focus on the thing you do rather than the meaning or reason for the thing you do.

“Tutor”, is also translated “guardian”. A male child was assigned a guardian - usually a slave or house servant - to watch over, guide and protect the son. (I’m guessing: I suspect this was for fairly well-off families, not your average farmer, shepherd, or merchant.) The guardian was a glorified babysitter, whose job was to teach, train, and prepare the boy for manhood. Similarly, the Law prepares us for salvation through Jesus.

“To lead us to Christ” - The tutorage is God loves you enough to provide a way to cleanse you of sin. When you follow that account, it is not a surprise that God would provide His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for us. It follows, logically, only a perfect sacrifice can provide a perfect solution. That perfect solution is Jesus Christ our Lord.

“Justified by faith” - No longer is our spiritual foundation built on a system, the Law. No longer are our sins covered by the blood of an animal sacrifice. Our sins are swept away by a person - Jesus! He came to take away the sins of the world. (See: 1 John 2:2) Jesus said he came to fulfill the Law, not to abolish it. (See: Matt. 5:17) Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. (See: Acts 16:33, Rom. 10:9) The veil at the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the Temple, separating us from God, was torn in two at the death of Christ - signaling there is no longer any barrier. In Eccl. 5:1,2 we are warned to be careful before we come to God the Father. Compare that to Heb. 4:16 in which we can come with confidence - some versions say boldly.

vs. 25 - “We are no longer under a tutor” - We no longer need a map to find our way to God. He has come to us. We no longer need examples - an innocent life shed to cover our sin. The perfect sinless life of Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross. God’s justice was perfectly satisfied. God’s love was perfectly demonstrated. (See: Rom. 5:6-10)

*** Note 1 - “CSB” - Christian Standard Bible
Note 2 - “NLT” - New Living Testament

Gal. 3:19-20 - God needs no Mediator

19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made.
20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.

Why the Law?

Vs. 19 - “Why the Law then?” - The promise to Abraham was made by God. If the promise to Abraham could not be nullified by the Law, then why was the Law given?

“Added because of transgressions” - As you read through the Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, you see each generation of descendants of Abraham move incrementally away from the belief Abraham demonstrated.

Do I think that is the reason the Law was given? No, I do not.

Transgressions, sins, happened before and after Abraham. People did not become more overtly sinful. Circumcision was one of the few laws handed down from the Lord before the Mosaic Law. It was a sign of the covenant of God with the Jews. As far as I can tell the tablets on Mt. Sinai were the first enumeration of laws handed down from God to mankind.

“ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator” - Observed and witnessed by angels, not done by angels. This covenant was between God and the nation Israel (the twelve tribes, not just the Southern Kingdom, which came along hundreds of years after the Law was given).
The Mosaic Covenant was a two-way contract. God would bless Israel IF Israel obeyed His Laws. The covenant with Abraham was One-Way - God Promised Abraham. There were no conditions, or ‘strings attached’. No mediators were necessary.

“until the seed would come” - The Law, given to Israel in the Exodus, was never intended to be permanent. This was never revealed until Christ came. Jesus came to fulfill the Law. (Matt. 5:17-18) What does that mean? Verse 18 adds to the ‘confusion’ in this statement. Not one commandment goes away until “all is accomplished”. Does that mean Christ’s return and ultimate victory, or does that mean Christ’s death and victorious resurrection?

The answer is: the latter. Jesus said, “It is finished.” (John 19:30, Matt. 27:50, 51). Jesus reminded (taught) them, after the resurrection, His death, burial, and resurrection were foretold, and were now completed. (Luke 24:44-48). He verified His resurrection by showing up after He had been killed, He was taken up into heaven. (Luke 24:51, Mk. 16:19).

The Mosaic Law, being fulfilled (or, completed) is no longer in effect.

From Pentecost until now, and forever after, the Law cannot save you from sin. Actually, it never could, but people did not fully understand this. Only Christ can save us from the penalty of sin. Therefore, Jesus Christ is the promised seed.

vs. 20 - Now a mediator is not for one party only” - Mediators are used when negotiations breakdown between two people, or to solve a contract issue. A mediator is a go-between. The promise was made to Abraham by God. It did not require Abraham to perform certain actions. In fact, the delivery on that promise did not come until long after Abraham’s death. No mediator was needed.

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Gal. 3:15-18 - A Valid Covenant

15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it.
16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ.
17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise.
18 For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

But Wait! There’s More!

Vs. 15 - “Human relations... man’s covenant” - Paul is using the example of a last will and testament to make a point. A legal will can be changed any time during a person’s life. The will is a permanent document when the person dies. Think how many times we have heard of wills being challenged in court. The statements in a will are the desires and promises of the estate owner to the recipients. Courts are loathe to modify a last will and testament. Paul uses this for the following example.

vs. 16 - “the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.” - Here are some of the promises made to Abraham -

• A great nation
• Your name will be great
• All peoples will be blessed
• The Land that would become Israel
• Many descendants
• Everlasting
• a Son
• Kings of peoples
• a great and mighty nation
• All the nations will be blessed.

(See Gen. 12:2-3; 13:14-17; 15:1-5; 17:3-7, 15-16; 18:10-15; 22:16-18.) Some of the promises made to Abraham are plural - i.e., references to the twelve tribes. The promises included land they would live in, the domination the descendants would have over their neighbors. The quote, “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed” is the ultimate promise. It is Messianic - the Messiah would be the blessing.

It might be hard to say the world is blessed because of Judaism or the Jewish people (with the exception of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who saves us from our sin!). Don’t try to use doctors, lawyers, and film magnates as examples of blessings. These are all temporal and meaningless in the face of eternity. Where in the world would you ever hear, “We are so blessed by the Jews! We are so glad they live here!”? Probably no where, other than the nation of Israel. The Jews are hated by the world, urged on by Satan. In the same way, Christians are hated by Satan and the world also. Even in the United States of America - founded on Judie-Christian beliefs, where the basis of our Laws are those handed down by God, and our rights are given by God, not by the government - Jews face disdain and bigotry from some people.

vs. 17 - “Four hundred and thirty years later” - The Law was handed to Moses (see Exo. 20:1-17) during the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land (promised in Gen. 13:14-17). The descendants of Jacob - all twelve tribes, descendants of Abraham - were given the 10 commandments and the rest, including sacrifices, and holy days, and offerings (see Leviticus 1-27, etc.).

“Does not invalidate a covenant” - The Mosaic covenant - i.e., the Mosaic Law - does not override or cancel the promise (covenant) made to Abraham. God did not modify (write a codicil to) the Abrahamic covenant.

“Nullify the promise” - The covenant is in effect until the promise is fulfilled. God gave the MOsaic covenant the people to help them see there was more, much more to come. He wanted them to know that only some of the promises made to Abraham had been kept. God made this covenant with descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to help them see the Messiah would meet all of the blessings promised to Abraham.

vs. 18 - “If the inheritance is based on law” - A will is a legal document, a contract that is enforced only after the writer dies. Only then does the government enforce the contents and requirements. We trust our legal system to follow the terms of the covenant, that is the will. If our legal system routinely overrode the terms of the will, determining who gets what, then a “last will and testament” has been nullified and is unnecessary. The advent of Christ the Savior, his death and resurrection completed all th the promises made to Abraham. This began a New Covenant - The promise of eternal life with Him because HE paid the price for our sin. The promises to Abraham are fulfilled. The promises of the Mosiac Covenant are realized. The ‘Last Will and Testament’ is being followed by the ultimate executor, God HImself.

“No longer based on a promise” - If the government is in control, no promises can be made. Just as the promise to Abraham was given by God - Abraham did not earn it - so too the New Covenant (not the Mosaic Law) was provided to us by God through His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We have done nothing to earn or deserve this gift of Life, similar to Abraham. And surely as the promises to Abraham were fulfilled, the promise of eternal life is for those who believe in Him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. (See: Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9-10)

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Gal. 3:10-14 - Living Under the Law

10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM."
11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."
12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM."
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"--
14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Under a Curse, or Under Faith

Here Paul begins to approach this problem from another direction. He has just shown righteousness comes by faith. Now he will show that obedience to the Law is not efficacious for salvation.

Vs. 10 - “As are of the works of the Law” - This is to contrast against verse 3:9. The wording is similar: compare “those who are of faith” with “as many as are of the works of the Law”. There are those who think they can keep every aspect of the Law. If that were true, sacrifices would not be necessary. God knows that it is impossible to never break the Law.

“For it is written, ‘Cursed...’ ” - This quote is from Deut. 27:26, and repeated in Psa. 119:21 and Jer. 11:3. This is not just Jews that are condemned, for Gentiles are definitely no keepers of the Law. All creation, all mankind is under the curse of death, both physical and spiritual. See: John 3:36. It is important to note - God is not out to “get you”. He is not lying in wait, similar to the traffic police hiding behind a billboard, to trap you when you exceed the speed limit. He is not there to catch you when you commit a sin. We are sinners by birth, not by commission.

The Law was not adequate to erase or eliminate the sin. The Jews who understood it was the faith in God - that He would honor their efforts, because they believed His promise - are the people mentioned in the letter to the Hebrews. (See: Heb. 11:39, 40). Their faith had to be in God, not in the obedience to the Law.
They did not know their how faith would be fulfilled hundreds of years later in Jesus. They believed God would save them. They did not deserve salvation because they kept the rules - it was because they believed God was merciful. The Holy Spirit - evidence that you are a child of God, and therefore saved - is not given as a reward because of things you have accomplished.

Vs. 11 - “No one is justified by the Law” - The emphasis is “Faith works. The Law does not.” We do not meet God’s perfect standard of sinless perfection by doing. No act of service, no good behavior, no hint of obedience - none of these provides enough spiritual capital to pay the price for our sin nature.

“The righteous man shall live by faith.” - see in the OT prophet, Hab. 2:4.

God issues a warning to Judah. There’s an interesting conversation between Habakkuk and God (See: Hab. 1:1-11, 12-17). In the middle of the pronouncement of judgment against Judah. Habakkuk cries out to God because he sees nothing being done to judge the evil the Judah is committing. He has a ‘be careful what you wish for’ moment when God answers Judah will be judged, He has picked the nation to do the job.
Habakkuk says, “The Chaldeans! Not the Chaldeans!”
God replies that the nation of Judah has “earned” this judgment. On the other hand, the Chaldeans will not get away with plunder, even though they are God’s chosen instrument of judgment. Their judgment is coming. They are proud and haughty, positive they rule the world and can do whatever they wish, which gets in the way of serving the Lord.
This is the warning - our pride needs to be in Jesus, not in our accomplishments.

Vs. 12 - “Law is not of faith” - The righteousness of the Law is not the righteousness of faith. It is a façade. Those who cling to rules (the Law) are thinking, “Look what I have done!” That is pride.

Vs. 13 - “Redeemed us from the curse” - Relying on the Law condemns us to death, i.e., eternal separation from God. It is always important to recognize the death to be feared and avoided is the ‘second death’. We all die the first - a physical death. That in itself is fearsome, no one relishes dying - we all want to go peacefully in our sleep. God emphasizes that our life on earth, about 70 years - give or take a few - is so short compared to eternity. Our body dies but not our soul and spirit.

The next step is life forever with Him, or life forever without Him.

“Having become a curse for us” - A metaphor concerning Jesus taking the weight of all creation’s sins upon Himself. He took the curse of death. His resurrection is proof that the price was paid - IN FULL - and we can approach God boldly through His grace. See Heb. 4:16. This can be contrasted and compared to the warning to be careful as you approach God, watch your words, watch your actions, don’t be a fool - see Eccl. 5:1,2.

“For it is written...” - This quote comes from Deut. 21:22, 23. (This is a passage on capital punishment - i.e., if a criminal has been executed by hanging the body is to be buried before sunset. The dead body hanging there overnight will “defile the land”.) It is not obvious why someone who is hanged is accursed, other than the crime committed is an affront to God - that should be enough reason.

Vs. 14 - “In order that... might come to the Gentiles” - Jesus took away the curse of the Law. He took away all of the requirements of obedience to the Law. He fulfilled the Law. The Law is no longer needed, nor it is a factor in our salvation. Salvation comes by faith, and faith alone. If by faith (and it is), then Gentiles and Jews alike can freely come to God and be considered righteous!

“Receive the promise of the Spirit” - If Jesus was not raised from the dead, the Holy Spirit could not, would not be given to us. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. See: John 16:7-14. Throughout the book of Acts we see the new believers filled with the Holy Spirit, and this filling is evidence they are saved. See: Acts 8:14-17, 11:14-17, 13:52, 15:8, 19:2, 6.

“Through faith” - Paul started this paragraph with faith (vs. 5), and ends it with faith.

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