The Letter to the Galatians

19 Galatians 3:19-22 ESV • Grace Church • Fellowship Bible Studies • June 07, 2015 19

Washington became the first state to pass a law banning texting while driving in 2007, and since then all but four states have followed suit. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 46 states plus Washington, D.C., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands have laws banning texting while driving. These laws were enacted to save lives , but many people, especially teenagers, who send over 100 text messages per day, ignore that law completely when behind the wheel of a moving vehicle. Almost everyone has a Smartphone, and texting while driving, though dumb, is now a way of life. To those addicted to the instant chatter of the wireless world, the law is irrelevant. Rules are for others, so they cross that line at will and, to the regret of many, run head-on into tons of trouble, forever changing the lives of their parents, their friends, and total strangers. While the laws remain, attention is now being

focused on education, in an effort to modify behavior and get all people to understand that the law is really good and intended to keep us from harm.

God had just one basic command in the Garden of Eden: Don’t eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. If kept, Adam and Eve would not die. However, the serpent deceived Eve by casting doubt on what God really said, and she ate the prohibited pome, if that’s what it really was. Then she handed the fruit to Adam, and he willingly partook from the tabooed tree and crossed over that divine, double white line. Paradise was wrecked, sin entered the world, and all people throughout history would suffer the consequences (harm) of Adam’s action. Before long, Cain murdered Abel, and a slew of sinful behavior ensued. In time, God added ten basic commands for the Israelites, covering how to worship God and how to interact with other people, but their compliance was no better. God added more rules for the benefit and safety of His chosen people, but they used their free will to double down on disobedience.

Legislators have continued to add laws for the benefit and safety of mankind at a staggering pace. In 1982, a government program was implemented to find the total number of laws on the books in the United States. The program failed! Nobody found the answer, but that’s not surprising. It was government-run. What is surprising is that in January of 2010, a whole new crop of laws came onto the books in the land of the free and its overseas territories and protectorates. Since you live in the home of the brave, hold onto your heart, for the new laws added that January numbered 40,627. Another 40,000 new laws took effect in January of 2014.

Yet, with all the new laws, societal behavior is not getting any better. Cain didn’t use a handgun, just his will to kill Abel, but last month in Chicago, nearly fifty people were shot over one weekend in a city with some of the strictest gun control laws in our nation. There are laws prohibiting adultery in many states, but Ashley Madison is a private company that matches up people, anonymouslyof course, who want to cheat on their spouse. The company is doing so well, it’s looking to launch an IPO. It seems that the more laws we pile onto the books, the more ways we find to break them, and the breaking of the law, according to Scripture, is sin. God help us!

Today, we continue in the Book of Galatians, where the apostle Paul maintains his defense of the genuine Gospel that the Judaizers were trying to pervert. God did give the law to the Jewish people, but at just the right time, He gave the Jews and the Gentiles something even better – grace through Jesus. In our verses for today, Paul explains why the law was given:

Galatians 3:19-22 ESV 19 Why then the ____? It was added because of transgressions, until the _______________ should come to whom the ___________ had been made, and it was put in place through _________ by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than ____, but God is one. 21 Is the ____ then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give ______, then righteousness would indeed be by the ____. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under ____, so that the ___________ by faith in Jesus Christ might be ________ to those who believe.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Galatians 3:19 NLT

Remember, from last week, that God’s promise to Abraham came centuries before the law was given to the Israelites. Paul asks, “Why, then, was the law given?” He answers, “…to show people their sins.” He answers the same question for the Romans:

Romans 3:19-21 NLT 19 Obviously, the ____ ___________ to those to whom it was ________, for its purpose is to ______ people from having excuses, and to ______ that the entire world is _________ before God. 20 For ___ _____ can ever be made right with God by ________ what the law ____________. The law simply shows us how ________ we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without ___________ the __________________ of the law, as was ____________ in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.

In Romans, Paul asks if our faith destroys, makes void, or nullifies the law? He answers:

Romans 3:31 NCV No! ________ causes us to be what the ____ truly ________.

By faith, we uphold, fulfill, or establish the law! 2

Paul then says that the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. And now that we know that child, that promised seed, Jesus:

Romans 6:14 EXB [For] ____ will not ·be your _________ [exercise ____________ / ________ over you], because you are ____ under law but under _______ grace.

To help us understand how long the law was to have power over Christians, Paul gives us an illustration using marriage as an example:

Romans 7:1-8 NLT 1 Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the ____ applies ______ while a person is _________? 2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is ________. But if he dies, the ______ of marriage no longer ________ to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing ___________ if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is ______ from that law and does _____ commit adultery when she _____________. 4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are _________ with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good _______ for God. 5 When we were _______________ by our old nature, _________ desires were at work _________ us, and the law aroused these ______ desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in ________. 6 But now we have been ____________ from the ____, for we ______ to it and are no longer ___________ to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of ___________ the letter of the _____, but in the _____ way of living in the _________. 7 Well then, am I suggesting that the _____ of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my _____. I would never have ________ that coveting is ________ if the law had not said, “You must ____ covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous __________ within me! If there were ___ law, ____ would not have that ________.

In the Book of Exodus, we are told that God gave the law to Moses. Now, in the Book of Galatians (3:19), Paul writes that God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Even Stephen, when he addressed the Sanhedrin, said the law was delivered to them by angels. Which is it?

Psalm 97:9 NKJV For You, ______, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above _____ ______.

The word gods comes from the Hebrew word 'elohiym. It can mean (1): rulers, judges, divine ones, _________, gods, or (2): god, goddess, godlike one, works or special possessions of God, the ( ______ God) or _____.

In our fourth study in the Epistle to the Galatians, we looked at the meaning of the phrase the angel of the Lord. We found there were Old Testament appearances – Christophanies – of Jesus Christ. Since Jesus is God, Paul must be referring to Jesus being present when Moses received the law. Moses became the mediator between God and His people. The word mediator means (1) one who intervenes between ____, either in order to make or restore peace and _______________, or for ratifying a covenant, or (2) an _______________ 3

But when God gave the promise, there was no mediator, because a mediator is not needed when there is only one side, and God is one. Galatians 3:20 ERV

God gave the promise to Abraham, long before the law was given. When the law was given, a provision still held for those who broke the law. Lawbreakers were to confess their sin and, after that confession, make an animal sacrifice. There would be shedding of blood.

Who made the first animal sacrifice? _________________________________________

Who provided the animal for Abraham to sacrifice in place of Isaac? ________________

Moses wrote:

Leviticus 17:11 VOICE …the ______ of the body is in the ________, and I have ____________ that you are to take blood and ________ it on the altar to ________ for your lives and ________ your sins. It is the life flowing in the ________ that atones for you and covers you.

Leviticus 17:11 NOG I have given this blood to you to make ________ with me on the altar. ________ is needed to make peace with me.

To atone for sin, a blood sacrifice had to be made, but the writer of Hebrews wrote this:

Hebrews 10:1-14 ERV 1 The ____ gave us only an __________ picture of the good things coming in the future. The law is not a perfect picture of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same _______________ every year. Those who come to worship God continue to offer those sacrifices. But the law can ________ make them _________. 2 ___ the law could make people perfect, those sacrifices would have already stopped. They would already be ________ from their sins, and they would not still feel _________. 3 But that’s not what happens. Their sacrifices make them ____________ their sins every year, 4 because it is ____ ____________ for the blood of bulls and goats to ______ ______ ______. 11 Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But _________ offered only ____ sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is ______ for ____ time. Then he sat down at the right side of God. 14 With ____ sacrifice Christ made his people ___________ forever. They are the ones who are being ______ ______.

When Christ poured out His blood for our sins, He became the one and only mediator acceptable to God:

1 Timothy 2:5-6 AKJV 5 For there is ____ God, and one ____________ between ____ and _____, the _____ Christ Jesus; 6 who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Goldsworthy paints a picture of David standing alone as the one in the place of many, and through him God works salvation for Israel. He writes, "It is a saving event in which the chosen mediator wins the victory, while the ordinary people stand by until they can share in the fruits of the saviors' victory. Preparation is thus made for the gospel events in which God's Christ (Anointed One) wins the victory over sin and death on behalf of his people." Christianity Today

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When God made the promise to Abraham, He did not need a mediator, for He would bring to pass, by Himself, all that was required to ensure the fulfillment of the promise. God, on the cross, won the victory!

Does this mean that the law works against God’s promises? Of course not. The law was never God’s way of giving new life to people. If it were, then we could be made right with God by following the law. Galatians 3:21 ERV

The law can’t really work against God’s promise because, as you’ve read from Scripture, the law can’t save you. If the law could save you, then you’d have a conflict between the law and the promise. Since the law cannot save you, there is no conflict. Paul writes about the new life God gives us in:

Romans 8:10-11 NLT 10 And Christ lives _________ you, so even though your body will ____ because of ____, the _________ gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God _________ Christ Jesus from the ______, he will give ______ to your _________ bodies by this same Spirit _________ within you.

Because of what God has done for us, we can rely on Him to work through us as we share the Gospel in our PMF. Paul put it this way:

2 Corinthians 3:5-6 VOICE 5 Don’t be mistaken; in and of ourselves we know ___ have little to ________, but any competence or ________ we have comes from God. 6 Now ____ has equipped us to be ___________ servants of the ____ covenant, not by authority of the ___________ law which only brings ________, but by the Spirit who brings ______.

Scripture is very clear on the results of Adam’s disobedience, but it’s just as clear on what happens to a sinner who turns to Christ for forgiveness:

But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:22 NLT

The Lord, based on His covenant promise that was sealed by blood, told the captive Israelites that He would free them so they could return home. When He did, He called them prisoners of ______. Most Americans are not exiled in a foreign land, though it seems like that at times. Yet all who reject Christ have built ________________ of human reasoning that keep them from ___________ God. Our job, as servants of the Lord, is to not quarrel with people about God but:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 NKJV 24 …be _________ to all, able to ________, ___________, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may ______ the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the ________ of the devil, having been taken ___________ by him to do his will.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Don’t get caught up trying to obey the law to get right or stay right with God, for that will make you a prisoner of the law. Stand firm in grace, and remind people that God’s promise comes only by faith in Christ. See you in a few weeks.

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