3:19 <\/b>Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.\u00a0 <\/i><\/b>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version<\/i>. (2001). (Ga 3:19). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.<\/p>\n

Do you recall sitting in High School Algebra and asking the teacher, “Why am I required to learn this stuff?” That is a great question to ask.\u00a0 Seeking to understand why something is needed affirms the need to endure it.<\/p>\n

Paul has eloquantly established that salvation comes by faith in Christ, and that the Law does not abolish God’s promise made to Abraham centuries before the Mosaic law was instituted.\u00a0 It has been clearly affirmed that every one, both Jew and Gentile, have come to God through faith in Jesus Christ. In 3:19, Paul sensed the need to address the big, dangling question: “Why then the Law?”<\/p>\n

In his response, Paul outlines four factors in 3:19: (1) because of sin, (2) until the offspring should come, (3) through angels, and (4) by an intermediary.<\/p>\n

Romans 5:20 says, “The Law was added so that sin might increase”.\u00a0 “In Romans the word for \u201cadded\u201d (pareis\u0113lthen<\/i>) means literally \u201ccame in by a side road.\u201d The main road is the covenant of promise\u2014inviolate, irrevocable. The law has the character of something additional, a side road intended to carry extra traffic and excess baggage and, if we may anticipate Paul\u2019s argument, designed not to lead to a separate destination but to point its travelers back to the main road.” George, T. (1994). Galatians<\/i>. The New American Commentary (Vol. 30, p. 253). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.<\/p>\n

Martin Luther viewed the Law as a provocative function. In his assessment, the Law created civil order, while making a terrible situation even more desperate.\u00a0 In doing so, the Law truly exposed the depraved mind of man, and set on course the need for a Savior.<\/p>\n

During the forty days that Moses spent on Mt. Sinai, Exodus describes that the mountain was on fire.\u00a0 Acts 7:38, 53 and Hebrews 2:2 seems to suggest that the fiery angels of God were present on the mountain.\u00a0 This imagery is called upon by Paul in Galatians 3:19.<\/p>\n

In this process of delivering and implementing the Law, it was Moses who God used as the intermediary.\u00a0 It was Moses who walked down the mountain and communicated and enforced the Law to God’s people.\u00a0 Some may assume that Mediator in 3:19 is referring to Christ, since Paul uses that description of Christ in 1 Timothy 2:15.\u00a0 However, Hebrews 8:6 and Hebrews 12:24 affirm Moses in this context of an intermediary.<\/p>\n

Understanding that Moses is the instrument God uses to create this side road of managing sin, it is clear that Moses does not possess the power to justify.\u00a0 The purpose of the Law is to redirect our path toward the one way, that is Christ.<\/p>\n

Why then the Law? Better understanding our sinful condition will help a person realize their need for a Savior.\u00a0 Salvation cannot and does not come through good deeds, but only can come through that atoning and perfect sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

3:19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.\u00a0 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2001). (Ga 3:19). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society. Do you recall sitting in High School Algebra […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions\/234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/rlsmith.me\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}