Galatians 3:19
19 Wherefore [tis] then [oun] serveth the law [nomos]? It
was added [prostithemi] because of [charin] transgressions, [parabasis]
till [achri] [hou] the seed [sperma] should
come [erchomai] to whom [hos] the promise was made; [epaggello] and it was ordained [diatasso] by [dia] angels [aggelos] in [en] the hand [cheir] of a mediator. [mesites] KJV-Interlinear
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 should come to whom the promise had been made. NASB
So, Paul asks, what is or was the purpose of the
Law?
And he answers his own question, because of sin. Because people need to see the futility of
their own efforts and look to the promise of Gods promise through faith.
Man was never intended to work, but to be the
beneficiary of blessing through Gods gifts.
And yet most people choose works and thus gain nothing.
The law which Moses wrote in the first books of the
Bible, included numerous rituals, sacrifices, feast days and various celebrations
as well as moral codes of conduct, not the least of which was the ten
commandments.
God made a promise to Abraham, long before the days
of Moses, and that promise was directed toward one particular seed, namely
Jesus Christ. In Christ was that promise
to be fulfilled.
But until that person came into history, or until
Jesus was born and then completed His work and life on the Cross, the Law was a
ritual requirement such that people would have constantly before them, the
state of perfection, which no one could possibly attain, but was the result of
sin, which consumed everyone's life, and the need for another of whom could
fulfill the law and create a path to real justification. A justification that the Law could not
provide.
Thus the Law served to enhance the understanding of
the nature of sin and of the impossibility of removing sin from ones own life. For until the Messiah came and fulfilled the
law and then made the way possible for real salvation, then the Law served as a
reminder as well as a teaching aid, so that people would not look upon their
own works, but on the work of God.
But of course people did not do that.
The promise was made and fulfilled in Christ. Faith is the basis for that promise which not
only covers ones salvation and eternal life, but also in the growth and
development of ones daily spiritual life.
The Law, on the other hand, only pointed out that
living a perfect life was impossible, and that impossibility would only end up
with eternal condemnation. So the nature
of sin was not simply doing something wrong and perhaps getting a punishment
for it, but it points to a much greater and more severe result with eternal
rejection, which we call the Lake of Fire.
A lesser result of the law for believers would be that works hinders
ones spiritual growth and thus limits or removes eternal reward.
In either case, the end result for anyone would be
loss and failure in varying degrees, Jn. 7:19.
Ordained by angels, is a principle that most folks are
not aware of with regard to the law as it was received by Moses. We are all probably familiar with movies and
God dramatically writing the ten commandments by lightning and fire and such as
the movie industry does with artistic drama.
But what really happened was that God was attended
by many tens of thousands of angels during this event. And Moses was the mediator between God and
the Israelite people, Jn. 1:17.
Ordained, ‘diatasso,’ means to command, to order,
or to set in order, to distance, to set apart.
The Law was set in contrast with Christ. Here the word for angels, ‘aggelos,’ infers a
distancing, a sternness, an alienation between heaven and man.
Angels represent heaven and Moses represents
man. Between the two there is a great
distance that cannot be overcome by man. Man cannot mediate his own agreement
with himself. He needs a mediator that represents both and is equal with both
heaven and earth. Jesus Christ fulfilled
that role, Heb. 12:18-24.
Angels laid down the text and contexts of the Law,
which declared it unchangeable and unalterable, Heb. 2:2, Acts 7:53. Thus the Law or works, cannot be modified or
compromised in order to make them or it, acceptable and a viable path to righteousness.
And yet far too many people pursue their works or
their own efforts in lieu of what they are commanded to pursue. Namely they will themselves to wisdom rather
than study themselves to wisdom. And in that
there is huge difference.
Pretending to be on the Christian path is far
different than proactively studying daily under instruction and within the
fellowship sphere. The daily study idea
seems to be demeaning and too much trouble for most.
They reject Gods command and mandate and they
prefer their own methods of righteousness, and that is why they will fail. Perhaps this is your reason for failure?
The countless numbers of angels who attended the
Lord were not mere spectators. And their
intervention in acting out the volitions of God might be ascribed to all the
physical sights and sounds which gave to the giving of the Law, its extreme horror.
‘They raised the fire and smoke; they shook and rent the rock; they framed the
sound of the trumpet; they effected the articulate voices which conveyed the
words of the Law to the ears of the people, and therein proclaimed and
published the Law; whereby it became ' the word spoken by angels',’ Deut 33:2;
Ps 68:17; Ex 19:16,19.
The mediator was Moses, who received the words,
wrote them down, and then presented them to the Israelites and to generations
thereafter, Deut. 5:5.
In contrast, faith was ordained by God and
confirmed and mediated by Christ.
The Law was intended to reveal fear and failure.
The promise by faith was to reveal security and
success.
