The Galatians are at risk of being trapped again by the Law. Paul is desperately, in this letter, trying to point them to freedom.
This raises a question: If the Law is something that traps us, why did God give us the Law? Why were God’s people expected to follow it for hundreds of years? Did God want to trap us?
Paul speaks of people being imprisoned and guarded by the Law. He says that the Law was our disciplinarian, our custodian, or some translations even say our schoolmaster. This is interesting because the word in vv. 24-25 that is translated these different ways probably can best be rendered ‘tutor’ and tutors –unlike guards or disciplinarians- were not considered bad people in Galatia. They were good guys: servants protecting, teaching and helping children.
I look at the historical role of the Law like a storm cellar. It is a place to hide in a storm. When Sin entered the world like a tornado bringing death and destruction to everything in its path, the Law was given to us for protection (3:19, cf. Ro 5:20).
People were dying in this storm so God built this storm cellar of the Law for our protection. He gives it to Moses and says, “In there, take everyone. Quick. Hurry!”
Moses does and people remain in this safe, albeit somewhat cramped and confining, shelter for a long time and then something happens… Jesus, through His death and resurrection, defeats Sin. He calms the storm. It is finished.
The storm is over; Jesus freed us from the cellar of the Law. It kept us safe during the storm but it is of no use now that Sin and Death have been defeated. Jesus rose from the dead offering us new life so let’s leave the storm cellar now and experience the freedom of life with Christ.
With that in mind, I have another question: are there times when, like the Galatians, we are tempted to return to the confines of the Law or a contemporary equivalent? Are their ways in which, even though life is carrying on outside the storm cellar, we refuse to walk in the freedom of Christ? What are some of the rules, special days, and traditions which we have that can – like the Law or a storm cellar - cut us off from our freedom in Christ (4:10)?
This raises a question: If the Law is something that traps us, why did God give us the Law? Why were God’s people expected to follow it for hundreds of years? Did God want to trap us?
Paul speaks of people being imprisoned and guarded by the Law. He says that the Law was our disciplinarian, our custodian, or some translations even say our schoolmaster. This is interesting because the word in vv. 24-25 that is translated these different ways probably can best be rendered ‘tutor’ and tutors –unlike guards or disciplinarians- were not considered bad people in Galatia. They were good guys: servants protecting, teaching and helping children.
I look at the historical role of the Law like a storm cellar. It is a place to hide in a storm. When Sin entered the world like a tornado bringing death and destruction to everything in its path, the Law was given to us for protection (3:19, cf. Ro 5:20).
People were dying in this storm so God built this storm cellar of the Law for our protection. He gives it to Moses and says, “In there, take everyone. Quick. Hurry!”
Moses does and people remain in this safe, albeit somewhat cramped and confining, shelter for a long time and then something happens… Jesus, through His death and resurrection, defeats Sin. He calms the storm. It is finished.
The storm is over; Jesus freed us from the cellar of the Law. It kept us safe during the storm but it is of no use now that Sin and Death have been defeated. Jesus rose from the dead offering us new life so let’s leave the storm cellar now and experience the freedom of life with Christ.
With that in mind, I have another question: are there times when, like the Galatians, we are tempted to return to the confines of the Law or a contemporary equivalent? Are their ways in which, even though life is carrying on outside the storm cellar, we refuse to walk in the freedom of Christ? What are some of the rules, special days, and traditions which we have that can – like the Law or a storm cellar - cut us off from our freedom in Christ (4:10)?
More daily blogs at
More articles, sermons, and papers at
Comments
Post a Comment