Galatians 3:15-24 Lesson 363

Galatians 3:15-24
Lesson 363

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

The Mosaic Law was our teacher and guide until Jesus (3:24).

What is a -

Covenant -
A covenant is an agreement or transaction between two parties. It is a contract, treaty, promise, pledge, or pact in which both sides commit themselves to fulfill certain conditions. The Old Testament mentions four covenants between God and man, one each with Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David. The New Testament lists two Covenants, the New and the Old. The Old Covenant (Covenant of Law) was given to Moses and required Israel to perform specific religious rituals, ceremonies, animal sacrifices, and to keep the Mosaic Law. The New Covenant (Covenant of Grace) replaced the Old the day Jesus was crucified. It promises salvation as a gift if we have faith in Jesus Christ. The rites, ceremonies, and animal sacrifices of the Old Covenant are no longer necessary. God ratifies His covenants with "an oath" (Hebrews 6:13-17). Unlike us, God never forgets or reneges on His agreements (Leviticus 26:42).

Study Tip:

It helps tie the Bible together if you review past lessons.

The Epistle of Paul The Apostle To The Galatians

The King James Bible

Galatians 3:15-24
The law and the promise

15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise.

19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Margin notes:

"Through it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto." (3:15) - "Even if it's just an agreement between men, if it's ratified, no one can void or change the covenant."

"To Abraham and his seed were the promises made." (3:16) - God made His promise (Covenant) to Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 12:7; 17:2; 17:7-8), thanks to Abraham's faith (22:18).

"Four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul." (3:17) - "Four hundred and thirty years later, God's promise to Abraham (the Abrahamic Covenant) could still not be annulled." Four hundred and thirty years passed from when God made His promise to Abraham to when Moses received the Mosaic Law (Old Covenant). Even now, twenty-five hundred years after He made it, God's pledge to forgive our sins through Jesus is still good. It can not be voided or changed in any way.

"If the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise." (3:18) - "If we can earn our inheritance by following the (Mosaic) Law then salvation doesn't come from accepting God's promise."

"It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise." (3:19) - "It (the Mosaic Law) was given to show mankind their sin and it lasted until Christ died."

"It was ordained by angels." (3:19) - Jews believed that angels delivered the Law to Moses (Acts 7:53).

"Mediator." (3:19) - Moses was the mediator between God and the Jewish people (Exodus 19:3-9).

"A mediator is not a mediator of one." (3:20) - A mediator isn't required when the agreement calls for only one party to fulfill a promise. For example, God's Covenant with Abraham was a one-party promise and didn't require a mediator. God's Covenant with Israel was a two-party agreement. Both the Israelites and God had an obligation to fulfill, and Moses acted as the mediator (Deuteronomy 5:5). Additional note: This is a controversial verse. Over the centuries, there have been close to five hundred interpretations of this passage.

"Verily." (3:21) - Means "truly."

"The scripture hath concluded all under sin." (3:22) - "Scripture tells us that all are trapped in sin."

"But before faith came, we were kept under the law." (3:23) - Before Jesus Christ offered salvation, we were under the Covenant of the Mosaic Law, waiting to be freed from sin. Since Jesus died for our sins, we are no longer under the Old Covenant.

"Schoolmaster." (3:24) - The Mosaic Law taught humanity right from wrong. The Law was created to be our disciplinarian until Christ arrived. Since the crucifixion, we are no longer under the Mosaic Law.

New Living Translation

Galatians 3:15-24
The Law and God's Promise

15 Dear brothers and sisters, here's an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.

16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn't say "to his children," as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says "to his child"-and that, of course, means Christ.

17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.

18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God's promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

19 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.

20 Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

21 Is there a conflict, then, between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it.

22 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.

God's Children through Faith

23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed.

24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's question:

1. What was the purpose of the Mosaic Law? (3:19)

Strengthen your relationship with God by studying His word each day.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. The Mosaic Law was written to show mankind the difference between right and wrong. It showed man their sinful nature and how it is impossible to live up to God's standards (Romans 3:23).  Except for Jesus Christ, no one has ever lived a life in concert with the Law. The Law was not meant to save humanity; it was meant to show us that we needed salvation (3:19; 3:24; Romans 3:20). It was Jesus' sacrifice on the cross that gave us our salvation.  The more we understand our sinful nature, the more apparent it is that we need a Savior. While the Mosaic Law concentrated on our actions (what we did and how we lived), the New Covenant promises that our faith will save us.



Application thought for the day:

Which of God's promises do you consider the most important?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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