Sons and Heirs
Galatians 3:23-29
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
V.23 “Before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law,” The law was to keep us in the will of God till the law could be fulfilled in Christ. Jesus revealed that faith in Him was the path to Heaven, and that there was no law over faith. The Jews could not see, that Jesus did not abolish the law only fulfilled it. It was the law that kept them near God, till His plan for salvation could fully be revealed.
V.24 “the law was our tutor,” The Greek word for tutor is pedagogue, it was the job of the tutor to guide the child in his studies, to keep him from physical and moral harm. So the law leads us to Christ and reminds us of our sin and the need for sacrifice. The continued sacrifice was to remind us that there was more needed to completely cleanse us from sin. The law was not an end in itself but a guide to the one who fulfills the law and became the sacrifice that would cleanse us from sin once and for all.
“that we might be justified by faith.” This statement changed the idea of justification for the Jews entirely. They came to believe that one was justified by their actions, but grace teaches us that we are justified by faith. The theme throughout the Old Testament is sin, sin. The theme throughout the New Testament is grace, grace. We find it hard to trust our salvation to another. Our human nature still feels that it needs to be justified by works. So faith becomes a hard concept to understand. I found three stories that simplifies faith, but makes it no easier to accept.
One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."
Here is a similar illustration:
During the terrible days of the Blitz, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the hole and held up his arms for his son to follow. Terrified, yet hearing his father's voice telling him to jump, the boy replied, "I can't see you!"
The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, "But I can see you. Jump!" The boy jumped, because he trusted his father. The Christian faith enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known. Donner Atwood.
The following letter was found in a baking-power can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water on a very long and seldom-used trail across Nevada's Amargosa Desert: "This pump is all right as of June 1932. I put a new sucker washer into it and it ought to last five years. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water, out of the sun and cork end up. There's enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You'll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete. P.S. Don't go drinking the water first. Prime the pump with it and you'll git all you can hold." Keith Miller and Bruce Larson, The Edge of Adventure.
V.25 “But after faith has come,” Moses led the people to the border of Canaan, but not permitted to lead them further. At this point he has replaced by Joshua, a type of Christ, who led them to God’s promise land. The law leads us to Christ, but it is Christ who will take us home.
V.26 Through faith we, Jews and gentiles alike, are no longer children in need of a tutor, but have become Sons walking in liberty. Free from law and the confines of it, and free to grace that comes from faith.
V. 27 Baptism is an outward expression of your faith. Just as circumcision was a sign to the world that the Jews were a people dedicated to God, as baptism is a sign of our faith in Jesus as our salvation. We must put on Christ, as we put on a garment. So that not only will He be our protection, but that others will see that we walk in His footsteps.
V. 28 Christianity abolishes class, making us one in Christ. Too many times people of importance are given the best seat, recognized in service, or the best parking spot. God does place people over us to rule, and we are to respect God’s placement of leadership. We are one body in Christ, all working to the common goal of spreading the gospel of Christ to the unsaved and sharing the love of God to all.
V.29 “and heirs according to the promise.” This is the promise given to Abraham in Genesis Chapter 15. Because of our faith we are Abraham’s seed, heir to the promises that God gave to him. If this is true than faith precedes the law, again stressing what was said in verses 24, 25. That the law reminds us that we are sinners, but it is faith that leads us to salvation, faith that Jesus is who the Bible says He is. That He is the Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the world. That He is our ever present help and our hope for tomorrow.