Christ Church Old Brooklyn
"God of Laws or God of Freedoms?" Galatians 3:23-29
Question Everything Series
“God of Laws or God of Freedoms?”
Galatians 3:23-29
Galatians 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.
Galatians 3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
Galatians 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian
Galatians 3:26 For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slavenor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
It’s pretty common these days for people to dismiss Christians as inconsistent because “they follow some of the rules in the Bible and ignore others”.
Rule-Keeping:
Encourages people to do the minimum
Fosters competition
Turns us into referees
Creates a sense of entitlement
How Law Functioned in Israel:
The Cultural Laws
The Ceremonial Laws
The Moral Laws
Believers keep the moral commands, not because “it’s the law,” but because they love God and want to be like Him.
1. Preparation for Christ
2. Presentation of Christ
3. Appropriation of Christ
Why the Law?
1. To provide a system (sacrificial) to deal with temporarily with transgressions
2. To teach people more clearly what God requires and to thereby restrain.
3. To reveal people’s sinfulness and need for a Savior
What is the purpose of the Law?
It’s like an external supervisor
Grace gives us an internal partner to make us like God - not just obey external rules
Righteousness comes from our relationship with Christ through faith
We are free in Christ