“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. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.” (Galatians 3:19–20, ESV)
In recent history, the progressive movement promoted a mantra that we know as “defund the Police.” Regardless of how you view politics, the reports from cities that have taken such an approach has been disastrous.
In essence the laws of a society are no use unless they are enforced. Let me give you an example. I have been in many major cities where the speed limits on major highways are posted 55 mile per hour, only to find everyone going 65-75 miles per hour. Yet have one police car on the highway and everyone slows down immediately.
In some of our cities, rioting, shoplifting, and many other crimes have spiked. The reason is simple. The authorities will give no more than a slap on the wrist for disobeying the laws that apply in these areas.
All this is evidence of what happens in a society where the law is irrelevant. Paul explained the source of such a problem to the Thessalonians writing, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7, ESV)
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul wrote that the law was powerless to justify one before God. Yet the question then is this. “Why then the law?” Paul explains the significant purpose of the law and why the law is inferior to the promise.
First, Paul explained that in general the law “was added because of transgressions.” It is because people, due to a fallen sinful nature, are oriented to live in a way ignorant of and prone to violate the standards of God. The power of lawlessness is at work in the hearts of people.
Second, he indicated that the law was a temporary necessity “until the offspring (Christ) should come to whom the promise had been made.” When the promise of God is fulfilled in the hearts of believers through the new-birth, the law as an external constraint ceases to have the same urgent necessity. The reason is that in the new covenant of grace, the believer’s nature is changed by the Spirit through a work called regeneration. Here, the old nature is not removed, but the believer receives a new divine nature, which inspires the believer to seek, understand, and do the will of God in life. Ezekiel wrote of such in explaining the new covenant (Ezekiel 36:25-27).
Third, Paul indicated that the promise was superior to the law. Paul explained that the law “was put in place through angels by an intermediary” and that “an intermediary implies more than one.” In other words, the law required two parties to fulfill their part, while God alone was responsible for the fulfillment of the promise.
When we look at this, we realize how blessed we are to have been made partakers of the covenant promise God made with Abraham. We have entered into a unilateral covenant, that is one that God alone is responsible to fulfill. While according to the law we all have failed, according to the promise God will never fail. We are eternally secure in the promise.
Renewing the Heart 