The Law, the Christ, the Promise With R. L. SolbergSample

Jesus says, “Everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Paul says the law “imprisoned everything under sin” (3:22 ESV). We all know that sin is fun and even intoxicating at first. It promises us the freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. No boundaries, baby! But one way or another, we all inevitably come to realize that, like the serpent in the garden, sin is whispering lies in our ears. It is, in reality, a cruel slave master that ultimately dominates our lives. Sin subdues, controls, restrains, and ultimately kills us.

Paul’s point in Galatians is that the law keeps us chained to our sin and there is no way to escape it on our own. It reveals our sin but offers no ultimate solution for sin. This is the aspect of the law Paul is thinking of when he compares it to slavery. He shakes his head and asks the Galatians, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says?” (4:21). To seek justification before God through the law is a fool’s errand. No human being has ever been able to do so. The people of Israel tried and failed so miserably that they broke the covenant that came with the law (Jer. 31:31–34). The bar was just too high.

To fail at the law is to inherit its curses: “All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse” (3:10). Therefore, God, in His mercy, sent His Son to free us in a most unexpected way: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (3:13). This is why Paul can say, “The law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith” (3:24). The law points us to Christ, who came to set us free. And as Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Paul echoes: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (5:1).

Prayer

Lord, thank You for freeing me from the chains of sin and for redeeming me from my own evil desires. I commit myself to you. Amen.