
Galatians 3:23 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. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian.
The way of faith is an incredible journey aswe become part of God's Forever Family. We are part of the heavenly family. Wow! It is sometimes difficult to take all of this in and only through getting to know God more can we respond to this faith with a life that lives for Jesus. Whereas before Christ the children of God, or Israel lived their lives according to the law of Moses. Paul wrote to the church at Galatia that before Christ the Law was guardian to protect the until the coming of the Messiah. How was the law a guardian? Without the precepts and teachings of Moses as presented by God the people would have strayed horribly and the fall would have been massive. We know that sin without check will multiply and the result would be anarchy, with men making their own fatal decisions. So the law was a stopgap until the coming Messiah, or as the scripture says a guardian of presenting our heavenly Father's way for living life. Romans 8:3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
But there came a time when there needed to be more than just following the ways of God. So sent Jesus to come and put the law in our hearts to change us from the inside out and that change now has a new Guardian, the Holy Spirit. Where the law condemns us because we cannot follow it without fail, the grace of God is found in our relationship with Jesus and that pattern for living is now developed through relationship and not through religion. Instead of being made right through works, we are not made right through faith in Jesus. Jesus is the Christ or Messiah. He is the hope of eternity with God, but not through anything we could do, which is religion, through faith in Him and Him alone.
Where the law condemns the grace of God frees!! Common sense would tell us to choose God's grace and live in that grace by faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God." So we cannot any credit for our salvation because we have nothing to offer to it. Salvation is only available through Jesus and by the way, Jesus is the only way to salvation!! Nuff said!! So the condemnation of the law means the guardian (the law) is no longer needed because a much better guardian is found in Jesus, the protector of our souls. Paul wrote in "Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
As Jesus says that old guardian of the law is done. Now His sacrifice has made the law complete. Mattehew 5:17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved.19 So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. The old guardian is done and the new guardian of our galaxy is looking out for our souls. Praise God!!
The Pilgrimage continues....
David Warren
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