The Schoolmaster
Many Christians do not understand the role of the law. They read texts like Galatians 2:16 that says:
16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:16
And then just a few verses later the apostle Paul says:
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Galatians 2:19
If we are not justified by the works of the law and if we are dead to the law then what is the role of the law in the Christian’s life? Today I’d like to answer these questions with God’s word. But in order to understand the Bible we need to know how to study the Bible. The bible tells us in 2 Timothy 2:15:
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
The apostle Paul tells us that we need to rightly divide the word of truth which implies that we can wrongly divide the word of truth. In fact the apostle Peter said that people were wrongly using Paul’s writings even in his day. Turn with me to 2 Peter 3:14-16:
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 2 Peter 3:14-16
Peter explained that there are some things in Paul’s writings that are hard to understand. He also said that there were people that were wresting Paul’s writings as well as the other scriptures. To wrest something means to pull it away by force. This tells us that there were people that were pulling the words of Paul away from their actual meaning. They were forcing Paul’s words to say something other than their intended meaning.
Have you ever been guilty of that? Ellen White writes:
Satan is well acquainted with the Scriptures. He can lead minds to misunderstand what is written, to misquote, and to misinterpret what God has written. {Ms8-1914.39}
We need to be careful how we study scripture and even more careful how we use scripture. With this in mind let’s go to Galatians 3:21. Here the apostle Paul says:
21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. Galatians 3:21
In Galatians 3:21 the apostle Paul talks about the role of the law and he tells us that the law is not against the promises of God.
In other words doing what the law says does not take away the promises of God. So if keeping the law does not do away with the promises of God does the law change when we choose to believe in Jesus? Let’s continue reading in Galatians 3:22,23. Paul reminds us:
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Galatians 3:22,23
In this passage when Paul says that scripture hath concluded all under sin he means that the judgment of scripture is that all have sinned. When we compare our lives with our actions and even our thoughts we can see that there are times we have chosen to think things and do things that break God’s law.This is why Paul tells us in Romans 3:23:
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
It is through the scripture that we learn how our behavior our actions, and our thoughts have deviated from the will of God. This is why Paul says:
I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. Romans 7:7
It is the law that teaches us where we fall short of the glory of God. It is the law that teaches us where we fall short of the character of God. This brings us to Paul’s next statement in Galatians 3:24:
24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Galatians 3:24
In Paul’s day many children were taught through tutor’s or schoolmasters that would personally come and get the children when it was time to go to school and bring them to the place where they would be taught. The schoolmaster would take young children by the hand and lead them to school. As you can imagine young children often don’t want to go to school. I know that is often the case with young boys. When I was younger I often didn't want to go to school. And even when I was at school I didn't want to do the assignments I was given to do. When people asked me what my favorite class was I would answer “recess.” I just didn’t want to be in class.
Many young people don't want to go to school. This may be one of the reasons that he we have laws that require parents and guardians to make sure that children attend school until the age of 16, or until they are legally able to work. At that age or at the age of 18 many people stop going to school when the law no longer requires them to go. I remember being in college and realizing that no one was going to make me go to class. I’ll be honest my very first semester of college didn’t go so well. In fact I don’t think my teachers really knew who I was that first semester because I missed so many classes. But at some point I realized that my absence from class was really only hurting myself. I was in college to learn, get a degree and get the education I needed to have a career. Over time the way I viewed school changed. The same is true of God’s law.
When Paul tells us that the law is the schoolmaster to bring us to Christ he is saying that the law brings us to Christ because it shows us that we need Him. It shows us that we need Him by pointing out where we fall short of the glory or character of God. When we read in the law that we shouldn’t lie and we lie, not just once but over and over again we realize that we have a problem. When we read in the law that we shouldn’t murder and we continue to hate different people in our lives for different reasons we realize we have a problem. The law teaches us what our problems are and it creates a sense of our need of Christ. When Paul realized that he felt short of the glory of God and that though the law he was a sinner he cried out:
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Romans 7:24
And he was driven to the only solution saying:
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 3:35a
It was through this process that Paul realized that the law is a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. He saw the purpose of the law but he also saw the limitations of the law. This is why he wrote in in Galatians 3:25,26:
25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:25,26
The law points out that we are sinners, creates a sense of need and then points us to Christ the solution. But it is only in Christ that we gain the power to live according to the law of God. It is only through faith in Christ that we can become children of God. Children are children because they come from their parents. They have similar features and attributes. We can only become the children of God and have His character when we have faith in Jesus. When we have faith in Jesus we believe that we are being:
…changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18b
The law leads us to Jesus by showing us that we are sinners. But through faith in Jesus we are able to access the grace of God. The grace of a God gives us the ability to become saints. And when we truly have faith we will produce the righteous works of the law.
This is why Paul says:
I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13
He had faith, that through Christ, he could keep the law.
This is why he wrote:
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law. Romans 3:31
Through faith in Jesus we establish the law of God. Through faith in Jesus we can truly become sons and daughters of God.
When we believe in Jesus the law becomes more and more of a sign that we are walking according to the will of God. There may be times when the law still reminds us of our shortcomings but as we grow closer to the Lord and our lives are transformed are lives become more in harmony with the law.
Over time the law becomes less and less a reminder of our failures and more and more a description of our own impulses. Ellen White says:
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. DA 668
Will you allow Jesus to change your heart so that you can say like David:
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. Psalm 40:8
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