What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.
In our last lesson, we ended with Paul telling us that God gave Abraham a promise of an inheritance. The law was added because of transgressions. The question Paul is asking in verse 19 is, “What purpose then does the law serve?” The law was necessary because of “transgressions.” The problem was the sin nature of man. The law was added until the Seed would come. What Seed? The Seed of the woman and the Seed of Abraham as foretold in the Old Testament. We have seen previously that “Seed” is Christ Jesus our Lord. The Holy One was calling a people to His Holy nature. God planned that the descendants of Abraham would come through Isaac and then Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. From Israel came twelve sons. These would be the fathers of the tribes of Israel who became “the people of God.” Israel was made holy by the holiness of God Himself. That holiness was expressed through the law that He gave to them on Mt Sinai. Included in the law came a means of sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. Atonement did not remove the sinful nature of the people, but it covered the sinful nature so that a holy God could reveal His presence in their midst and be merciful to a stiff-necked and stubborn people.
The law looked forward to the Seed that would come. That Seed was the same Seed mentioned in Genesis 3:15. Please note that in both cases that the translators capitalized “Seed.” That is because it spoke of the Messiah. The holy God looked down the annals of time to the “fullness of time.” Galatians 4:4, But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Jesus was “Born under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” It includes both Jew and Gentile.
Otherwise, why would Paul say “under the law” if it only applied to Gentiles? Understand that even the descendants of Abraham needed to be born again. They required a new baptism of identity in the Messiah. They need a baptism of the Holy Spirit who carries the “Life of Christ” to give them a new nature free of sin. Can you see how all this begins to fit together in a “new creation” of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Can you see that both Jew and Gentile had to come into Christ the same way? This is incredible, friends! I almost want to jump ahead here and develop further what Paul is saying, but I will discipline myself to save it for later.
“Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Therefore, Jew or Gentile must be born again. Christ Himself established this rule. There is no exception to this rule of the kingdom. I mentioned in the past teaching about both natural birth and a supernatural birth. Now let’s consider that on a deeper level. In John 3:5, Jesus goes on to say to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Remember, we are speaking of the Seed, who was born under the law. That One who is the Seed bore the sins of the world under the law and in His sacrificial death satisfied the requirements of the law. When the Seed of the woman who was also the Seed of promise to Abraham rose from the dead, He arose a regenerated man. Once dead and now alive (see Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:16, Rev 1:18). Note that Titus says, “by the washing of regeneration.” The water becomes the place of a new identity in Christ. Just like the water of the Jordan was natural Israel’s baptism unto Moses,
(1 Corinthians 10:2). It became the place of their new identity after being delivered from Egypt. Moses, the lawgiver who led them through the water to the promised land, became the head of the house of Israel (Hebrews 3:5-6).
Now Christ has become the “head of the house, whose house we are.” This includes both Jew and Gentile, having now moved from Moses and the law to Christ in the regeneration of the Spirit. That is what the “Baptism of the Spirit” is all about. He is the Spirit of God and of the Spirit of Christ now dwells in His people. This is why Peter said in Acts 10:47 after Cornelius and his house received the Holy Spirit, “can anyone forbid water, that these should be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” The next verse says, “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.”
This is the pattern of scripture for both Jew and for Gentile. The water speaks of dying to self and the Adam sin nature, being buried with Christ, and rising in the newness of life or regeneration. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings life. He connects us with the body of Christ, the one new man on the earth.
In the second part of verse 19, Paul states, “and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.” The law came through the hands of angels. This is a great mystery that Paul is describing. We read in Exodus 20:1 that Moses came down from the mountain to the people and said, “And God spoke all these words.” In Deuteronomy 5:22, Moses speaks to the assembly, saying, “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.”
Here in Galatians, Paul says, “and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.” Stephen, in Acts 7:53, says the same thing that Paul is saying. “who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.” When Stephen spoke these words recorded in Acts 7:54, “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth.”
Is this a contradiction in scripture concerning angels and God Himself? Not at all, Angels are dispatched to represent God just as if it were God. God is Holy and is a consuming fire which, for us, humans, is a mystery. Angels represent God; Moses was that “mediator” between God and man regarding the commandments written on stone.
20 Now, a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. This verse reminds me of Romans 3:21-31. We will end there today by reading from Romans 3.
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Boasting Excluded
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law. NKJV
We will continue this next time as Paul settles this in Galatians 3:21, establishing that the law is not against the promises of God.