The Purpose of the Law
“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.” Galatians 3:19
Was the Law just a stop-gap measure to hold things together until Jesus was born? Was the Mosaic Covenant just a “parenthesis” between the “graceful” Covenant with Abram and the “graceful” New Covenant?
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October 27th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Tim Gallant (who knows his Greek) made some helpful comments on the text:
“Tangential in this context, perhaps – but a ‘paidagogos’ is not a tutor, but a child custodian. (Actually accents the immaturity/maturity angle more.)
The text does not say that the law brought ‘us’ (i.e. Israel) to Christ, but that the law was our child custodian unto (i.e. until) Christ.
To wrinkle things further, I would also add that ‘through faith in Jesus Christ’ is probably ‘through the pistis of Jesus Christ,’ not a reference to faith with Christ as its object.”
October 27th, 2011 at 8:17 pm
Mike,
Does your footnote answer this question, Did Abraham rise from the dead in AD 70? Or is that metaphor?
October 27th, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Yes. Read on…