Imprisoned by Sin - Galatians 3:19-29

I pray that my children will know the difference between right and wrong. As a parent, I hope that they can grow up and teach their children the truth about Christ and have a personal walk that is intimate with Christ. Our human nature is sinful, imprisoned by sin, but we have hope. 

¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. ²⁰ Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

²¹ Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. ²² But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

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The law tells us what is right and wrong. God put it in place for people like me so that I know my left and right limits. Humankind required some semblance of order in the Old Testament. Because we all are sinners, God gave the law to Moses so that all could be held accountable. Because we know right and wrong from the law, we know that we are imprisoned by sin. The law can’t free us from our sins but provides a visual reminder of sin. 

God made a promise to Abraham, a guarantee of hope and redemption. However, God added the law because of our transgressions. We are sinners and need to be aware of right and wrong. As seen in previous sections, this law did not nullify God’s promise. But why? Well, Paul tells us the law was emplaced until Christ would come. The Scripture is available to all and points out that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are all condemned to death. BUT, there is hope. We have hope in Jesus Christ, and we are given the promise of LIFE through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Until Christ came and defeated sin and death on that cross and rose again, the law was the prison guard, keeping watch over us in our prison cell. The prison guard, the law, ensures we remain accountable for the crimes of our sins. There is no hope in the law. That guard is not going to set us free from our imprisonment. However, because Christ died for us, there is no longer a need for the prison guard. The cell is opened wide. 

Another manner of looking at this is that the law provides a role closer to "protective custody." Good emplaced the law to protect us and keep us aware of right and wrong, as mentioned above. It exposes our sin. 

Paul then boldly states that we are sons of God. We can have a close and personal relationship with God. Contrary to the Jewish beliefs at the time, which required strict obedience. Yes, we need to be obedient to God and His will. We need to obey our rulers and abide by the laws, but this does not provide salvation. 

As Christians, we were baptized IN Christ. We are immersed in Him, and our sins are washed away. However, this takes a willingness to accept the free gift of new life. On a sweltering hot day, how refreshing is it to go to a pool or lake and dip your small toe in the water? Doesn't your whole body feel so much better and refreshed? Probably not. Diving in and being completely submerged in Christ provides complete refreshment and relief in Him. This takes commitment and a willingness to be wholly immersed in the will and love of Christ. It requires passion and desire to go all in and live according to God's will. 

The best part of all is that we are all ONE in Christ. We all have differences, but we all live together in the body of Christ. Through His love, we are counted as equals. There are no longer enslaved people, Jews, or Greeks in the eyes of God. Everyone has equal access to the grace and love of God. 

God gave us the law through Scripture to provide us with the ability to recognize right from wrong. The hope of salvation comes through Christ fulfilling the promise to Abraham. We are called to live immersed in the love of Christ. Be fully committed to God. So, let us live in the grace and love of God and build up each other since we are all one in Christ. Let us remain accountable to Christ and live above reproach.