Galatians 3 and verse 19. You'll find my subject in the
opening line of this 19th verse. Wherefore then serveth the law. Now there had been false teachers,
legalists, Judaizers who crept into the church at Galatia and
they cunningly, craftily attempted to subvert the gospel of God's
grace. They did not openly deny that
salvation is by Christ, that salvation is by God's grace.
They did not openly deny these things, but practically and by
implication in everything they taught, they totally denied salvation
by God's free grace in Christ alone. They taught that believers,
though we are saved by grace, though we are saved in Christ,
certainly it just stands to reason we must do something for ourselves. That just stands to reason. It
just makes good sense to human flesh, that if God's going to
save us, then he's going to save us, certainly he will be gracious
to us, but we must make some difference ourselves. And so
they taught two things. They taught that believers, though
we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, if we would
indeed be justified, we must keep the law. And when they talked
about keeping the law, they were talking about all the Old Testament
law to the degree that it pleased their flesh. They said you've
got to be circumcised. They said you've got to walk
according to the Ten Commandments. If you would be sanctified, then
you certainly must do something yourself to sanctify yourself.
You must live by the law. So Paul opens the third chapter
by saying, oh foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? Somebody
cast a spell over you. Somebody cast a spell over you.
Who's bewitched you? Having begun in the spirit, are
you now made perfect through the flesh? What foolishness.
Now in the 11th chapter of Romans, you don't need to turn there,
but Paul gives this statement. I'm going to give you the summary
of his statement. You can look at it yourself in verses 4, 5,
and 6 of Romans 11, but this is what it says. If you add your
works anywhere, in the beginning, in the process, or in the end,
If you add your works to the grace of God for your salvation,
whether you talk about justification or sanctification, acceptance
with God, if you add your works to God's grace to any degree,
you have totally denied the grace of God. You're lost. You don't
know God. You don't know Christ. You don't
know the gospel. or preacher, are you suggesting
that men and women who believe that somehow their works contribute
something to God's salvation and God's grace, are you saying
they're lost? I wouldn't think about saying
that, but this book says that. That's exactly what Paul says.
He says in Galatians 5, listen to this, if you be circumcised,
Christ shall profit you nothing. Nothing. If you just so much
as for the sake of Getting acceptance with God. Just one thing. Cut off a little piece of flesh.
That's all. If that's what you do, and you
add that to God's work, you add that to God's grace, you've missed
Christ. You've fallen from grace. You've
departed from the whole gospel. Well, if that's the case, then,
pastor, this whole religious world is in utter apostasy. That's exactly right. That's
exactly right. Look in Galatians 2 verse 21.
Having dashed in pieces the notion of mixing law and grace, Paul
makes this bold dogmatic assertion. I do not frustrate the grace
of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, what kind of righteousness? Any kind before God. If justifying
righteousness, sanctifying righteousness, if it comes by the law, then
Christ is dead in vain. That's just about most forceful
language you could possibly have used. Paul simply could not have
used a stronger statement to declare his case. He tells us
that those who teach that righteousness can be, after all, in some way,
to some degree, obtained by our personal obedience to God's law,
those people frustrate the grace of God, and by their doctrine,
declare that Christ died for nothing. Died for nothing. If you can be saved by your works,
there wasn't any need in Christ's dying. If you can be saved by
your works, there's no such thing as grace. Now, with that as the
background, let's look at these 11 verses in Galatians 3, beginning
at verse 19, going through the end of the chapter. And I want
to answer this question. Wherefore then serveth the law? The Apostle Paul, being inspired
by the Holy Spirit, anticipated the carping of legalists who
would come along and they would say, now, you fellows, y'all,
y'all teach the salvation by grace alone. Y'all teach that
we're not justified by the law, we're not sanctified by the law,
the law is not a rule of our life, then the law is useless. Then what's the purpose of the
law? And in anticipation of the carping legalist, Paul raises
this question, wherefore then serveth the law? Why was it given? What was the purpose of God's
holy law? Look at verse 19. It was added
because of transgressions. Did you see that? Here's the
reason the law was given. The law of God, the Ten Commandments,
the legal precepts of worship, the civil government, the daily
life laws given in the Old Testament, all the law of God was never
intended to be a means of grace, a means of righteousness, or
a means of salvation. The purpose of God's law is this. Now listen, listen. It is to
identify, expose, and condemn sin. That's his purpose. Paul
said, I had not known sin, except the law had said thou shalt not
covet. Look in Romans chapter 3. I want you to turn back there
for a moment. Romans chapter 3. Hold your hands here in Galatians.
We're going to stay right here tonight. Romans 3, 19. Now we know, we know Paul is,
he has in the book of Romans laid the foundation with regard
to the gospel of God's grace. He has declared the total depravity
of the entire human race, Jew and Gentile. And after declaring
the depravity of the race, he says, We know that what thing
soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law,
that every mouth may be stopped. That means, Bob Pontius, you
hadn't got any excuse for anything. No excuse. All right. I know
I shot that fellow, but no excuse. I know I've got horrible hatred
in my heart, but no excuse, no excuse. I wouldn't have done
this, but my mom and dad, no excuse. The law is given that
every mouth may be stopped. Now you're going to have to have
your mouth stopped or you'll never meet God in grace. That's
exactly right. You're going to have to have
your mouth stopped. No excuse. I got no excuse. That
every mouth may be stopped. And all the world may become
guilty before God. Look in verse 20 of chapter 5.
Moreover, the law entered that the offense might abound. The
law came. The law was given so that the
offense might abound, not that you might be more and more sinful,
but that you might be made to know your sinfulness more and
more. But where sin abounded, oh, when your sin is made to
abound in your soul, made to abound in your eyes, so that
you look at yourself and see yourself to be obnoxious and
worthy of damnation from God Himself. When your sin abounds,
grace also will abound. that grace also may abound. Grace
did much more abound. Before any man is converted then,
he must be convinced of his sin and guilt. So we preach the holy
law of God to convince men of their sin. Before a man can be
given newness of life in Jesus Christ, he's got to be slain
by the law. The law is the deep, deep cutting
plow of God Almighty. The plow by which He breaks up
the fallow ground of our depraved hearts, the conscience and the
minds of men, and prepares us for the gospel of His grace.
Now then, look at verse 19 of Galatians 3. Look at it again. Here's the next line. The law
was given until the seed should come. Now, underscore that. He
didn't say seeds. He said seed, he didn't just
say a seed, he said the seed. The law was given until. That
word implies that the law has some time of termination. The
law was given until the seed should come, to whom the promise
was made. Now the seed spoken of here,
you know, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. The promise spoken
of is the promise that God the Father made to God the Son before
the world began in the covenant of grace. It was a promise of
eternal life, of grace, salvation, and life everlasting to those
who are represented in the Son. It was God's promise of eternal
life before the world began. You say, well, preacher, you're
just guessing about that. Oh, no. The context declares
that this is exactly the case. The Mosaic law, look at verse
20. The Mosaic law was given at Sinai and given to Israel
by the hands of a man, a mediator man, Moses. That man, however,
through whom the law of God has been established and to whom
the promise of God was made, is a mediator, but this mediator
is God himself. This mediator is God. You see
that? God is one. God the Father who promised life
and Christ the surety to whom life was promised are one. He is God himself. This then,
the promise of God, is a promise given to a mediator who is himself
both God and man, Christ Jesus the Lord. Now then, hold your
hands here and turn to Titus 1. I want you to see this. The
promise was made. made by God Almighty. Now Paul's
not talking here about just any promise. He's not talking about
just some ambiguous promise. He's talking about the promise,
the promise made to thee see, thee see. Look here in Titus
chapter 1 now. Here's the promise. Paul, a servant
of God, an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's
elect, and the acknowledging of the truth, which is after
godliness, in hope of eternal life, You live in hope of life? You have hope of eternal life?
It's because it is eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began. Well, who did He make the promise
to? Rex Bartley? No, he wasn't around. He wasn't around. Who
did He make it to? His substitute, our surety, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Look back at Galatians 3 again.
We who believe have obtained the promise of eternal life in
Christ because the Lord Jesus Christ purchased it and effectually
obtained it for all the seed of Abraham, that is, of all Abraham's
true seed who are God's elect. Here in Galatians 3 verse 13.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made
a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth
on a tree. Now, don't stop reading there. Look at the next word.
It's a connecting article. That. That. Why did Christ redeem
us? Why did he bear the wrath of
God for us? Why did he die as our substitute?
In order that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ. Well, what's that? That we might
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. What is it? The
blessing of Abraham. That blessing represented in
circumcision is the new birth. It is the blessing of God giving
us His Spirit, the everlasting life which He promised to Christ
before the world began. Neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by His own blood, the Lord Jesus entered in once
into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For
verily He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took
on Him the seed of Abraham. All right, now look at Galatians
3 and verse 21. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid! For if there had
been a law given which could... And notice the word. If there
had been a law given which could have given life. If there was
any possibility, if there was any possibility that God's elect
could have life granted to them by anything they could do, if
there could have been a law given which could have given life,
verily, righteousness should have been by the law. You don't
really think God would have killed his son of this salvation some
other way, do you? You don't really imagine that God would
have sacrificed his son if he could have just given a commandment
and said, now you just obey this and everything will be all right.
You don't really think God's law and justice and honor could
have been established and you live and God slay his son anyway
if you could have obtained those things by something you do. That's
exactly what he's saying there. Now look at verse 22. But the
scripture hath concluded all under sin. that the promise by
faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But
before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up under
faith, the faith, which should afterward be revealed. The law
was not given to make us righteous, not at all. The law was given
to shut us up to Christ. The law of God sent forth in
Holy Scripture concludes all under sin. We are, all of us,
by nature, by birth, by choice, by practice, we are all under
sin. That's our nature. Flesh is flesh. Bobby is always going to be flesh.
It's still just sin, just sin. We are under sin's dominion.
We were under sin's corruption, under sin's penalty, and under
sin's curse. But now look at verse 22 again.
The reason why this is the way it is, is this. That the promise. That the promise. The promise. Remember now, he's talking about
the same promise he's been discussing throughout the chapter. The promise
of grace, salvation, and eternal life. That the promise, by faith
of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that believe. Now read
the words carefully. Grace, salvation, and eternal
life come to chosen sinners upon the ground of and because of
the faith of Jesus Christ. Now, wait a minute. You mean
he believed God? Yeah, yeah, but that's not really
what this text is talking about. Our Lord Jesus believed God like
never a man believed him. He believed him perfectly. But
he's talking about his faith. The faithful obedience of Christ.
He said, Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God. And this promise
of life is by faith, or the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. His faithful
obedience to God, even unto death. He came here. He emptied himself. He made himself of no reputation.
He took on him the form of a servant and still humbled himself more.
He became obedient, obedient to death, even the death of the
cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him. You see this?
We are saved then on the grounds of this promise of eternal life
comes to us because of the faithful obedience of Christ unto death
as our substitute, not because of our faith. It was Christ alone
who brought in everlasting righteousness. It was Christ alone who satisfied
the justice of God. It was Christ alone who brought
salvation to us. Salvation is of the Lord. But
what does faith do? What does faith do? Some of you
are sitting here and you yet don't understand what faith is. What does faith do? Not a blessed
thing. Not a blessed thing. Well, if
you can call falling down, doing something. If you can call falling, doing
something. That's what faith does. Faith
falls on Christ. That's all. That's all. Faith's
the gift of God. We are not saved by our faith. We're saved by His faith, and
He gives us faith to believe Him, and we rejoice and receive
and experience His grace as He gives us faith. Before faith
came, that is, before we came to trust Christ, before God gave
us faith in His Son, look at it, we were kept under the law. As Rex read to us just a little
bit ago in Ephesians 2, we were by nature children of wrath,
just like everyone else. We were justified from eternity.
We were justified by the blood of Christ at Calvary, but we
didn't know anything about it until faith came. But when God
gave us faith, look here, he put away my sins. He justified
me. He declares me free. Why? Why is it that Paul tells us
plainly, when the law came, sin revived, and I died? That's exactly
what he says. But why? Because that's what
we've experienced. The Spirit of God tells us when
we were thus by the terror of God's law, terrifying our consciences,
declaring us to be damned, worthy of everlasting damnation, damned
before God, damned and deserving His wrath. He declares us that
and we were terrified with it. We were shut up to faith. Shut
up to faith. Oh, blessed is that sinner. who
in God's grace and mercy has had the law of God to strike
terror in his soul and shut him up to faith." Shut up to faith. Shut up not to just faith. Everybody
talks about faith, you know, just believe everything's all
right. Oh, no. Peace comes, Sam, when you believe
Christ. We were terrified under God's
law. Shut up to faith. Faith which
should afterward be revealed. Look at verse 24. Wherefore?
Now he's going to explain that faith to us. Wherefore? The law
was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith. The law's purpose, the law's
function, the law's use is to bring chosen, redeemed sinners
to Christ. And once it's served its purpose,
it's got no other. It's got no other. Look at verse
25. But after that faith has come, when God gave me faith
in his son to look away to Christ for everything, he spoke peace
to my terrified soul. And the only time I'm ever terrified,
the only time, the only time, the only time I'm ever terrified,
it's been now 33 years, he spoke peace to my soul. And the only
time I'm ever terrified before his law is when I'm looking for
something in here. That's the only time. All but
looking away to Christ for everything. When faith is gone, then the
peace of God says, not guilty. Not guilty. You might read this
text and say, well, what does this mean? We're no longer under
schoolmaster. It means just exactly what you think it means. I mean,
I don't know how many ways Paul can say this. He said, we're
not under schoolmaster. I didn't care much, still don't
care much for Martin Luther King's theology. It was horrendous.
But he had a good statement when he made this statement concerning
the passage of the Bill of Rights or the passage of the Civil Rights
Bill, excuse me. He responded like this, free
at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, I'm free
at last. That's my theology. I'm free,
free. And I'm not going to let you,
me or anybody else bring me in bondage again. I know what it's
like. Salvation comes to sinners. I mean salvation in its entirety. In its entirety. Justification,
sanctification, peace, pardon, forgiveness, everlasting life,
the blessed glory of heaven. Everything comes to sinners by
free grace on the grounds of Christ's faithful obedience unto
death when faith comes without the law. Without the law. Now
then, look at verse 26. This one stumps a lot of toes.
For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Well, how could Paul say that?
He's written to these Galatians, and boy, the indication is there's
some folks in that church just like there are in every church.
Some tares as well as wheat, some goats as well as sheep.
Then how could he say you're all the children of God by faith
in Christ? He speaks to the Galatians exactly
as I speak to this congregation of men and women who believe
on Christ. You profess faith in Christ and in charity because
I have no reason to think otherwise. I say you are believers. You
are the children of God. And that's exactly what Paul
is saying here. He's taking them at their word, these who profess
faith in Christ. He's saying you're the children
of God, not by your obedience to the law, not by your works
of the law, but by faith. Faith in Christ Jesus, the Lord.
is not suggesting that somehow our adoption into the family
of God is the result of our believing. Oh, no. It's just the other way
around. Our faith in Christ is the result
of our adoption into the family of God. Ephesians 1, 5 says we
were predestined to this adoption. In Galatians chapter 4, the apostle
tells us the Spirit of God came because we were the adopted sons
of God Almighty. Behold, what manner of love then
the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the
sons of God. Now then, look at verse 27. For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Well, Paul must mean that some
of these folks weren't baptized. Nonsense. Nonsense. In the early church, there wasn't
any such thing as a man called a Christian who wasn't baptized.
And I don't mean to have a little water thrown in his face. I'm
talking about being baptized, immersed. Those early believers
submitted to the gospel ordinance of immersion in the name of Christ.
And Paul is not in any way suggesting that some did not. His language
here simply means that there might be some of them who, though
they were baptized in water, had never been baptized in Christ.
I expect they might even be here. Gill explains the text correctly.
He says those who are truly and rightly baptized, who are properly
subjects of it, and to whom it is administered in a proper manner,
are baptized into Christ. This is not just a ceremony.
Oh, no. When baptism is an act of faith,
when it is an act of faith, When we come here as believers, because
we seek to obey Christ, we are baptized in faith. And if it's
not an act of faith, then it's sin. But when baptism is an act
of faith, we're baptized in the name of Christ, believing in
Him. on the authority of Christ, because He said, do it. We're
baptized according to His doctrine, in obedience to His command,
baptized into the body of Christ, His church, and baptized in the
hope of Christ and the resurrection. So that all who have truly been
baptized have put on Christ. Put Him on before they were baptized
and put Him on when they're baptized. Before we were baptized, believing
Him, we put on Christ. as the spotless robe of our perfect
righteousness before God. And coming to Christ in baptism,
confessing Him in baptism, we put Him on publicly, declaring
to all men that Christ alone is our righteousness, and we
are baptized into Christ. Now look at verse 28. There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there
is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ. Well, that's the way it ought
to be. No, that's the way it is. That's the way it is. Believers are what in Christ?
Male and female, bond and free, rich and poor, Jew and Gentile,
learned and unlearned. You see, in Christ, this is the
only place. In Christ, in his church, in
his kingdom. This is the only place where
race makes no difference. This is the only place where
sex, and I mean by that, not what you do, but what you are,
this is the only place where it makes no difference. This
is the only place where wealth makes no difference. This is
the only place where poverty makes no difference. This is
the only place in the world where men and women come together and
are one. And believers are. Well, I know
some folks who aren't. No, you don't. Not believers.
Not believers. You might know some religious
folks and you might be one of them. But believers are one in
Christ. They're one in him. We have one
hope. We have one character. We're
sinners, sinners saved by God's grace. We have one standing,
the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. We have one father,
one elder brother, one blessed spirit, one hope of our calling.
Now look at verse 29. I want you to get this and I'll
send you home. May God the Holy Spirit graciously
apply his word to your heart and mine for Christ's sake. And
if you be Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according
to the promise. There's that promise again. Now
here's the issue. If you be Christ, nothing else
Look back there at Carrie. That darling little child, we've
all had a hand in raising. If you're Christ. Nothing else
matters. Nothing else matters. I've just
got one daughter. And honestly, before God, I've
never sought from God but one thing for her. Only one. I've never asked God to give
her wealth. I've never asked God to give her an easy life.
Not one time. I'll tell you what I've asked,
and this alone is what I want for her. Oh, that she be found
in Christ. Nothing else matters. If you're
Christ, then you're Abraham's seed, because he is. He's the
seed. And not only that, as according
to the promise made by God, our father, to God, the son brought
home to our hearts, by God the Holy Spirit, heirs of God and
joint heirs with Jesus Christ, according to the promise of eternal
life, which God, who cannot lie, made with his Son before the
world began. Amen.