Bible Verse of the Day Saturday December 31st, 2022

 Galatians 3:19-20 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.

Though God's Law is perfect, the Law's covenant was inferior because its purpose was never to be a means of salvation. God's Law instead showed us our transgressions and guilt before a Holy God. In other words, the Law brings us to repentance before God because it shows us our need for a Savior. Because it was perfect and holy, God's Law makes our sins evident to us. Moreover, it is crucial to understand that the Law of God has always existed. It existed before humankind was created and will exist after this world no longer exists. Therefore, God gave us His Law because we could not realize our sinfulness without it. Without a standard by which to judge our thoughts and deeds, we can have no concept of the extent of our sin and our inability to save ourselves. As Paul continues, he makes two especially essential points regarding the Law. Although obscure, they are necessary to the Galatians' understanding of the Law and its relationship to salvation. The first point is that a mediator gave the Law, but God's promise was given directly by God to Abraham as a friend speaks to a friend. Paul is saying that though God gave the Law to humankind, He did so through two mediators.

Those mediators were angels and Moses. Also, Paul tells us that the covenant of the Law was given by mediators because there were two parties involved. Namely God and humankind. God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were given directly by God and did not require a mediator. The mediator was unnecessary because God made a one-sided covenant with Abraham. God promised to fulfill the agreement regardless of the actions of Abraham or the Jewish people. In God's covenant with Abraham, it is essential to understand that only one person was making the covenant, and that was God. Abraham was a witness to the covenant, and he benefited from the covenant. However, Abraham had no part in making, ratifying, or enforcing the covenant. Paul makes another significant point. First, he explained why the Law came. It came to show us beyond a shadow of a doubt we were sinners. But then Paul makes another critical statement.

The Law was the foundation until the promised "seed" should come. It is the word "Seed" from God's promise to Abraham, and that "seed" is Christ Jesus, our Lord. So, Paul is saying that God gave us His perfect eternal Law to show us our sins and repentance and know our need for a Savior. God gave humankind the Law so that the world would be ready to accept the coming of the promised Messiah and thereby restore our relationship with God, broken by our sins.