Study of Galatians
Teachers
Lesson Summary
In this class, Teacher Butch Amyx provided a detailed exposition of Galatians 3:19-25, addressing a critical misunderstanding that had arisen in the early church. The Judaizers were teaching that Gentiles must embrace the Jewish law to receive the spiritual blessings promised to Abraham. Amyx clarified that while the Jews were God's chosen people through whom His promise came, the Gentiles did not need the old law to be saved—they needed only Christ. Amyx identified four essential purposes of the law according to Paul: first, the law was added to restrain transgressions and preserve the Jewish nation until the Messiah came; second, it confined everything under sin, revealing human inability to achieve righteousness through works; third, it kept the Jews under guard, restricting their freedom; and fourth, it served as a guardian or tutor to lead them to Christ. The teacher emphasized that the law was not evil or opposed to God's promises; rather, its inability to impart life demonstrated that righteousness could only come through faith in Christ. Amyx highlighted that Abraham's promise had three components—a great nation, a promised land, and blessing for all peoples—with only the third applying universally to all nations. Paul's argument was that the "seed" referred to in this promise was singular: Christ, not the Jewish nation. This understanding corrected the false conclusion that the law was a condition for salvation and properly positioned the law as a preparatory instrument pointing to Christ's redemptive work.
Key Scriptures
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. Is the law therefore opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not. For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin. So, what was promised, being given through faith in Christ Jesus, might be given to those who believe. Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So, the law was our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the guardian.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith.