Why the Law Fails (Galatians 3:15-20)

SCRIPTURE

Galatians 3:15-20
To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.
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. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

COMMENT

Here Paul is seeking to clarify by using a human example. When someone makes an agreement, once you ratify it (shake hands?) there is no going back and changing it. Everyone knows that, although those who end up on the short end often want to change things. God has made a promise. Paul is clarifying that the promise was not to us (offsprings), but to Christ (offspring). When Abraham was justified, it was by faith and it was before the law was given. The law, an after-the-fact event, did not nullify the promise which was by faith. If it had, then the law would have taken over and it would be the standard by which we obtain salvation.

Why then add the law? It was added because of transgressions. But how could there be transgressions if there was no law? There were transgressions since the time of Adam and Eve in the garden. Since Cain and Abel. The law was given to aid in relationship, both to God and fellow man. It would provide stability and consistency until it was replaced.

What was it replaced by? Faith. A faith that is written on the hearts of men. The problem with law is, it can never be all-inclusive. Here's what I mean, when a teacher sets classroom rules, they can never have a rule for every infraction. It would be silly to have a rule that states, "Students may not stand on their chairs and cluck like a chicken." Two reasons, first, you then have the student who will ask, "What if I stand on my desk and bark like a dog?" Okay, now we need another rule. Second, whatever rules you have, students will always invent new ways to circumvent them. Instead, many teachers have a limited set of rules that encompass many behaviors, such as "You should not disrupt the teacher or classroom at any time." Now, standing on anything and making any kind of noise is out of place. But the point is, we need structure and rules or we will seek our own interests and desires, and not Gods. So the law was given because inside our hearts are far from God. (Romans 3:11) It is the law that points us to God. It is through repentance (turning to God) because of faith that we, like Abraham, can be declared righteous.