The Faith that brings Righteousness:
The intent of the Law,
Galatians 3:15-18 "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."
"God's Promises and God's Law"
"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise." (Galatians3:16-18)
"Early in our meditations, we considered one of the most profound subjects in the scriptures: the relationship between the grace of God and the law of God. These verses engage a comparable subject: the relationship between God's promises and God's law.
Again, we are reminded of God's fundamental use of promises in bringing forth His will among mankind. "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made." God made far-reaching promises to Abraham and his descendants, promises that included the coming of the Messiah, the anointed King, the Savior. Although these promises guaranteed an innumerable posterity to Abraham, this statement specifies one descendant in particular. "He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ." The Lord Jesus Christ is in view here. The promises that were the root of the new covenant of grace were made by the Father to Abraham and to the Son of God. "Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made." Added assurance is provided here. The Father's commitment was to His Son!
Now, what about the Law of God (given through Moses), which was added hundreds of years later? Could this law possibly have replaced the promises to Abraham and to the Son of God? "And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ (by way of an Oath)." The promises of God to Abraham and to His Son were not taken out of operation by the giving of the law of God ("that it should make the promise of no effect" ). People, through their own law performance, cannot become heirs of all that God promised to His children. If they could, then, God's blessings are no longer based on God fulfilling His promises. "For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise." This cannot be, because "God gave it to Abraham by promise." God's working among men stands on His ability to fulfill His promises. It does not depend on our ability to live up to the perfect law of God."
From here on I will use John Gill's Expositional Commentary on the whole Bible.
Galatians 3:19
"Wherefore why then serveth the law?.... If this be the case, might an objector say, why was the law given? what ends and purposes are to be served by it? of what use can it be? there had as good been no law at all, if the inheritance is not of it, and there is no justification by it. To which it is answered,
מטל מסטינותא, "because of transgression"; or all other offences and transgressions, which are increased through the multiplicity of precepts, and attended with more aggravating circumstances, than if no law was given, and more eagerly pursued after, through the prohibition of them; such being the corrupt nature of man, that the more anything is forbidden, the more desirous it is of it: add to all this, that the law was given for the punishing of transgressions, for which it curses, and threatens with death, and inflicts it on Christless sinners: hence it is clear there can be no justification by it, and yet it is not useless and insignificant:
till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made; either Christ the seed of the woman, and of Abraham, who was to come in the flesh, and is come; and to whom the grand promise of life, and all the promises of the covenant were made; not for Himself, but for those He represented, and in whom they are all secure: until whose coming to finish transgression, and bring in everlasting righteousness, the law was to continue in the form in which, and the use for which it was added, and then to cease as the ministration of Moses; for through the coming of Christ it received its full accomplishment, and came to an end; the ceremonial law was utterly abolished, and the moral law ceased to be a covenant of works, though it continues a rule of walk and conversation; and the whole Mosaic economy was no more: or else the seed here intends the spiritual seed of Abraham; particularly among the Gentiles, to whom the promise of blessedness, of justification, and eternal life was made; and the sense be, that till such time that a generation of faithful men, of believers in Christ, should arise among the Gentiles, the law was to continue with the Jews; but when they should spring up, the middle wall of partition should be broken down, and Abraham's spiritual seed among Jews and Gentiles make up one body, one people, and be fellow heirs and partakers of the promise of God in Christ, through the Gospel:
and it was ordained by angels; not Moses and Aaron, and Joshua, as some say; for though Moses was concerned in the giving of the Law (now defunct, as in extinct), yet not Aaron nor Joshua, nor are any of them ever called angels; but the holy elect angels are here meant, the ten thousands of saints, or holy ones, God came to Mount Sinai with, and the LORD was among, in the holy place; see Deuteronomy 33:2 and so the Jews say (l) that the LORD (Lord) appeared on Mount Sinai gloriously, עם כיתיה דמלאכיא, "with companies", or "troops of angels", to give the law to His people: and this may be said to be "ordained" by them, inasmuch as it might be written and spoken by them, as the instruments and ministers God made use of; for though the tables are said to be the work of God, and the writing the writing of God, and to be written with the finger of God, and He is said to speak all the words of it, yet this hinders not, but that all this might be done by the means of angels; who might be employed in disposing and fitting the stones in the form they were, and in writing the Law upon them; hence it is said to be given by the disposition of angels, Acts 7:53 and certain it is, that it was spoken by them, Hebrews 2:2 they forming in the air those articulate and audible sounds, when the Law was delivered; who were also concerned in the thunderings and lightnings, and in the blowing of the trumpet, that waxed louder and louder at that time:
in the hand of a mediator; not Christ, as many interpreters, ancient and modern, have thought; for though He was present at the giving of the Law, as appears from Acts 7:38 and is the Mediator between GOD and man, and had the law in His hand, out of which it went forth as the lawgiver; and as the surety of His people has fulfilled it, and by so doing put an end to it, and delivered them from the curse and condemnation of it; yet He is the Mediator of the new and better covenant, not the ministration of death, but of life; and so Moses and Christ, the Law and Gospel, the old and the new covenant, are continually opposed to each other; besides, the mediator here seems to be represented as inferior to the angels, and as receiving the Law into His hands from them, by whom it was ordained; which to conceive of Christ, is very much to the demeaning and lessening of Him. Moses is the mediator here meant, who stood between God and the people of Israel; not to make peace between them, but to show the word of God from him to them, and this at their own request; see Deuteronomy 5:5, and in his hand the tables of the Law were, when he came down from the mount, and was a typical mediator of Christ. So the Jews say of him, that "he was אמצעי, "a mediator" between them and God (m).''
(l) Targum in 1 Chron. xxix. 11. (m) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 136. 1, 2.
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