How does God use our disobedience to draw us to Himself?
Aug 20, 2011
The Race for Grace - part eleven in a study from the book of Galatians
By Mike Gaudet
God uses our disobedience to accomplish His purposes!
How does God use our disobedience to draw us to Himself?
“Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Galatians 3:23-25
God is a realist. He understands how prone we are to stray from the path. For this reason He assigns “guardians” to keep us on track. The “law” is just such a guardian.
The law functions like a prison guard that keeps us “locked up until faith should be revealed.” You’d think that clearly communicated commandments and consequences would keep us on the “straight and narrow.” This isn’t the case. The law actually intensifies sin’s power. “The power of sin is the law.” 1 Corinthians 15:56
We mistakenly assume that God gave us law in order to catalyze obedience. The truth is that God gave law in order to catalyze disobedience. “The law was added so that the trespass might increase.” Romans 5:20 The law stimulates the very behaviors it prohibits!
Laws clarify rules and consequences for breaking the rules. Laws are effective in regulating many kinds of behavior. In the spiritual realm, however, law has the same effect that water has on a grease fire. Putting water on a grease fire seems like a logical thing to do because water puts out other kinds of fires. However, rather than extinguishing the fire, water spreads it. It makes the fire worse.
Law impacts sin the same way water impacts a grease fire. It inflames the problem. When we attempt to obey God in order to earn His acceptance and avert His wrath, sinful desires become more inflamed, not less so.
Did God know that law would have this effect? Absolutely! He intended for us to be “held prisoners by the law” in order that we “might be justified by faith.” It has always been God’s plan to declare us righteous on the basis of how well we believe. It was never His intention to justify us on the basis of how well we behave.
Because our eternal welfare rests on placing our faith in Christ, “the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ.” The verse compares the way God’s law functions with the way 1st century tutors functioned. Today tutors teach children. In Jesus’ day a tutor’s responsibility was simply to bring the child to school. Once the student arrived at school, the tutor’s job ended and the teacher’s job began.
Jesus is the teacher.
The law is the tutor that brings us to Jesus.
The law’s role ends when our relationship with Christ begins. Once we begin to learn from Christ, “we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” This means that men and women who are trusting in Christ need no longer fear God’s punishment. In the New Covenant, God promises His children that, “their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17
When it comes to God’s commandments, we must live “by” them. However, we must learn not live “under” them.
When we live “under” God’s commandments, we believe that by obeying Him we are earning His favor and avoiding His condemnation.
When we live “by” God’s commandments, we seek to do what God has commanded because we trust Him, we are grateful for being part of His forever family, and we desire to live a life that pleases Him.