Daily Devotional for Monday, January 6

The Law Helps To Point Out Our Sin

"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator;' Galatians 3:19.

Reading this section of Paul's letter, I feel like I am at a debate competition or in a courtroom. During my freshman year of high school, part of our Civics curriculum was to learn about courtroom procedure. Since my teacher was an exceptional educator, she chose to teach us these lessons by creating a courtroom in her classroom. Each person in the class had a mock role in the trial, and we spent weeks preparing based on the teacher-created allegations, evidence and affidavits. I was the prosecuting attorney, and I remember having to be very careful in the questions I asked and the statements I used in order to make the best case possible against the defendant. Similarly, Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, crafted his case from all angles. He could not leave any room for misinterpretation or misinformation.

In the middle of this contrast of the Law of Moses and the Covenant of Abraham, namely the promise of a Seed which is Christ (Galatians 3:16), Paul asked the question about thepurpose of theLaw asif cross-examining himself. Since the Law did not replace or erase the Abrahamic Covenant to create a system by which we can work our way to righteousness, what purpose did it serve? Paul answered his own question. It was a way to point out our transgressions until the Seed of promise would come. The Law revealed the sin that was already inside of every human and our need for a Savior. The promise He made to Abraham came directly from Him, seemingly superseding what He commissioned His angels to deliver and making it clear that the Seed would redeem us from the Law (verse 14).

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

Thank You, Lord, for providing a way of redemption for sinners who would never be able to live up to your standard of holiness.

Ashley Ridings