Heralding Hope: The Past Advent of Jesus as Savior.  

Galatians 3:21–24  
 
"[21] Is the law then contrary to the promises of God?  
Certainly not!  For if a law had been given that could give life,   
then righteousness would indeed be by the law.   
[22] But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin,   
so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ  
might be given to those who believe.  
[23] Now before faith came,   
we were held captive under the law,   
imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.   
[24] So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came,   
in order that we might be justified by faith. " 
(ESV)  

This article is the third post in this series on Galatians 3:24. 

The first post is here. 
The second post, a short story, is here. 

Side Stepping Snares  

As we delve into Paul’s words from Galatians 3:24, “Until Christ Came,” it is critical that we enter this undertaking not as academics or intellectuals but as enslaved heirs. To the enslaved heir, what does “until Christ came” mean? Freedom! Freedom before anything else. (Take a peek and read ahead in Galatians 5.). Christ has come.  

Not delusional freedom, but rooted freedom. “Until Christ Came” or “γέγονεν εἰς Χριστόν.” This simple phrase tells us: 

We Need the Savior. 

Because of the familiarity of “Christ,” let us remind ourselves of this reality. Since the Fall, there has been a need for salvation. Every human knows this intuitively. Genesis 3:15 declares,  
 

"[15] I will put enmity between you and the woman, 
and between your offspring and her offspring; 
he shall bruise your head, 
and you shall bruise his heel." (ESV) 
 

The “he” in this verse is the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior, and Jesus. Paul ties this promise through the lineage of Abraham in Galatians 3:15-18:  

"[15] 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.
[16] 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. 
[17] 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. 
[18] For if the inheritance comes by the law, 
it no longer comes by promise; 
but God gave it to Abraham by a promise." (ESV) 

The Promise 

Genesis 12:1–3 

[1] Now the LORD said to Abram,
"Go from your country 
and your kindred 
and your father's house 
to the land that I will show you. 
[2] And I will make of you a great nation, 
and I will bless you 
and make your name great, 
so that you will be a blessing. 
[3] I will bless those who bless you, a
nd him who dishonors you I will curse, 
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (ESV)  

How does God bless all the families of the earth through Abraham? By making Jesus available to every family on earth. The Savior will be of the line of Abraham. How does God make this Savior of men known to humanity? Through a promise. He made a promise when he did not have to.  

The Bitter Bookends 

Consider the immediate context of Genesis 3:15. In Genesis 3:14 we find God’s pronouncement of punishment for the serpent. What is punishment? It is a consequence. A Consequence is just earnings. Punishment is earned income.  

[14] The LORD God said to the serpent, 
"Because you have done this, 
cursed are you above all livestock 
and above all beasts of the field; 
on your belly you shall go, 
and dust you shall eat 
all the days of your life. (ESV) 

And on the other side, in Genesis 3:16–19, we find the same thing. We find consequences.  

[16] To the woman he said, 
"I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; 
in pain you shall bring forth children. 
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, 
but he shall rule over you." 

[17] And to Adam he said, 
"Because you have listened to the voice of your wife 
and have eaten of the tree 
of which I commanded you, 
'You shall not eat of it,' 
cursed is the ground because of you; 
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 
[18] thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; 
and you shall eat the plants of the field. 
[19] By the sweat of your face 
you shall eat bread, 
till you return to the ground, 
for out of it you were taken; 
for you are dust, 
and to dust you shall return." (ESV) 

Who experiences consequences? Lawbreakers. What are Adam and Eve? Lawbreakers. What am I? I am a lawbreaker. Consequences are the bookends of Genesis 3:15. Yet, while God proclaims the wages earned from disobedience, a promise is given.  

A Special Promise 

Why is the promise so special? Around the magnificent promise is the antagonistic results of our labors. Every individual human knows that we also are lawbreakers. Thus, we deserve the wages of a lawbreaker. The reason the promise is so special is that it gives real hope. One that has roots, branches, and fruit.  

God highlights his sovereign pleasure in his creation by choosing the promise as the way of the Savior. Mercy abounds from the very beginning of the Bible. Only through the promise do we have hope.  

In Galatians 3, “Until Christ came,” The Savior has come. It has happened. All of history revolves around this reality. Modern positivists and skeptics endeavor to recreate history, but all of history testifies to Jesus as the most influential historical figure ever.  

The thread of rebellion from Adam to us still includes the promise of Jesus. The law makes us its servants. Moralism provides white-washed sepulchers. It teaches self-righteousness. Its adherents think keeping count matters.  

God teaches there is only one righteousness worthy of acceptance. Only Jesus and his holiness. Jesus ’s way does not keep count because against it are no laws.  

How Do You Inherit the Promise? 

Embracing the promise of Jesus is a critical step in becoming an heir. To embrace the promise of Jesus, we must trust the explicit statement that comes with the promise – Jesus is our Savior.  

Jesus’s ability to save us from our taskmaster clarifies the necessity of His sacrifice for us on the cross. It helps us see its efficacy. By believing that Jesus is Lord and Savior, we inherit the promise given to Abraham and his descendants. 

When God made His promise, it was a covenantal agreement with Abraham based upon faith. This faith means Abraham trusted God would provide (Romans 4:3) the Messiah to the world. Being an heir does not depend upon anything other than believing in Jesus for salvation from your transgressions against the law of God. It is not our works or virtuous deeds but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

The promise of Jesus means recognizing Him as Lord and Savior over your life. How do you make him Lord? There is a personal relationship with Him that happens in all of this. Once having accepted this inherited blessing by grace through faith, communion, and fellowship with The Father begins.  

Fortified and Verified 

Galatians 3:25–29 verifies this interpretation.  

[25] But now that faith has come, 
we are no longer under a guardian, 
[26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, 
through faith. 
[27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, 
there is neither slave nor free, 
there is no male and female, 
for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 
[29] And if you are Christ's, 
then you are Abraham's offspring, 
heirs according to promise. (ESV) 

I am Iz. I am a follower of Jesus, seeking to understand the world around me. I use my life experiences and struggles as a platform to reach out and help others, offering insight into how faith overcomes any obstacle. I pray my blog will be a beacon of hope for those facing similar challenges. May this be an encouragement to you.  

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language. 

Users may not copy or download more than 500 verses of the ESV Bible or more than one-half of any book of the ESV Bible.