The Law 101

S-Galatians 2:16

S-"So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law." Galatians 5:1

A-God's grace through Christ

L-The Law

   "For no one will ever be saved by obeying the law." Galatians 2:16

  We need to come back to this passage for many reasons. One, because the Lord has impressed it upon me to do so. Secondly, I think its important for us to understand why the law does not save us.

The law was put into place in the Old testament in order to do three things.

1. Point to Jesus
2. Promote unity
3. Protection

We can go all the way back to the very beginning, when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden. God put into place one law. Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Here we see the 1st law broken and the consequences of breaking the law.

   "Then he said to the woman, 'You will bear children with intense pain and suffering. And though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master. And to Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I tole you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return." Genesis 3:16-19

But let's move forward to Abraham and the covenant that was made between him and God.

  The Covenant-Abraham was to obey God and have every male circumcised on the 8th day.

         The purpose-every male circumcised would bear the mark of the everlasting covenant.
     
         The Importance-it would be a sign that you and those circumcised have accepted the covenant and were apart of the family.

        **Something I never realized before until studying this deeper, was how all three parts of the law intertwined throughout this particular passage.

                The act of circumcision was not only an act of obedience, but it marked you as a part of God's family. For us today, on this side of the cross, our faith in Christ and His blood is what marks us as a part of God's family. It all pointed to Jesus, and God knew that when He established it. Amazing!

                The marking of circumcision promoted unity among God's people. The blood of Christ brings us together as one Body.

                Circumcision was the cutting away of "sin" the old, and representing the new. Today, our faith in Christ, His blood that covers us, removes the old, and fills us with new.

                The law that protects us, is the Word of God. It was given to us to guide us through life, to teach us, and to show us why we need Christ, and what our boundaries are.

This is a small portion on the law, but a great place to help us understand why the law verse faith was a big issue and needed to be addressed.

S-Share with someone how God's Word provides protection