Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 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. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.
I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Galatians 3:23- 4:7 ESV
What is this law that Christ came to obey?
This law is referred to as a guardian. Kind of like a governess or supervisor of the children of the household. In the time of the text, these guardians were often slaves. They kept the minors in check with the household code. This is different from the workplace or the courts. This was in the context of families. The law was not how one entered the household. It was because one is part of the household.
When the minors come of age, the supervisor is no longer over us. But we don't ignore the law, it is that we have become mature that we desire to follow the law. We not longer needed the guardrails. All those rules and things we were compelled to do should, now that we have matured, make sense and have value for us.
Why does His obedience matter?
Is there something significant to this? Jesus living the perfect life is insufficient. How do we know? Because of the cross. The law cannot give us life. Righteousness does not come from the law, it comes from faith. Being obedient to the law will not make God love you. God's love is unconditional. Jesus did not earn the Father's love. He just received God's love.
God loves, even though we bring nothing to the deal. That is saving faith. Nothing to be earned in our salvation. The cross was necessary and sufficient for us. We are now heirs in the family of God. Christ's daily experience of obedience was the proving ground for the cross. His daily submission to God was pointing to His final submission to death on the cross.
Small obedience leads to big Obedience. Jesus submitted to his parents. He knew more than his parents, but still obeyed. It's like a parent listening to their five year old. That is the radical humility of Jesus.
Are we practicing the small acts of obedience and submission to God? It begins today. The inverse is also true. Small rebellions will lead to greater sin. Great unfaithfulness comes from little disobedience day by day. We are called to daily die to ourselves and pick up our cross. This is not just some pithy saying. This is how we are changed, day by day.
Those who are in the family of God are concerned with what He is concerned about. Believers grieve when they sin because they know it hurts God. They cry for mercy, not as an employee to their boss, but a child crying to their parent. Repenting over sin is more than just not doing it again. It is seeing the life & goodness of the right way. Guilt should lead you somewhere, not hold you down. Self loathing will not save you. Jesus saves. God loves and no sin can separate us from Him.
The law cannot bring us life. It cannot be used to please God. It can only reveal our relationship with God. We cannot come to God through the law. Our obedience does not bring us to God; it only reveals what is true about our relationship with God.
We need to put our faith in God.
We need to rest in God's provision for us. We need to let God love us. Stop earning and striving. We cannot argue our case because we are guilty. We cannot make God love us. We are not a slave in the house of God; we are heirs. There is nothing we can do to make salvation happen. God is good and loving. We can only take it by faith and come to Him.
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