“Why Keeping the Law Does Not Save”

Galatians 3:10-12
David Frampton

Paul has said to the Galatians, “Let’s now open our Bibles and see what the Lord says about the way of justification.” Previously, we saw that Paul demonstrated from the example of Abraham that the way to be right with God is by faith. Five hundred years before the law was given to Israel on Sinai, God declared Abraham right with him when Abraham believed God. Therefore, the law had nothing to do with his righteousness.

      “Now he proceeds to show, again by an appeal to Scripture, that righteousness cannot be by way of the law” (Ridderbos).

     This is certainly a crucial matter. We should remember the importance of this topic. How can a person who has rejected God, has refused to love God totally, and has rebelled against God ever be right with God?

    “To be ‘justified before God’ is the exact opposite of being condemned by Him. It is to be declared righteous, to be accepted, to stand in His favour and under His smile. Clearly, this is a matter of the first importance” (Stott).

    Notice also, in Biblical terms, to have life and to be declared righteous are coextensive. Everyone who has the blessing of justification also has the blessing of spiritual and eternal life.

Exposition: The apostle Paul presents three Biblical reasons that the law covenant can never justify a sinner.

I.          The problem of the curse of the law (3:10)

            A.         The Scriptures speak of an unexpected “surprise” for those who think they can be righteous before God by observing the law. Whoever relies on keeping the law is under a curse!

                        1.         The essence of the legalist’s religion is his or her view that a person can earn God’s favor by keeping a set of rules or rituals. The legalist proclaims, “God will accept me if I do these things.”

                        2.         But this verse is a traumatic shock to the legalist’s system. Reliance on the works of the law brings a curse. Now to a legalist, this sounds like nonsense, because they attempt to base religion on their own wisdom. It’s as if a doctor said to them, “A proper diet, regular exercise, and stopping smoking will cause heart disease.” So then, we must realize that our wisdom must be guided by God’s wisdom in the Scriptures.

            B.         God’s message that refutes the false ideas of the legalist.

                        1.         In a general sense, this means the Scriptures: “for it is written”. Whatever the Lord says in his written word is our final authority. Sometimes what we read might make us feel uncomfortable. We might not even “like” it. But God’s word is the last word.

                        2.         Specifically, Paul refers to the law in which they hoped. He cites Deut 27:26. This is from a section about the curses and blessings of the law covenant. “The words quoted are the conclusion of the curses which were to be pronounced, and contain, as it were, the sum and substance of them all. It is a declaration, that whosoever violated any one of the precepts of the Mosaic law exposed himself to the displeasure of God, and to punishment, as the expression of his displeasure” (Brown).

                        3.         Paul shows that the law is not something that a person may pick some parts out of in order to try to attain a righteous standing with God. No, the law covenant is a unit. It is a package deal. A person has to do everything; if not, he or she is under a curse.

Apply: It is popular in our day for people to think that they can pick and choose from various sources to form their own way of spirituality. When you talk with people, you will encounter this kind of reasoning. God does not share their opinion! When God gave the law, he gave a whole covenant, and no one is free to alter it.

Apply: Some even in evangelical circles have assumed that they can pick out parts of the law and use them to build a system of holiness or spirituality. I am referring to such things as the Sabbath, the feast days, and the dietary regulations. But no one may try to mingle the old and the new covenants. You cannot put yourself under part of the law. It is all or nothing. If you choose something, you are obligated to keep it all.

II.         The one way of justification (3:11)

            A.         Some observations

                        1.         Consider the force of the argument: “Clearly no one….” Paul makes this point, “What I am about to assert is unmistakably clear from the Holy Writings. This truth is the Biblical teaching.”

                        2.         Consider the focus of the argument: “Justification as seen in the eyes of God, and is contrasted with any human interpretation of justification” (Guthrie). To have an accurate view of how to be right with God, we must have God’s view.

Illustration: The view of law that matters is the view of the judge on the bench. Be glad that the ultimate Judge of all humanity is the holy and wise God.

Apply: Every person lives in the presence of God (“before God”) constantly. This is what life is about. Your life is very significant, because you were made to relate to God the Creator and Ruler of everything. This text is talking about how you may have a daily, vital relationship with the living God. The idea of this text matters to you because you are human. Your life is more than about getting stuff and doing stuff, and then letting the world know about your stuff on Facebook or Twitter. In this text, God is reaching out to you to be significantly involved with you. So how can this happen?

            B.         Listen to the teaching of the Old Testament Scriptures (Hab 2:4) – Remember that Paul has already demonstrated from the Bible how a person is not and is justified (Gal 2:16). Now he repeats how a person may be right with God.

                        1.         This was written after the law covenant was given. So then, both before and after the giving of the law, people were justified by faith. The law did not change the way of justification.

                        2.         The teaching of Habakkuk “places salvation squarely in the hands of God. The sinner cannot merit his salvation, but he can trust God and when he does he receives salvation as a free gift” (Morris).

Apply: God’s plan is for people to turn from our rejection of God, refusal to love God, and rebellion against God and his ways and at the same time to trust his Son, Jesus the Lord and Savior, in order to be right with God. Then we have a basis for sharing life with the living God. This matters every day of the week. Right now is an excellent time to turn from your sin and to trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

III.        Two contrary principles (3:12)   

            A.         There is no agreement between the law and faith when the issue is justification.

                        1.         The law demands that a person rely on obedience to all its commands (Lev 18:5). Any blessing in the law is given to those who obey.

                        2.         On the other hand, faith is not about one’s own achievements. Faith is about trusting someone. Faith points a person to the Lord Jesus Christ and says, “Rely on him!”

            B.         The character of the law covenant

                        1.         The only righteousness it could offer was to the One who perfectly obeyed its demands. The only One was Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mt 17:5).

                        2.         The law cannot make the disobedient righteous. The perfectly righteous, it can smile upon. But the sinful it must condemn. It is powerless to perfect the sinner (Rm 8:3). The law covenant cannot save. Neither can the law produce true spirituality or spiritual formation or holiness or Christ-likeness. Instead, everything depends on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Apply: As we conclude, some might wonder, “Why bother with all this?” I think that is a very important question. We must know and act on this because this is the core question of life: “How can I be right with God, the Make and Ruler of everything?” The answer is to turn from your way of life that has been separated from God and trust in Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead in order that people might be right with God. It is also important for daily life in another way. We do not want you to waste your life in an empty way of assumed spirituality. You can’t connect with God by lighting a candle in a darkened room or by sitting in some kind of prescribed position for hours while you empty your mind of everything or by some kind of breathing exercises or by repeating ancient prayers or… Well, we could go on and on. Connection with God comes through Jesus Christ by faith. Do you know him?