Galatians 3:19
19What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
Truth to Learn
The law was given to Moses so that we could see how exceedingly sinful we are and how righteous Jesus is.
Behind the Words
In the opening sentence of this verse, you will notice that two words are grayed-out (“does” and “serve”). These two words don’t appear in the original Greek but were added by the translators. Perhaps a better translation of this sentence is, “Then why the law?”
The expression “because of transgressions” is translated from the word “parabaseōn,” which properly means with respect to transgressions or wrongdoing. The point is not that the law was added as a result of transgressions but that it was added to show the true nature of transgressions.
Meaning Explained
As we have been working our way through this chapter of Galatians, it has become obvious that Paul is teaching that salvation (righteousness) comes by faith without any help from obedience to the law. He has made that point abundantly clear several times. Therefore, the obvious question is, “Then why did God go to all the effort to deliver the law to Moses and the children of
In Paul’s typical manner he does not dodge this issue but addresses it head-on. Knowing that this would be in his readers’ minds, he proceeds to ask and answer the question himself. The answer is, “It was added to show the true nature of transgressions.” We would not understand the true nature of disobeying God unless there was a way for us to experience it. Since none of us are righteous, we cannot satisfy the law. We are natural born law breakers and the law makes that obvious to us.
Another purpose of the law was for us to see how righteous Jesus is, since He fully kept the law. And, as Paul showed us in the previous verses, Christ was the seed to whom the promise of the inheritance of the world was made. Now, since we can’t satisfy the law and Christ has satisfied the law, we are all under God’s condemnation. The perfect one, Jesus Christ, then gave Himself as the payment for our sins so that we could receive His righteousness by faith, and faith alone.
So What?
As we are told in Romans:
§ “There is no one righteous, not even one,” [Romans 3:10]
§ “The wages of sin is death” [Romans 6:23a]
§ “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:23b]
Without the law we would not know our own sinfulness and we could not accept God’s gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ.
Once again, God thought of everything!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2007 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: