Galatians 3:19-22
19 “Why the Law then? It was added on account of the violations, having been ordered through angels at the hand of a mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; but God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? Far from it! For if a law had been given that was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.22 But the Scripture has confined everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
Why the Law then?: God, in His infinite wisdom, chose to use the law as a bony finger to point out the sinfulness of Israel and humanity. Notice Paul’s words: The law was added because of sin. But only until the seed, or Christ, appeared. Christ is the end of the law because He is the object to whom the law points. The law is inferior to the New Covenant because it is not founded in Christ. It was ordained through angels. The New Covenant, however, is the result of God’s promise to Himself (Hebrews 6:16).
Mediator: In the Old Covenant, Moses was a mediator between God and Israel. But Moses ultimately mediated a ministry of death (2 Corinthians 3:6-7). Christ, on the other hand, mediated the New Covenant of life (2 Corinthians 3:6-7). The New Covenant is a better covenant because it is founded on Christ. The eternal security debate is often focused on what we can do to lose salvation. But the New Covenant takes us out of the equation. It’s about God making a promise to Himself. The Old Covenant is about what we may do. So, if we are not part of the equation to begin with, and our salvation is based on a promise from God, then our salvation is secure.
