Gal. 3:21  "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."

Since the promises of God were made long before the law was given, it makes no sense that God would set up a law that would be in opposition to the promises that he had made or that made his promises of none effect. This would have been completely contrary to the very nature of God that cannot lie. God's promises are sure and cannot fail.

Next, we notice that no law has been given that gives life. This goes contrary to the belief system of many people. Today it is common for people to believe that John 3:16 is the law that is given to give life. Yet John 3:16 plainly does not give life. Some say that if you will accept the Lord as your personal savior you will get life. This is the law that they believe that will give you life. Again, there has been no law given that gives life. Even others say that if you will hear the gospel, believe the gospel, accept the Lord as your personal savior, invite him into your heart, and be baptized that you can get life. Once again, God has not given us any law which gives life.

Righteousness does not come by the law. Righteousness is given to us by the promise of God and through the atoning blood of Christ. It is imputed into us in God's work of regeneration. We do nothing to make ourselves righteous before God. It is by the grace of God alone.

Gal. 3:22  "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe."

"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin." Paul goes into a lot more detail on this in the third chapter of Romans:

Rom. 3:9 "What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

The law is all encompassing in its condemnation of the entire human race. We are all under the law of sin and death. There is none among either Jew or Gentile that is righteous under the law. The law gives us the knowledge of sin and shows us that we are all guilty before God and worthy of his eternal condemnation.

"That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." In contrast to the law, the promise of God gives us great hope. This covenant promise is sure because of the faith of Jesus Christ. Christ is the executor of the covenant promise of God. Thus, because God cannot lie and Christ cannot fail, we know that the completeness of the covenant promises of God will be fulfilled.

These covenant promises are given into the belief system of our heart to assure us that we are saved by his grace through the preaching of the gospel and our belief in those covenant promises.
 

Gal. 3:23-25   "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

Paul is addressing the two covenants of worship that God's people have been under. The first is the covenant of the law. The second covenant he terms "faith." This is the New or second Covenant. "But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." Before the covenant of faith came, the covenant of the law had been given to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai. While the covenant of faith is prophesied of in several places in the Old Testament, yet it was generally hidden from the eyes of the people until God's appointed time to reveal it unto us. Until the time appointed of God for the covenant of faith to come, all true worship of God took place under the law covenant. As we have already been told, this law covenant made no one righteous, but showed us the exceeding sinfulness of sin and showed us that we were under the condemnation of sin and in need of a savior.

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." A schoolmaster is one who takes the children to school. The law was our schoolmaster. The Israelites were given the oracles of God and were much versed in the letter of the law. The law showed the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It also showed the people there was a need for a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. The great multitude and types of animal sacrifices had a common message. There was a great need of a perfect sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. The animal sacrifices could never atone for sin, but brought sin to remembrance and testified of the need of a sacrifice that would atone for sin. Likewise, numerous prophecies of the Old Testament pointed to the coming of one to redeem the family of God and to establish an everlasting kingdom. Furthermore, the types and shadows of the Old Testament testified of the one who was to come. In this manner, the people were brought as a schoolmaster by the law to Christ.

Furthermore, in the heart felt experiences of God's people whether they be by natural Jews or Gentiles, after they are born of the Spirit and God writes his laws in their hearts and minds, they experience the condemnation of sin in their hearts and minds under the moral laws of God. This causes them to search for the answer of how can they get right with God. Thus, the laws written in the hearts and minds of all of God's elect is a schoolmaster also, to lead them to see the need of a redeemer to justify them before God.

That we might be justified by faith." Experiential condemnation takes place in the courtroom of the heart and mind of the child of God. Isaiah related his experience of grace to us in the 6th Chapter of Isaiah when wrote about the condemnation he felt in his heart: Is. 6:5 "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." After experiencing this condemnation of heart, he experienced God's deliverance: Is. 6:6 "Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." Christ is in type that live coal from off the altar. The seraphim is in type the gospel minister delivering the gospel message. Notice that the lesson was not that Isaiah does something to get his sin purged, but rather the message was that the live coal (Christ) had already purged his sin. Upon hearing the message of the seraphim, Isaiah was satisfied that his sin was purged. This is justification by faith. Believing in the gospel truth of salvation by grace brings an assurance of salvation (justification) into the heart of the believer.

"But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Christ fulfilled the law to a jot and a tittle. Jesus Christ satisfied the demands of the law. Christ made the atoning sacrifice for our sins. There is no longer a need for animal sacrifices. Further, all the prophecies of his work and his kingdom are fulfilled. There is no longer a need of a schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ. Now we worship God in a new covenant of worship that Christ has established for us. This is the faith that was "once delivered unto the saints." We are not to go back under the law and bring elements of the law into our worship or mix them with the doctrine of salvation by grace. There is no place for the "grace, but" doctrine.

Gal. 3:26  "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."

The scriptures speak of us being children of God in several different ways. First, we are children of God by covenant election:

    1. Heb. 2:13 "And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me."

    2. Eph. 1:4 "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:"

Second, we are the children of God by Spiritual birth:

    1. 1 Pet. 1:23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

    2. John 3:3

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

Third, we are the children of God by adoption:

    1. Eph. 1:5 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

    2. Rom. 8:23 "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Fourth, we are manifest children of God by faith and good works:

    1. John 1:12 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

    2. Matt. 5:44 "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust."

Notice that being manifest children does not make us children, but rather it manifest what we already are. By faith and good works, we manifest the inner spiritual nature of our spiritual birth to the praise, honor, and glory of God. In this manner, we are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
 

Gal. 3:27-29  "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." While there are many baptisms taught in the scriptures, this baptism is the ceremonial baptism of water baptism. Water baptism represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When someone submits to water baptism, he is saying that he believes that Jesus died for him and that Jesus arose the third day having justified him. Further, he is proclaiming his desire to turn from the former lifestyle to walk in newness of life as the disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has put on Christ as his redeemer, master, and king. He has put on Christ with the desire to be the disciple of Christ in His kingdom.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." In the kingdom of God, there is no distinction between a persons nationality, his earthly position, or his sexual makeup. Thus, we do not observe one thing if we are a Jew, or another thing if we are a Gentile. We do not occupy one position in the church kingdom of heaven if we are a master and another if we are a servant. We come into the kingdom of God as a little child of God desirous to serve our redeemer, lord, and master. All class distinctions disappear in the kingdom of God. The church is the body of Christ and has many members. The many members make up the body of Christ. Thus, we are one in Christ Jesus.

"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Being Christ's precedes being Abraham's seed. We are Christ's by covenant election before the world began. The promise was made to Abraham over two thousand years after the world was created that Abraham's seed would be multiplied as the sand upon the sea shore, and as the dust of the earth. Abraham's seed is defined for us as being Christ. Thus, we are first Christ's and then we are Abraham's seed. Our inheritance is based on covenant promise before the world began and that covenant promise was confirmed in Abraham. Our inheritance is not based on the works of the law. It is by promise.