v15-18) Here Paul establishes that a promise, a covenant, was made between God and Abraham way before the Law ever showed up. start to get a glimpse of why the Law was given.
v19-22) It's interesting here to note that the Law was ordained by angels through a mediator, Moses, until the Seed would come. God gave the promise, angels gave the Law to point to the need of the promise.
v21 is worthy of a special note: "...For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law." The law can never impart life.... ever. This is why salvation by works dies. The law was never made to, in fact can't, impart life to us, only Christ can.
People, myself included, seem to fall asleep in their sin, we love our sins and grow use to the pursuits of the world, until the law wakes us up to our condition. Then the shear terror of our condition really sinks home and the only, the only, way out is faith in Christ. The law is used wake us up to our condition and then to point us to the promise God made so many years ago, the promise of Christ.
v25-29) Once we have graduated the sixth grade there is no reason to repeat the grade. Surely we will need some refreshers going forward, to recall things previously learned, but once faith has come there is no need for the pointer to Christ. There is no need for the law, except to remind us, during prideful moments, and redirect us back to Christ. The law takes a backseat and we move forward in new revelation, in new teaching, in living out this faith now established in Christ.
Lord, help me to not head back to the Law, or my little watered down versions of it. Help me to continue the faith in you that brings joy, that brings comfort, that brings life.
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