Topical Bible: The Law of Moses: A Schoolmaster to Lead to Christ

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The Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Law, is a central element of the Old Testament, encompassing the commandments, statutes, and ordinances given by God to the nation of Israel through Moses. It is traditionally divided into three parts: the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law, epitomized by the Ten Commandments, reflects God's holy and righteous standards. The ceremonial law includes the sacrificial system, festivals, and rituals, while the civil law governs the social and judicial aspects of Israelite life.

Purpose and Function

The Law served multiple purposes in the life of Israel. It was a covenantal framework that established Israel as a distinct people, set apart for God. It provided guidelines for worship, social justice, and personal conduct, ensuring that the Israelites lived in a manner pleasing to God. The Law also revealed the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humanity, highlighting the need for atonement and reconciliation with God.

The Law as a Schoolmaster

In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul provides a profound interpretation of the Law's role in relation to Christ. In Galatians 3:24 , Paul writes, "So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The term "guardian" or "schoolmaster" (Greek: παιδαγωγός, paidagōgos) refers to a tutor or custodian responsible for the care and discipline of a child. The Law, in this sense, functioned as a guide, preparing the way for the coming of Christ by highlighting humanity's inability to achieve righteousness through works.

The Law and the Promise

Paul contrasts the Law with the promise given to Abraham, emphasizing that the Law, which came 430 years later, does not nullify the covenant of faith (Galatians 3:17-18). The Law was added "because of transgressions, until the arrival of the Seed to whom the promise referred" (Galatians 3:19). This Seed is identified as Christ, through whom the promise of blessing to all nations is fulfilled.

The Law and Justification

The Law's inability to justify is a recurring theme in Paul's writings. In Romans 3:20 , he states, "Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin." The Law exposes sin but cannot provide the means for salvation. Justification comes through faith in Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law's demands and bore its curse on behalf of humanity (Galatians 3:13).

The Fulfillment of the Law in Christ

Jesus Christ declared that He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). His life, death, and resurrection accomplished what the Law could not: the perfect obedience required by God and the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Through Christ, believers are no longer under the Law's condemnation but are called to live by the Spirit, fulfilling the righteous requirements of the Law through love (Romans 8:3-4).

The Law's Continuing Relevance

While Christians are not bound by the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic Law, the moral law remains relevant as it reflects God's unchanging character. The Law continues to instruct believers in righteousness, guiding them in their sanctification and relationship with God. As Paul writes in Romans 7:12 , "So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good."

In summary, the Law of Moses serves as a schoolmaster, leading to Christ by revealing sin, pointing to the need for a Savior, and preparing the way for the new covenant of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Galatians 3:24
Why the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Law, and the Prophecy.
... 1. The law of Moses was the clearest expression of the holy will of God before the
advent of Christ. ... [59] 8 It acted as a schoolmaster to lead men to Christ ...
/.../schaff/history of the christian church volume i/section 10 the law and.htm

The Discourse Continued: Incapacity of the Jews to Understand the ...
... truly sincere in observing the law, the law would have ... to them a paidagogos eis Christon
(a schoolmaster to lead to ... Ye strive for the honour of Moses, yet, in ...
/.../section 147 the discourse continued .htm

The Law Given, not to Retain a People for Itself, but to Keep ...
... are, I. The Moral and Ceremonial Law a schoolmaster to bring ... By the Law, I understand
not only the Ten ... whole system of religion delivered by the hand of Moses. ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 7 the law given.htm

Christ the End of the Law
... The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, or rather our ... For when Moses had
spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 22 1876/christ the end of the.htm

"Now the End of the Commandment is Charity Out of a Pure Heart ...
... (2) Those who say the law on mount ... salvation thereby, but they make it only a
schoolmaster to lead ... as it takes in all the administration and doctrine of Moses. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xi now the end.htm

Brief Outline of Ancient Jewish Theological Literature
... chassanim" combined with their original duties the office of schoolmaster; and at ...
all possible cases, the principles laid down in the law of Moses; as also ...
/.../edersheim/sketches of jewish social life/chapter 18 brief outline of.htm

Acts XXI
... for they complained that Paul taught "apostasy from Moses." The specifications ... [524]
As for the law, he taught that it had been "a schoolmaster to lead ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xxi.htm

Inseparable Connection Between the Old and the New Testament.
... summed up by Paul: "The law was our schoolmaster to bring ... should be one of their
brethren, as Moses was ... the world, the typical sacrifices of the law ceased for ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter viii inseparable connection between.htm

Miscellaneous Subjects.
... This is called a covenant, and was to serve as a schoolmaster to lead its ... by the
observance of any part or the whole of the law of Moses including the ten ...
/.../orr/the gospel day /chapter xvi miscellaneous subjects.htm

The Negative Side
... Moses Stuart ... Chalmers: "There is one obvious sense in which Christ is the end of
the Law, and that is when the Law is viewed as a schoolmaster brings us ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the law and the saint/the negative side.htm