Months ago we bought a new desktop computer for my office.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work well for very long. Somehow, a corrupted file with a virus must have been downloaded, because my computer developed problems. It would lock up, delete work, and refuse to respond to commands. Even though it had been dependable and worked great in the past, it just wouldn’t work anymore.

The Book of Galatians was written in an attempt to rescue truly saved individuals that were being drawn back into keeping the Mosaic Law. False teachers were convincing them that works were needed for eternal salvation. Paul told them they should still be standing fast in the position “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law” (Galatians 2:16). The laws given to Israel were an elaborate system that the Lord used for millenniums. But God never intended it to be a permanent program to govern His people. Paul explained to the church at Corinth that God always intended for the Law of Moses to be “done away” and “abolished” (II Corinthians 3:7-13). Today, God has a new system of grace to govern man. It works far better than the Law, which was only an “[ad]ministration of “death” and “condemnation” (II Corinthians 3:7,9). Something better was needed, something new, that could give life rather than death. “For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily [or truly] righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:21-22). Before setting Israel and the Law aside in mid-Acts, those who sought the Lord were “…kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterward be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:23-25). The Law given to Moses simply does not work any more. One might refuse to move on to a better system of grace, but this is an effort in futility. Like the antiquated floppy disk system, God has discontinued His program of the Law and replaced it with a new program of grace.

Share the good news, that a new, and far better, program of grace has replaced the Mosaic Law. Then rejoice and stand fast in grace.