Bible Studies

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Paul Declares the Laws Purpose Part 3

Galatians 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. KJV

Paul now becomes very specific in what God’s purpose was for giving His “Law” to man. It was that man would be “kept” by His “Law”. This English phrase “we were kept” is translated from the Greek word phroureo which means to mount guard or guard from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon or figuratively to hem in, attend to, and to protect as with a garrison/fortified military troops protecting classified military equipment and personnel. God’s “Law” was not only given by Him to reveal to us the exceeding sinfulness of our sin, but also to protect man from the consequences or built in spiritual and physical fruit of entering into sinful behavior or lifestyles. Paul is going to paint this picture in clearer terms in Chapter 6 of this same letter when he writes, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7-8).

The Law of God cannot be broken by man without receiving the “just” reward or fruit in so doing. Paul has already earlier declared that there is a “curse” (Galatians 3:10) attached to every human being still “under the law”, but the Law of God is not cursed it is perfect and good as Paul declares to the Romans in this manner, “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12). The problem is not with the Law of God, but instead it is with the heart of man or the inner man or the real man. Paul declares these Galatians and us “shut up” under the law or the Greek word for this phrase sugkleio which means or denotes being in union with the law or that is by association possession and companionship with the law; figuratively to embrace in a common subjection or to be enclosed into the law, i.e. surrounded completely (1 Corinthians 15:56).

Literally every human being born of woman has the “curse of God’s Law” enclosed inside their human nature inherited from our Parents Adam and Eve. Paul writes this to the Roman believers, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). “The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:23 that every human being (i.e., all humanity) born into this world after Adam’s fall holds sin as a possession, a condition, and a relation. We are united to sin by the result of our fallen nature. We are, therefore, incapable in this spiritual state and condition to praise, worship, honor, and glorify God (which is what we were created to do).” Excerpt from My Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”.

Paul writes this very theory to the Roman believers again with these words, “For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:14). “I want to examine three key words in Romans 7:14 to shed some light on our number one enemy (man’s fallen nature). At first glance, you might think that the Apostle Paul is distinguishing himself and all men as fleshly and living in a body. When we examine the three words “spiritual,” “carnal,” and “sold” in this verse and learn their proper meanings, however, we discover something completely and entirely different. The first word, spiritual, comes from the Greek word pneumatikos, which means divinely supernatural and regenerate. The second word, carnal, comes from the Greek word sarkikos, which means unregenerate. The third word, sold, comes from the Greek word pipraskoprao, which means to traffic, that is, to dispose of as merchandise or into slavery. Now when we amplify this verse of scripture it reads as follows: Romans 7:14 (AMP): For we know that the law is spiritual (divinely supernatural and regenerate): but I am carnal (unregenerate), sold (into slavery) under sin.” Excerpt from My Book entitled “Silent Assassins of the Soul: Finding Freedom from Sexual Impurity through the Lord Jesus Christ, A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs”.

We see that God’s Law does nothing to cure man’s sin, but instead it even exacerbates or worsens man’s sinfulness until our Lord Jesus Christ was born of a woman, born under the law, and died for our sins, resurrected from the dead to release us from the curse of the law and the dominion or dominating power sin has over unregenerate man by virtue of legal attachment as Paul declared to the Romans with these words, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21). Unregenerate man is kept or phroureo and shut up or sugkleio “under the law” until faith be revealed or apokalupto which means when faith is uncovered or disclosed and this happened when Christ Jesus our Lord came to earth as the God-Man.

However, now for those Galatians and us who are “in Christ” by way of “faith”, we are no longer “under the law” as Paul wrote in this manner to the Roman believers, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” (Romans 6:14-18).

My own Personal Note: God’s Law is like a boundary line that if crossed, then sure and certain consequences (harsh in nature) in crossing that line will be the result. God’s Laws are not suggested to man for his approval or disapproval, but it was given to man to accept like it or not and came from Mount Saini with associated lightning and thunder as we documented in our last study. The Law of God was meant to guard man and enclose him into a place of confinement that he could not break out of until “faith” was uncovered in the Person of our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no fulfillment of God’s Law apart from “faith in Jesus Christ” and when His Love is shed abroad in our hearts, then and only then is the Law of God fulfilled (Romans 5:5-8), also as Paul wrote here to the Roman believers, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10).

“Enclosed by the Law with reference to the full and glorious revelation of a system of salvation by faith. The design and tendency of the Law was to shut us up to that as the only method of salvation. All other means failed. The Law condemned every other mode, and the Law condemned all who attempted to be justified in any other way. Man, therefore, was shut up to that as his last hope; and could look only to that for any possible prospect of salvation. The word which in this verse is rendered “were kept” usually means to guard or watch, as in a castle, or as prisoners are guarded; and though the word should not be pressed too far in the interpretation, yet it implies that there was a rigid scrutiny observed; that the Law guarded them; that there was no way of escape; and that they were shut up. as prisoners under sentence of death, to the only hope, which was that of pardons. That was the only hope. The Law condemned them, and offered no hope of escape. Their only hope was in that system which was to be revealed through the Messiah, the system which extended forgiveness on the ground of faith in His atoning blood.” Albert Barnes

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…

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