Galatians 3:19-25 What the Purpose of the Law Is (February 1, 2026 AM, Dr. Michael Grasso)

"Why was the Mosaic Law given—and what role does it play in God’s plan of salvation? In Galatians 3:19–25, the Apostle Paul answers this question directly, showing that the law was never intended to justify sinners, but to point them unmistakably to Christ.

In this sermon, we examine Paul’s redemptive-historical argument that the law was “added because of transgressions” and remained in force only until the promised Seed—Jesus Christ—came. Far from providing an alternative way of salvation, the Mosaic system was designed to expose sin, shut every mouth, and prepare God’s people for the coming of the true atonement.

We consider Paul’s teaching on the law as a temporary guardian or tutor, explaining how both the moral law and the ceremonial system functioned together to reveal humanity’s guilt while pointing beyond themselves to a greater sacrifice. The sacrifices declared that sin required blood, but they could never take sin away. Their purpose was to direct faith forward—to the Redeemer God himself would provide.

This passage also clarifies why Christians are no longer under the Mosaic economy, while still affirming the enduring moral law of God. The tutor has done its work. Faith has come. Christ has accomplished what the law could only proclaim as necessary but unattainable.

Ultimately, Galatians 3:19–25 teaches that even the giving of the law serves one central purpose in redemptive history: to magnify the glory of Christ and to drive sinners away from self-righteousness and toward salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

May God grant us eyes to see that everything in Scripture—even the law itself—declares the sufficiency of our Redeemer and calls us to rest in his finished work."