Galatians 3:21
Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid.Right here Paul is saying the law is NOT in opposition to God's promises. A lot of people seem to think the two are in opposition -- but that is not the case.
In fact, were it not for the law, people wouldn't feel a need for the gospel.
Romans 3:31 " 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.Paul does not do away with the binding nature of God's moral law! The law defines sin. And it continues to do so.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.So, Paul is NOT pushing God's moral law aside. But he is addressing a problem. What is that problem?
Galatians 3:21-22 for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sinThe problem was thinking they could cover their sinfulness by law keeping. All are under sin -- all have sinned. All are under the condemnation of death. The law cannot give us life because the law cannot forgive those who transgress, it can only condemn the transgressor.
We can go back to Eden to help us understand.
There we see Adam and Eve in perfect harmony with the Creator. They were clothed in the in beautiful garments of righteousness -- light.
But then, they transgressed God's command. What happened to that beautiful garment of righteousness? It disappeared!
Sensing their nakedness they quickly picked some nice large fig leaves and stitched them together to make for themselves garments. Yet when Christ came to the garden to be with them they ran and hid. Why? Adam says, " I was afraid, because I was naked;" Yet, they had those nice green garments of leaves didn't they? Yet, they still sensed their nakedness.
This is what the transgressors of God's law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve's disobedience. They have sewed together fig leaves to cover the nakedness caused by transgression. They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God. {COL 311.1}
But this they can never do. Nothing can man devise to supply the place of his lost robe of innocence. No fig-leaf garment, no worldly citizen dress, can be worn by those who sit down with Christ and angels at the marriage supper of the Lamb. {COL 311.2}
Only the covering which Christ Himself has provided can make us meet to appear in God's presence. This covering, the robe of His own righteousness, Christ will put upon every repenting, believing soul. "I counsel thee," He says, "to buy of Me . . . white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Revelation 3:18. {COL 311.3}
The fig leaves represent our attempts to justify our disobedience.
How do we attempt to justify self? With excuses? Trying to bargain with God -- thinking some good deeds offset our disobedience?
But those fig leaves will never cover or remove our sins. We are still in the shame of our sinful nakedness. Only Christ can cloth us in the beautiful garments of righteousness.