Galatians 3:19-22 Why Do We Have The Law?

James Reed's FORGE

On the last episode, we focused on covenants. God has chosen to deal with His people and their redemption through covenants. We talked about the Abrahamic and Mosaic Covenants last week, but there are others too. There was the Noahic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant. In creation, God entered into a covenant of works with Adam. Adam was called to obey God. The law at that time was not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This is called a covenant of works because if Adam kept the law, he would live. If he violated the law, he and all his posterity would die.

Concerning our text today, RC Sproul said, “Ironically, that we are justified by Christ alone also means that the only way any of us will be saved is by works.” [1] Now, when I first read this, I thought, “What in the world is RC getting at here? Did I read that right?” RC is correct from a certain point of view. We are all under the work of the first Adam which resulted in disobedience, or we are under the work of Christ—the second Adam. The work of Christ kept the law perfectly. So, when you think of it this way, we are saved by works. The question is, “Whose works?” This is what RC was getting at.

[1]Sproul, R. C. For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free. (Sanford: Ligonier Ministries, 2022), 71.

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