The Law was once our Tutor

What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. (Galatians 3:19)

The law was added because of our transgressions. 

It was added because of our sins, the violations of the law.

The law serves to reveal our sins against God and His law.

The law serves until the Seed comes to whom the promise was made.

It is there to serve the promised children of God before Christ comes to them.

The law was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.

The law is not against the promises of God.

The law cannot give life.

The law cannot give true righteousness.

According to Scriptures, all men are confined under sin.

Only those who believe are given the promise, by faith in Jesus Christ.

But before faith came, the promised children of God are kept under guard by the law. They are kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

The law serves as our tutor to bring us to Christ.

But the law cannot justify us.

We are only justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith has come.

The children of promise are no longer under the law.

The law is no longer our tutor.

Our tutor is the Lord Jesus Christ through faith.

Honor the Man of God

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. (Galatians 2:9)

God shows personal favoritism to no man.

God created us. 

All that we have come from God. 

Nothing we have stays permanently. 

Naked we come; naked we will return.

Whatever we have, it is to be used for our spiritual good.

God wants us to worship Him and enjoy His Presence.

God wants us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Whatever we have, it is to be used for God's Glory.

God loves those who love Him.

God cares for those who obey His Commandments.

We care not those who are big in their own eye.

They are nothing to us and need no mention.

We care for those who labor and love for God.

We help them and lessen their worries and troubles.

The Jewish Christians in Judea could see that the gospel for the Gentiles had been committed to the apostle Paul, just like the gospel for the Jews was committed to the apostle Peter. God Who worked effectively in apostle Peter's ministry had also worked effectively in apostle Paul's ministry

When James, Peter, and John, the Christian leaders of the Jew, recognised the grace of God working in apostle Paul's ministry, they acknowledged, honored and welcomed the ministry of  the apostle Paul and Barnabas. They encouraged them to go on. Their only desire was that they should remember the poor, the very thing which the apostle Paul also was eager to do.

It is great to see children of God walking in faith and love.

We should give them the right hand of fellowship.

We should encourage them on.

We should honor those who honor God and submit to God.

God's Strength in our Weaknesses

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

A thorn in the flesh was given to the apostle Paul, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations.

There is always a danger for Christian to exalt himself above measure, when he realises that he is abundantly blessed. The more blessed we are, the more danger we are in. We begin to exalt ourselves, and boast of our achievements before God and men.

As Christians, our objective in life should be like that of John the Baptist : "He must increase, but I must decrease." The Lord Jesus Christ must be seen as our Lord in all we have and in all we do. The more blessings we receive from God, the more humbled we should become.

But the opposite is often true when we becomes complacent, and begin to take pride in all we have and in all we do. Like the apostle Paul, some of us are given a thorn in the flesh to humble us. We are reminded often that all we have is from God.

The apostle Paul was blessed with the abundance of revelations. To stop him from exalting himself, a thorn in the flesh was given to him, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. Three times he pleaded with God that it might depart from him. But God refused, and He said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 

The apostle Paul stopped crying about his thorn in the flesh. Instead, he gladly boasted about his infirmities. The power of Christ is made perfect is our weaknesses. It is when we confess our weaknesses before God that the power of Christ rests upon us. 

The apostle Paul took pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. He understood that when he was weak, God would work mightily in him and through him!

As Christians, we are reminded of the same. Let us stop boasting about what we have and what we do. Let us continue our pilgrimage on earth, bearing in mind that "When We are weak, then we are strong".

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us." (Corinthians 4:7)

It is good to remind ourselves that we are earthern vessels for God's use. God will empower us to accomplish His will for us.