The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Galatians 3:22-25, “But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

24 Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”

I have no idea how much Paul knew about the Galatians before he first met them; but, there’s no question that he understood them quite well when he wrote them this letter.

As you might guess, the Galatians had long before migrated south from Gaul. They were a wild and wooly bunch. Like some people I’ve known, they went wild about the message of salvation that Paul gave them; then, in what seems like a split second, they turned against the message and went back to their old ways. Barnes says that they were a people “without stability of character.” That says it! Remember, too, that the Jews were everywhere and had undoubtedly turned them from the grace of God that Paul preached to the Mosaic Law which the Jews were advocating.

Paul reacts like a physician, whose patient has quit taking his prescribed medication: What have you done? Then patiently he explains that “before faith came, we (Jews) were held in custody by the Law.” In time, the Law was replaced with faith. But before faith came, the Law served as our tutor (schoolmaster, KJV) to lead us to Christ.

The Greek word for “tutor” (or “schoolmaster”) is ??????????, paidagogos.

It designates a slave that accompanied a child to and from school and protected the child en route. Young schoolboys in discovery of some newly-found evil were sure to tempt and seduce any child who was not protected. Thus, the paidagogos took charge and kept the child from wrong-doing.

That’s precisely what the Law did for the Jews, but they didn’t let it work as God intended it. Their failure to obey the Law also demonstrated that the Law was without the power to compel them to obey it. Paul says that God only intended the Law to be temporary. His loving grace was en route, in fact, it had already come to the Galatians!

Has God’s grace come to you? Have you faithfully obeyed the commitment you made to Christ? Or are you a Galatian, who started out well, but has fallen back into some previously evil ways? The power of the LORD is within all who have accepted Him by faith! Stay in His Word!! Stay faithfully in prayer! The Holy Spirit has become your paidagogos. He will protect you from evil. Yet, He seems to work in conjunction with our faithfulness. May the Holy Spirit keep you on track with the grace and love of Jesus Christ –just as the Father intended.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”