Today I merely plan to “introduce” our Text verse. We shall return to it again Monday morning, the Lord willing.

And the Verse?

Galatians 3:19, pivotal in several ways!

“Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”

This Saturday, just that opening question!

“Wherefore then serveth the law?”

Paul seems to have “downplayed” the Law for nearly three (in Galatians) chapters now. And here (surprisingly) he suggests it does have some value! 

The verb “serveth” is purposely “italicized” in our King James Bibles. Look at your Copy and you’ll see what I mean. The King James Translators (all scholars in their own right, back in the early 1600s) were thus (by italicization) showing us a word (sometimes a group of words) not in the original (Greek or Hebrew) Text. They did this for the sake of clarity, lucidity in understanding the “intent” of the Scripture verse at hand. (Hundreds, if not thousands of such italicized instances occur within our Bible’s 1,189 chapters.)

So … “Wherefore then serveth the law?”

But they (the team of translators who worked on Galatians) sure did a good job!

Paul wants to tell us what the Law is really designed to do, the “service” it performed in God’s overall Plan, in God’s Will!

The Greek here is “tis oun ho nomos.” 

Literally, “WHY THE LAW THEN?”

Or, “THEN WHY THE LAW?”

Paul will answer that question immediately, at least partially so.

He adds other reasons for the Law’s existence elsewhere in his Corpus, his Writings.

A Christian is never to “bad-mouth” the Law of God, within itself.

It is our Friend, when properly used.

But it is a horror when preached as a means of salvation!

Never minimize God’s Word! (And do remember the Law of Moses essentially spans Exodus through Deuteronomy, a lot of Bible Territory!)

Every Line (yes, of the Law too) divinely inspired!

Just be careful to rightly divide it!

As I’ve said, more Monday morning, the Lord willing.

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

Meanwhile, thank God for His marvelous Grace!