It's called protective custody. Sometimes the government places a critical witness for the prosecution under its protection when someone is in danger of being intimidated, threatened or murdered. And often the witness being protected doesn't understand the imminent danger.
There is little to no freedom. Without a broader perspective of the case, the witness being protected can feel as if they are not only being confined but punished.
That's exactly how Paul describes God's law in these verses. He continues to hammer away at the counterfeit gospel the Judaizers preached in the Galatian churches. They've told these new believers that to maintain their salvation they must follow the rules of God's law.
The apostle says that is an absolute crock and misuse of the Torah. God gave us His law for a completely different reason. Before Jesus came, both historically and personally, we are under the protective custody of the law. It's how God protects us from the world, our enemy and ourselves.
"Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed" (v23). A look at the original text reveals that Paul speaks of "the faith."
This is not a generic or broad faith in anything. This is a VERY specific faith. A trust in Jesus and what He has done for us. Living the perfect life that we could never live. Dying the brutal death that we should have died.
Paul tells us that before Jesus arrived on the scene, "we were held captive under the law" (v23). He uses the Greek verb φρουρεω/phroureo.
It describes setting a guard over something or someone in order to provide protection. The term was used when a military garrison guarded a city from attack.
America's recent role in both Iraq and Afghanistan may help us understand this idea. While the US military may have provided protection from terrorists in these nations, the citizens believed they were under the fist of an occupying force.
That's how we see God's law without the broader perspective. Rather than being under divine protection, we think we're the boot of a dominating force.
The apostle goes on to say that we're under protective custody and "imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed" (v23).
Again, the original text gives us further insight. This is συγκλειω/sugkleio, the same verb he uses in verse 22. It means that we are completely surrounded and there is no possibility of escape.
The verb was used when talking about how a school of fish was trapped in a net. Paul lets us know that there is no escaping God's law before we come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.
We're completely surrounded. There is no escape. We're not only under the protective care of the law but under its unrelenting and ever present judgment until we turn to Christ.
We also see that we don't find Jesus. God reveals Him to us. We're helpless to discover our Savior without the divine assistance of the Lord. We need God to pull the spiritual blindfold from our eyes. We need Jesus to be revealed for us.
Paul personifies God's law by saying "So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came" (v24). He uses the term παιδαγογος/paidagogos.
In Greek and Roman culture, families employed a tutor or male nursemaid to oversee the care and education over boys from ages 6 to 16.
These guardians met kids after school and were very strict disciplinarians. This was far from a warm and fuzzy relationship. But it was for the good of the child. Like a tough football coach, God's law breaks us down in order to build us up.
The apostle let's us know that this protective custody under the guardianship of God's law is only temporary. It's only until Jesus comes into our lives. It prepares us and helps us realize our need for a Savior.
The law pounds and pounds on us until we come to the point that self-salvation is fruitless pursuit. We can only "be justified by faith" (v24). We are only made right in the eyes of God when we place our trust in the finished work of Jesus.
Until then, we're under protective custody.
©2012
Jay Jennings
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