The apostle Paul speaks of a set of laws that were repealed and set aside by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He uses two different terms for this set of laws: 1) “the works of the law,,” and 2) “our schoolmaster.” He then asks “Wherefore then serves the law?” Or, What was its’ purpose? Why did God institute and keep in place this law of works, or schoolmaster law? Paul answers his own question, writing “It was ADDED because of transgressions.” (See Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:24 and Galatians 3:19). Notice what Paul is clearly and plainly saying. He says this law of works, or schoolmaster law, was instituted by God because another set of laws was being transgressed! Remember, Paul told the believers at Rome, “Where no law is, there is no transgression” (See Romans 4:15). A non-existent law cannot be transgressed or broken! And the law that was being transgressed was such a sacred, holy law that God introduced and set in motion another set of laws to protect the sanctity of the law He had instituted long before.
At this point I feel it is necessary to leap forward to the 5th chapter of Galatians in order to show my reader what the “schoolmaster law” or “law of works” was NOT. I now quote verses 19, 20 and 21 from that chapter: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest (self evident), which are these: adultery (the breaking of the 7th commandment), fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness (entertaining lustful desires), idolatry (the breaking of the 1st and 2nd commandments)…murders (the breaking of the 6th commandment)….and such like (similar commandments, comprising the Ten Commandments) of which I tell you before (before you get caught up in such gross sins), as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Now we see from these three verses alone that the “schoolmaster law” and the “law of works” or “works of the law” could not possibly be the Ten Commandments as Paul states emphatically that if one breaks that law they shall be shut out of the kingdom of God! And, of course, there are many other texts in many other epistles written by Paul, Peter and John that show the Ten Commandments are still valid and in full force today.
So what was this “schoolmaster law?” Well, what does a schoolmaster do? He teaches. And that is exactly what the schoolmaster law or law of works did. These laws taught Israel the habit of obedience for in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures, there were 613 laws. These laws were called “the law of works” due to the fact that many of them, such as the laws of sacrifice and ritual cleansings, required physical labor to perform. These were the laws that were repealed. Only those laws that would obviously coincide with and fall under the Ten Commandments remain in force today. A male member of the body of Christ no longer needs to wear a beard, allowing it to grow without ever trimming it. (See Leviticus 19:27). A member of God’s church can wear a garment of linen and woolen without being charged with sin. (See Leviticus 19:19). A farmer, who has an orchard, is not obligated to give to the Lord his entire crop grown in the fourth year. (See Leviticus 19:23-25).
Brethren, study to show yourselves approved unto God, saying what God says through His holy apostles and prophets.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley