Understanding Galatians 3:24-25 in Depth: Free Through Faith

The Law as a Guardian Until Christ

Now that faith has come through Jesus Christ, we’re no longer under the strict supervision of the law, which once acted like a guardian leading us to Him.

In Galatians 3:24, Paul uses the word 'guardian' - a paidagōgos in Greek - which referred to a trusted household servant in ancient times who escorted and disciplined children, not to punish them, but to guide them until they came of age. The law served this role for God’s people: it didn’t give life or make us right with God, but it showed us our sin and pointed us to the need for a Savior. Now that Christ has come, the guardian’s job is complete, and we relate to God not through rules but through faith.

This shift from law to faith sets the stage for understanding our new identity in Christ, which Paul will go on to describe as adoption into God’s family.

The Law as a Temporary Guardian and Faith as the Fulfillment

The shift from being 'under the law' to living 'by faith' marks a decisive moment in God’s plan, where the old way of rules gives way to the new reality of relationship through Christ.

In Galatians 3:24, Paul says the law was our 'paidagōgos' - a strict guardian in ancient households who disciplined and directed children but had no authority to grant inheritance. The law served this role: it restrained, exposed sin, and prepared God’s people for the coming Savior, but it could never make anyone right with God. This is why Paul says in verse 21 that if the law could give life, righteousness would indeed come by it - but it never could. Instead, as verse 22 says, 'the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin,' showing that no one could be justified by lawkeeping.

Now that faith has arrived - meaning the arrival of Jesus, the object of faith - we enter a new era. This is a redemptive-historical shift: the promise to Abraham is fulfilled in Christ, and we are no longer under supervision but adopted as sons (v.26). The law’s temporary role ends where faith begins, not because the law was bad, but because its purpose was fulfilled. When a schoolmaster dismisses students after class, the law’s guardianship ends now that Christ has come.

Paul’s argument rests on the doctrine of justification by faith alone - a legal declaration that we are made right with God not by our efforts but through trusting Christ. This is rooted in Abraham’s example (v.6) and confirmed by the promise that all nations would be blessed in him. The law, added later (v.19), never replaced that promise. It only highlighted our failure to keep it.

The law was never the destination - it was the road that led to Christ.

This freedom in Christ redefines identity: we are no longer defined by ethnicity, status, or gender, but as 'one in Christ Jesus' (v.28). The next section will explore what this unity means for how we live as God’s family.

Living in Freedom, Not Under the Law's Rules

Now that faith has come, we’re no longer under the law’s strict oversight, but free to live as God’s children through trust in Christ.

This means we’re no longer trying to earn God’s approval by keeping rules. Instead, we live in the freedom of being loved and accepted by faith. The law once showed us our sin, but now, through Jesus, we’re defined by grace, not guilt.

We’re not under the law’s supervision anymore - because faith has set us free.

This new life in Christ leads directly into Paul’s next point: our unity as one family in Him, where differences like Jew or Gentile, slave or free, no longer divide us (Galatians 3:28).

The Law, Faith, and the New Covenant in Christ

This shift from law to faith isn’t isolated - it’s part of God’s larger story, clearly seen in Romans 10:4, where Paul says, 'Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,' showing that the law’s purpose is fulfilled in Him.

The New covenant promise in Jeremiah 31:33 also confirms this: 'I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.' Now, under this new covenant, we follow God not from fear of breaking rules, but from love and an inward transformation through the Spirit.

The law pointed to Christ; now faith in Him writes God’s ways on our hearts.

This truth changes how we live: instead of focusing on rule-keeping, we grow in trust and love, and our church communities become places of grace, where people are welcomed not for how well they behave, but for how deeply they’re loved by God in Christ.

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