Have you ever wondered why God gave the law if salvation comes by faith alone? If the gospel is about grace through Christ, what purpose did the Old Testament law serve? In Galatians chapter 3, Paul answers this question with clarity and care. He describes the law as a temporary guardian or tutor whose role was to lead people to Christ.
Paul poses the question himself in Galatians 3:19: “What purpose then does the law serve?” He answers immediately: “It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made.” The law came after the promise to Abraham. It was not meant to replace the promise of justification by faith. Instead, it addressed sin in a specific way until the promised Seed, Jesus Christ, arrived.
The law was added “because of transgressions.” It defined sin clearly and showed the seriousness of breaking God’s commands. Romans 7:7 echoes this: “I would not have known sin except through the law.” Without the law, people might not recognize their rebellion against God. The law exposed guilt and highlighted the need for a Savior.
Paul uses a striking picture in Galatians 3:23-24: “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” The word “tutor” here translates the Greek paidagogos. In ancient Greek and Roman culture, a paidagogos was a trusted slave who supervised a child, taking him to school, enforcing discipline, and protecting him until he reached maturity.
The law functioned like that guardian. It restrained sin, provided moral guidance, and kept Israel distinct as God’s people. It watched over humanity like a strict overseer until the time was right for Christ to come. The law was never the final destination. It pointed forward to something greater.
Galatians 3:25 makes the shift clear: “But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Once Christ arrived and faith in Him became possible, the law’s guardian role ended for believers. We are no longer under its supervision in the same way. Justification now comes through faith in Christ, not through law-keeping.
This does not mean the law is worthless or abolished. It remains holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). It still reveals God’s character, instructs believers in righteous living, and convicts the world of sin. But its role as the means of righteousness or the path to acceptance with God has been fulfilled in Christ.
Paul contrasts the temporary nature of the law with the permanent promise. In Galatians 3:17, he explains that the law, which came 430 years after the promise to Abraham, did not annul that earlier covenant. The promise stands firm, and Christ is its fulfillment. The law served as a bridge between the promise and its realization in Jesus.
Think about a child under a paidagogos. The guardian is necessary during childhood, but the goal is maturity and independence. When the child grows up, he no longer needs the constant oversight. In the same way, the law prepared humanity for the coming of Christ. Now that faith has come through Him, believers live as mature sons and daughters, not as children under supervision.
This truth brought freedom to the Galatians. They had been pressured to return to law-observance as if faith in Christ were incomplete. Paul insists that going back under the tutor means rejecting the maturity Christ brings. Galatians 4:4-5 describes the moment of change: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Christ was born under the law to fulfill it perfectly and redeem those enslaved by its demands. Through Him, we receive sonship, the Spirit, and direct access to the Father. The guardian has handed us over to our true inheritance.
This has practical meaning for us today. Some Christians live as if they are still under the tutor, constantly checking boxes of performance to feel accepted by God. Others dismiss the law entirely and live without moral boundaries. Both miss the point. The law led us to Christ, and now in Christ we live by the Spirit who produces true righteousness from the inside out (Galatians 5:22-23).
The law shows us our need. Christ meets that need. The Spirit empowers us to live in a way that honors God, not out of fear of the tutor, but out of love for our Savior.
If you feel stuck trying to measure up or burdened by rules, remember the law’s purpose. It was temporary. It pointed to Christ. Now faith has come, and you are no longer under a guardian. You are a child of God, accepted fully in Jesus.
Rest in that reality. Let the law continue to instruct you as Scripture, but do not let it condemn you. Christ has fulfilled its demands. Walk in the freedom of sons and daughters, led by the Spirit into a life of love and gratitude.
May we thank God for the law that guarded us until Christ came. May we rejoice that faith has arrived, and we are forever secure in Him. To the glory of our Redeemer forever.