Galatians 3:21-29

Galatians 3:21-29 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Not all technological upgrades make our lives better.  For example, Caleb can clearly read the speedometer in the van from the backseat, and he also knows what the speed limit signs on the side of the road mean.  He has become quite adept at noting the occasional difference between the two numbers. 
  Think about it -- if it weren't for the speed limit signs, would you know that you were speeding?  If the law didn't exist, would you recognize some of your behaviors as inherently dangerous toward yourself or others?  Would you realize how dangerous it might be to drive in the rain without your headlights on?  Traffic laws remind us that some behaviors are dangerous and exist to help keep us safe.
  The Old Testament law was a gift to us, meant to guide and direct our every action so that God would be glorified.  We, however, failed to keep up our end of the bargain, so the sacrificial system was ordained to repair our relationship with God.  Unfortunately, our ability to sin was greater than our ability to sacrifice, so we accumulated debt faster than our ability to pay it off.  Like a teenager at the mall with a credit card, we ran up too much debt with too little ability to pay.  The law still reminded us, however, that we needed intervention if we were to repair our relationship with God. 
  God had always planned for a Savior.  God rescued us from our condition, delivering us into salvation, redeeming our souls from hopelessness.  God saved us through faith.
  And what's amazing is that we all stand equal before God.  Think about how radical this is for the time -- slavery was abundant, men were considered more worthy than men, the world was divided between insider and outsider, and here comes Paul, reminding us that God is not concerned about the color of our skin or our cultural status -- we are loved equally, and we are all worthy before God.  We are equal in Christ, and there is no status in church -- the rich and poor, the insider and outsider, the free and enslaved, they all come before Christ and are loved because they are hand-crafted wonders of God.