All are sinners and condemned. The only way that man can be saved from condemnation is through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way by which man can be saved from his sins. Those who do not believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour can never be saved. In order to save man from his sins, God the Father sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world (John 3:17). Jesus became man, like us but sinless, so that He can be our perfect Substitute to atone for our sins. He had to endure suffering, humiliation, mocking and eventually death on the cross so that man can be saved from sin and condemnation.

In the Galatian Church, the false teachers taught that the Law of God could save man from the condemnation of his sins (committed against God). Paul had to correct this erroneous teaching by arguing that the Law was given to man not to save man from sin, but rather, to drive man to the saving faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:21-23). In Galatians 3:23, “shut up” comes from the Greek word that means to enclose (like a shoal of fish packed together in a net). In verse 22, “concluded” is also from the same Greek word. The Law is used to enclose or shut every sinner in. The Law cannot save.

The Law was given by God for the purpose of letting man know that he had sinned and trespassed against God. The Law was never intended to save man from his sins. The Law will only magnify man’s sinfulness and, as such, man is rightly condemned before the holy and just God. And God provided a way for man to be saved from condemnation: “the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Gal 3:22b).

Therefore, God’s Law and the promise by faith complement each other. Salvation is only through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Man just have to believe and put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, acknowledging that salvation is a gift from God to man and that man does not play any part (not even the obeying of God’s Law) in obtaining this salvation. If man can work to obtain salvation on his own, the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ is diminished. This will then cause man not to have the desire to follow Jesus Christ or to do His will since he does not need Jesus in order to be saved. Man’s salvation through his own works (obeying the Law) is clearly an erroneous teaching.

Thus, we must make sure that we know the truth by studying God’s Word diligently. Then, we will not be misled by false teaching.