If the law can't save us, why did God give it? In Galatians 3:19-25, the Apostle Paul explains why God gave His law, even though no one is saved by keeping it. Dr. Toby Holt walks through what God's commands are really for.

If we are saved by faith, why have rules at all? Paul answers that the law was never meant to save us; it shows us our sin, restrains evil, and points us to Jesus. He calls it our "tutor," a guardian who guides a child until the right time. John Calvin said the law is like a mirror, showing us what we are really like.

Questions this study answers:

1. Can keeping the law save us? No. No one is made right with God by keeping the law. It cannot give life; it can only show us our need for a Savior.

2. What does it mean that the law is a "tutor"? A tutor guides and protects a child until they are grown. In the same way, God's law guides us and points us to Christ, the only one who can save.

3. Do Christians still keep the Old Testament laws? The ceremonial laws were fulfilled in Christ, but God's moral law — do not murder, steal, or covet — still reflects His character.

"Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." — Galatians 3:24 (NKJV)

Dr. Toby Holt is President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Find more verse-by-verse Bible teaching at newgeneva.org; support this ministry at newgeneva.org/give.