Galatians 3:24-26

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Did you ever use babysitters when your kids were younger? Perhaps you are still using them today. At my age, I don’t recall any babysitters from my youth, but since I am the youngest of four my older siblings probably stood guard more often than not. Why do we hire a babysitter? What is their role? For very young children, they simple can’t take care of themselves without us, but by the time they are 5 or 6 the babysitter becomes more of a guard…to keep them from causing trouble or harming themselves (or a sibling!). The babysitter also provides order in the home, making sure proper meals are provided and bedtimes adhered to.

So it was with the Law…before we were justified by faith.

“Good” kids choose to obey the babysitter and “bad” ones choose the opposite. For the unbeliever, the babysitter is both internal, via the conscience, as well as external, via whatever moral teaching they have received. Nevertheless, there is no significant power at play in their moral decision making. At the crossroads of every decision stands a perpetual yellow light…and we all know yellow lights are easy to negotiate with. When you blow through one, you may experience a moment of regret, but it passes quickly. Not so when the Holy Spirit begins to convict you of your sin. Do you remember when that first started happening to you? It would not pass so easily.

The great John Stott has written, “We cannot come to Christ to be justified until we have first been to Moses to be condemned. But once we have gone to Moses, and acknowledged our sin, guilt and condemnation, we must not stay there. We must let Moses send us to Christ.” The Bible tells us that the kindness of God leads us to repentance (Rom 2:4). When one stands condemned by the Law of Moses, they will be surprised to see a Holy God reach out to them with love and acceptance. Fully known…yet fully loved. That is the kindness of God, and when it first appears, it can be overwhelming. I spent months being chased by the Hound of Heaven…drowning it seemed almost daily in tears of conviction and regret. How could God love such a heinous sinner like me? And how could he allow himself to be nailed to a cross in order to pay my debt? Moses brought me to Christ…and Christ saved me.

But on this side of our salvation, we no longer need the guardian of the Law. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of God’s Word, no babysitter is required…yet we still struggle to play within the lines…and our motivations can become darkened and dim. It is the battle between the old and the new that the Apostle Paul languished over. I know it all too well. You probably do, too. Yet, despite our failures, we no longer stand condemned. We are forever justified by the Blood of the Lamb and have become his sons and daughters.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,
A sinner by choice, and an alien by birth;
But I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down,
An heir to the mansion, a robe, and a crown. — Buell