1 Christmas 2009

Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

Strong's Number G3807 matches the Greek παιδαγωγός (paidagōgos), a tutor i.e. a guardian and guide of boys. Among the Greeks and the Romans the name was applied to trustworthy slaves who were charged with the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys belonging to the better class. The boys were not allowed so much as to step out of the house without them before arriving at the age of manhood.

The NRSV, unfortunately translates παιδαγωγός as “disciplinarian”. I like the KJV choice of “schoolmaster” better, but perhaps a better idiomatic choice would be “Drill Sergeant.”

The root word agoge or upbringing, comes primarily from the Spartan educational structure that trained and controlled all boys lives from age 7 to 29, and is a much closer equivalent of our boot-camp than anything else (Although much longer).

 The key defect in using “disciplinarian” is that is lacks the time, or maturity, limit that is incorporated in the concept of Drill Sergeant.

A Drill Sergeant takes the raw recruit and turns them into a soldier through a process of strict and, at least from the recruit’s point-of-view, arbitrary rules. At the end of the process though, the skills, reflexes and attitude of the recruit have been changed utterly, he is no longer the raw recruit but now he is a soldier, one of a family who have been through a common ordeal, a Band of Brothers. At this point the Drill Sergeant is left behind as no longer needed.

The Law was our Drill Sergeant until Christ came. Now we are adopted members of His family.

The Drill Sergeant taught us “Thou shalt do no murder.” Ex 20:13

Why not?

Because I said not to, Maggot! Drop and give me 50! Ex 21:12

Then Christ came and said “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.” Mat 5:22

Could we have just begun there? Maybe, maybe not.

We learn in very different ways.

Some pure hearts eagerly seek to please our Lord all of their lives and fall into sin only by accident. Mt 19:20

For others the Law is like an electric fence that keeps them from wandering too close to the cliff edge that would destroy them. Ro 7:5

For some the Christ is the end of fear, and the joy of freedom. Ro 8:1

For some the Liberty that comes in Christ is an invitation to licentiousness. 1 Cor 5:1

Most of us are a complicated stew of all those attitudes.

Moral conduct is not any different under the Law than it is under the Christ. Mt 5:17

Nor are we intrinsically more moral after baptism than before, sad to say.

Christ and the Law are 2 different ways of staying on the path.

The law in two ways:

First by Prohibition, “Thou shalt not” in this the law erects electric fences around the wrong; and

Second by Prescription, “Thou shalt” in this the law directs or drives us toward a certain number of things, though by no means all, that are right.

Between the two, humans are driven by fear - like sheep before sheepdogs.

Christ comes and says neither Prohibition nor Proscription will necessary anymore. We will not need hundreds of laws.

Just one rule will do.

“Follow me” Jn 10:27

The Good Shepherd leads us on the same path He has already walked. (More about that come Lent)

We follow, eager to be with Him, to be like Him, to become Him.

There is no “or else,” no condemnation, no punishment. Jn 3:17

The downside of an evil life is that you will not be sharing in the good life.

The downside of not being with Jesus is:

Not being with Jesus.