Being given through faith in Jesus Christ
Galatians 3:22 - The key to opening our cell in the prison of sin is faith in Jesus Christ.
“But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.”
Galatians 3:22 NIV
Galatians is another of the apostle Paul’s epistles to the early Christian church; one of his beautifully written letters of encouragement, correction, and (in some cases) his displeasure with a wayward disciple or church leader. The origin of the name Galatians is uncertain — it’s either describing Galatia, a Roman province in what is now Turkiye, or a group of ethnic Celtic peoples in this area.
Paul was no stranger to the region through his missionary trips, and details of those trips are recorded in Acts 16:6 (“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.”) and Acts 18:23 (“After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.”).
Note: Barb did a full study of Galatians in late 2023/early 2024. Here’s a link to the introductory post, and you can search Heaven On Wheels for “An Exploration of Galatians” to find the remaining posts.
Let’s begin with a look at the first part of this verse: “But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin”. The original Koine Greek uses the word συγκλείω (sygkleiō), translated here at “locked up” but more aptly translated as “to shut up together, enclose” or like “a shoal of fishes in a net”. In other words, like being trapped in a prison cell.
The picture is that of being confined in a small space by sin, and we were placed in that prison by Scripture, which made our sinful condition all too visible! The Law (the Mosaic law of the Old Testament) cannot help us escape that prison, because the Law is what put us into that confinement.
All of us have a sin that we cannot escape from. Leon Morris, cited in Enduring Word, said:
i. “Sin is personified as a jailor, keeping sinners under its control so that they cannot break free.”
Enduring Word’s David Guzik goes on to say:
ii. Some protest and say, “I’m not a prisoner to sin.” There is a simple way to prove it: stop sinning. But if you can’t stop sinning, or ever have a record of sin, then you are imprisoned by the law of God.
The Law of Moses shows us that we are sinners when compared to God’s standards, but it never offers us a way to break out of the prison of sin. Only Jesus can give us that freedom — “that what was promised” … “to those who believe.” The key to opening our cell in the prison of sin is faith in Jesus Christ.
Guzik continues in his commentary:
i. The bars of our sin are strong; we can’t saw through them ourselves. There is no chance of a jailbreak. Instead, an offer is made by the warden Himself to simply open the door and walk out – but you have to acknowledge you are confined, that you deserve to be in the cell, and ask Him to free you. When the prosecutor accuses the warden of not being just, the warden simply points out that the freed prisoner’s sentence was completely fulfilled – by Himself!
Leon Morris sums up the Law’s tendency to imprison us in sin and the sole way to gain release (salvation) from that prison:
ii. “Far from being the gateway into a glorious liberty, it turns out to be a jailor, shutting people up. The result is that the only way of escape was through faith.”
Faith is the first step out of the prison; repenting of sin is completing probation and being truly free forever.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for revealing that we are all prisoners of sin, and for the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Help us to trust in Your grace and to live in the freedom that comes from believing in You. AMEN