"THE LAW HAS BECOME OUR TUTOR"

HOW many children appreciate the value of rules and discipline?  Not many. For them, restrictions are tiresome. Those with responsibility of helping young ones, however, know that appropriate oversight is absolutely  necessary. And as the years pass, most youngsters will probably come to appreciate the value of the guidance received. The apostle Paul used the image  of a man who protected children to illustrate an aspect of the developing relationship with Jehovah God and his people. 

Some first-century Christians in the Roman province of Galatia insisted that God favored only those who obeyed the Law that God gave to the Israelites through Moses. The apostle Paul knew this to be false, for God gave holy spirit to some who had never observed Jewish law.  (Acts 15:12) So Paul corrected the wrong idea by means of an illustration. In a letter to the Galatian Christians, he wrote:  "The Law has become our tutor leading to Christ." (Galatians 3:24) The figure of a tutor, says one scholar, has "an ancient and rich background." Understanding this background clarifies the point that the apostle Paul was making. 

Next time: "THE LAW HAS BECOME OUR TUTOR" -The Tutor and His Responsibilities

From the Watchtower magazine