WM. BRICKEY by Wm. Brickey

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 4, 1902

WM. BRICKEY

By Wm. Brickey

NOTES ON GALATIANS.— NO. 3 (Concluded).

WM. BRICKEY

(Kimball, Minn.)

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” The words in italics, “to bring us,” are supplied words, not being in the original. If they were left out, as some do, it would read, “The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ.” Jesus said that all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. This seeming discrepancy is easily explained. The transition from the old covenant to the new began with the preaching of John, and ended with the preaching of Christ. When Christ said, “The time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:15), without doubt He meant the seventy weeks of Dan. 9:24,—the fullness of the time (Gal. 4:2–4),—the time of reformation (Heb. 9:10),—the time when the Seed should come. Gal. 3:16, 19.

Some good people still believe that this schoolmaster is the Ten Commandments, but they seem to be confused, and divided in opinion, as to what is meant by the words “under the law.” But this law was added till the Seed should come. But the Ten Commandments were never added to anything; for they are as eternal as God. They are truth and righteousness. Ps. 119:142, 151, 172. They express the character of God, and are eternal and unchangeable. They were never given as a remedy for sin, nor because of transgression; but were given to warn us against transgression, not till the Seed should come, but for all time and eternity. Ps. 119:152. Their principles were originally stamped in the very nature of mankind. Rom. 2:14, 15. This must be so if man was made in the image of God. But those righteous principles have been so far effaced by the power of sin that men cannot understand their errors; therefore to warn us against violating those holy principles they were written and spoken. Ps. 19:11, 12. “And in keeping of them there is [not a yoke of bondage, nor condemnation, but] great reward.”

For us to apply this schoolmaster to the Ten Commandments, and this faith spoken of, to a personal experience, and argue that men had faith in the old dispensation, and seek to prove it by the eleventh of Hebrews, is an error. We have no disposition to deny that some men had faith in the old dispensation, and a certain knowledge of Christ, and even prophesied of Him, but they did not fully comprehend His work. 1 Peter 1:11, 12. But with the fullness of the time, a new era of faith began, and a flood of light

came in, which is compared to the sun. Rev. 12:1. This was “the time of reformation,” and Paul would be perfectly justified in speaking of such a time as the coming of faith.

It is interesting to notice the circumstances which called out this epistle to the Galatians. Please read Acts 15:1–10. Then compare Paul’s argument in the second chapter of Colossians with the book of Galatians. You will readily see that the zealous Pharisees had been spoiling the disciples through philosophy (Col. 2:8), bewitching them (Gal. 3:1), persuading them to observe days, and weeks, and months, and years (Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:14, 15), had brought them under the yoke of circumcision (Acts 15:1–10; Gal. 5:1, 2; Col. 2:11), under the rudiments of the world (Col. 2:8, 20), which is the handwriting of ordinances. Col. 2:14, 15.

Is it really true that the Ten Commandments are a yoke of bondage? All our enemies, including Satan, say they are. God says they are a law of liberty. James 1:25; 2:12. I am afraid to call them a yoke of bondage; but I feel perfectly free to say that circumcision is a yoke of bondage; for Paul calls it such. Gal. 5:1, 2. And Peter calls it a yoke (Acts 15:8–10), and contrasts it with the new faith which was able to purify the hearts of the Gentiles. Was such a faith ever preached in the old dispensation? I do not wish to argue the duties of a schoolmaster, but I am perfectly free to say that I am unable to see how the Ten Commandments can be justly called a yoke of bondage or a schoolmaster. But I can readily see that all the Jewish ceremonies did point to Christ, whether the people fully comprehended it or not. And I can easily see that as they were a shadow of good things to come, they would be like a school. And as Christ said the law and the prophets prophesied until John, He must have meant that they were really teachers, or tutors, or schoolmasters, until the time appointed of the Father. And Paul says, “But after that faith is come we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Gal. 3:25. Now this means one of two things: it either means under obedience or under condemnation. As I said before, I do not wish to argue the duties of a schoolmaster, nor to argue the meaning of the word in the Greek. But I will venture to say this, I never knew a school board to employ a teacher simply because he could condemn his pupils. It would be a strange expression to say that after faith is come, we are no longer under the condemnation of a schoolmaster; but perfectly natural to say that we are no longer under obedience to a schoolmaster.

Test the matter a little further: “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law.” Chapter 4:21. Do you really believe the Galatian brethren had a desire for condemnation? or had they been deceived by those zealous Pharisees, and brought under obedience to some of those ceremonies which had been taken out of the way by the cross? Was he not chiding them because they observed days and months and times and years? Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:14–17. No doubt they desired to be right, but were deceived and brought under obedience to circumcision, thinking it was right till Paul’s epistle taught them better.