6.2 The Schoolmaster and the Teacher

Tom Marxen Shavuot – Pentecost 02 October 2023 Hits: 46

Verse Galatians 3:23-24 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which

should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we

might be justified by faith. KJV

God delivered the people of Israel because He heard their groaning under the oppression of the

Egyptians taskmasters. They did not know God, they did not understand any of His ways, priorities, or

standards of living, but they were heirs according to the covenant made with Abraham many years

before. The people understood slavery and oppression, they knew about the deities of Egypt, and they

understood the pagan ways of the land in which they were brought up. God’s ways are opposed to the

ways of the world, but the ignorance of His ways did not deter Him from helping the people of Israel.

The foundation of their deliverance was based on His covenant. God sets people free from the bondage

of sin on the basis of covenant relationship, not on merit or righteousness on their part.

At Mt. Sinai, after the newly liberated Israelites agreed to do as YHWH asked of them, YHWH gave them

the regulations of Torah (the law). But the “law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19).

So what is the purpose of the law? It was our schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24). The Torah teaches us of

our own weakness. It is the law that exposes our sin and demonstrates it to us in spite of our best efforts

to overcome it. As the covenant partners of YHWH, sin is a foreign land that still occupies our

consciousness, though we are unaware of its presence until it is exposed. Torah exposes the lie.

The school master.

From the Mirror Word, an original translation of the Bible by Francois du Toit

Romans 7

7 The law in itself is not sinful; I am not suggesting that at all. Yet in pointing sin out, the law was in a

sense the catalyst for sinful actions to manifest. Had the law not said, “Thou shalt not covet,” I would

not have had a problem with lust.

8 But the commandment triggered sin into action, suddenly an array of sinful appetites were

awakened in me. The law broke sin’s dormancy.

9 Without the law I was alive, the law was introduced, sin revived and I died.

10 Instead of being my guide to life, the commandment proved to be a death sentence.

11 Sin took advantage of the law, and employed the commandment to seduce and murder me.

12 I stress again that the law as principle is holy and so is every individual commandment it contains;

it consistently promotes that which is just and good.

13 How then could I accuse something that is that good to have killed me? I say again, it was not the

law, but sin that caused my spiritual death. The purpose of the law was to expose sin as the culprit.

The individual commandment ultimately serves to show the exceeding extent of sin’s effect on

humanity.

14 We agree that the law is spiritual, but because I am sold like a slave to sin, I am reduced to a mere

carnal life. (Spiritual death. The word, piprasko comes from perao, meaning to transport into a distant

land in order to sell as a slave. Sin is a foreign land.)

15 This is how the sell-out to sin affects my life: I find myself doing things my conscience does not

allow. My dilemma is that even though I sincerely desire to do that which is good, I don’t, and the

things I despise, I do.

16 It is obvious that my conscience sides with the law;

17 which confirms then that it is not really I who do these things but sin manifesting its symptoms in

me. (Sin is similar to a dormant virus that suddenly broke out in very visible symptoms.) It has taken my

body hostage.

18 The total extent and ugliness of sin that inhabits me, reduced my life to good intentions that

cannot be followed through.

19 Willpower has failed me; this is how embarrassing it is, the most diligent decision that I make to do

good, disappoints; the very evil I try to avoid, is what I do. (If mere quality decisions could rescue man,

the law would have been enough. Good intentions cannot save man. The revelation of what happened

to us in Christ’s death is what brings faith into motion to liberate from within. Faith is not a decision we

make to give God a chance, faith is realizing our inclusion in what happened on the Cross and in the

resurrection of Christ!)

20 If I do the things I do not want to do, then it is clear that I am not evil, but that I host sin in my body

against my will.

21 It has become a predictable principle; I desire to do well, but my mere desire cannot escape the

evil presence that dictates my actions.

22 The real person that I am on the inside delights in the law of God. (The law proves to be consistent

with my inner make-up.)

23 There is another law though, (foreign to my design) the law of sin, activating and enrolling the

members of my body as weapons of war against the law of my mind. I am held captive like a prisoner

of war in my own body.

24 The situation is absolutely desperate for humankind; is there anyone who can deliver me from this

death trap?

THE LAW (TORAH) LEADS US TO JESUS CHRIST

From the Mirror Word, an original translation of the Bible by Francois du Toit

Romans 7

25 Thank God, this is exactly what he has done through Jesus Christ our Leader; he has come to our

rescue! I am finally freed from this conflict between the law of my mind and the law of sin in my body.

(If I was left to myself, the best I could do was to try and serve the law of God with my mind, but at the

same time continue to be enslaved to the law of sin in my body. Compromise could never suffice.)

Romans 8

1 Now the decisive conclusion is this: in Christ, every bit of condemning evidence against us is

cancelled. (“Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.” This sentence was not in the original text,

but later copied from verse 4. The person who added this most probably felt that the fact of Paul’s

declaration of mankind’s innocence had to be made subject again to man’s conduct. Religion under the

law felt more comfortable with the condition of personal contribution rather than the conclusion of

what faith reveals. The “in Christ” revelation is key to God’s dealing with man. It is the PIN-code of the

Bible. [See 1 Corinthians 1:30 and Ephesians 1:4].)

The Spirit is now our Teacher

The fulfillment of the Exodus experience is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ which removes guilt. The

fulfillment of the giving of the written code of the Law is the gift of the indwelling Spirit of Christ that

liberates us from sin’s authority and grants us power to overcome the law of sin and death. The Spirit is

our Teacher and Comforter, who empowers us from the bondage of self-effort towards righteousness.

From the Mirror Word, an original translation of the Bible by Francois du Toit

Romans 8

2 The law of the Spirit is the liberating force of life in Christ. This leaves me with no further obligation

to the law of sin and death. Spirit has superseded the sin enslaved senses as the principle law of our

lives. (The law of the spirit is righteousness by faith vs the law of personal effort and self-righteousness

which produces condemnation and spiritual death which is the fruit of the DIY tree.)

3 The law failed to be anything more than an instruction manual; it had no power to deliver man from

the strong influence of sin holding us hostage in our own bodies. God disguised himself in his son in

this very domain where sin ruled man, the human body. The flesh body he lived and conquered in was

no different to ours. Thus sin’s authority in the human body was condemned. (Hebrews 4:15, As High

Priest he fully identifies with us in the context of our frail human life. Having subjected it to close

scrutiny, he proved that the human frame was master over sin. His sympathy with us is not to be seen as

excusing weaknesses that are the result of a faulty design, but rather as a trophy to humanity. He is not

an example for us but of us.)

4 The righteousness promoted by the law is now realized in us. Our practical day-to-day life bears

witness to spirit inspiration and not flesh domination.

5 Sin’s symptoms are sponsored by the senses, a mind dominated by the sensual. Thoughts betray

source; spirit life attracts spirit thoughts.

6 Thinking patterns are formed by reference, either the sensual appetites of the flesh and spiritual

death, or zoe-life and total tranquility flowing from a mind addicted to spirit (faith) realities.

7 A mind focused on flesh (the sensual domain where sin held me captive) is distracted from God with

no inclination to his life-laws. Flesh (self-righteousness) and spirit (faith righteousness) are opposing

forces. (Flesh no longer defines you; faith does!)

8 It is impossible for those immersed in flesh to at the same time accommodate themselves to the

opinion, desire and interest of God.

9 But you are not ruled by a flesh-consciousness, (law of works), but by a spirit-consciousness, (faith);

God’s Spirit is at home in you. Anyone who does not see himself fully clothed and identified in the

Spirit of Christ, cannot be himself. (If anyone does not embrace the Spirit of Christ, he is not himself.

The word echo means to have in hand, to hold, in the sense of wearing like a garment, to possess in

mind, to be closely joined to a person, and hauto from heauto, reflexive relation, himself, herself,

themselves. In James 1:24, “for he goes away from what the mirror reveals, and immediately forgets

what manner of man he is.” Also in Romans 1:23, “Losing sight of God, made them lose sight of who

they really were. In their calculation the image and likeness of God became reduced to a corrupted and

distorted pattern of themselves.” See also Luke 15:17, “The prodigal son came to himself … .” [same

word used here, heauto].)

10 The revelation of Christ in you declares that your body is as good as dead to sin’s demands; sin

cannot find any expression in a corpse. You co-died together with him. Yet your spirit is alive because

of what righteousness reveals. (The word traditionally translated, “if” de ei, as in “if Christ is in you …”

can either be a condition or a conclusion, which makes a vast difference. If God be for us” (v 31) is most

certainly a conclusion of the revelation of the Gospel; all of God’s action in Christ confirms the fact that

he is for us and not against us. Thus, because God is for us … ” in the same context this verse reveals

that Christ is in us. See Galatians 1:16, “it pleased the Father to reveal his Son in me, in order that I

might proclaim him in the nations.” See also Romans 10:6-8, “Righteousness by faith says … .”)

11 Our union with Christ further reveals that because the same Spirit that awakened the body of Jesus

from the dead inhabits us, we equally participate in his resurrection. In the same act of authority

whereby God raised Jesus from the dead, he co-restores your body to life by his indwelling Spirit.

(Your body need never again be an excuse for an inferior expression of the Christ life, just as it was

reckoned dead in Christ’s death, it is now reckoned alive in his resurrection.)

12 We owe flesh nothing.

13 In the light of all this, to now continue to live under the sinful influences of the senses is to

reinstate the dominion of spiritual death. Instead, we are indebted to now exhibit the highest

expression of life inspired by the Spirit. This life demonstrates zero tolerance to the habits and sinful

patterns of the flesh.

14 The original life of the Father revealed in his son is the life the Spirit now conducts within us. (The

word, agoo, means to conduct or to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep.)

15 Slavery is such a poor substitute for sonship! They are opposites; the one leads forcefully through

fear while sonship responds fondly to Abba Father.

16 His Spirit resonates within our spirit to confirm the fact that we originate in God.

17 Because we are his offspring, we qualify to be heirs; God himself is our portion, we co-inherit with

Christ. Since we were represented and included in his suffering we equally participate in the glory of

his resurrection.

18 He has taken the sting out of our suffering; what seemed burdensome in this life becomes

insignificant in comparison to the glory he reveals in us.

Romans 8

33 God has identified us, who can disqualify us? No-one can point a finger; he has justified us. (He has

placed us beyond the reach of blame and shame, guilt and gossip!)

34 What further ground can there possibly be to condemn man? In his death he faced our judgment;

in his resurrection he declares our innocence; the implications cannot be undone! He now occupies

the highest seat of authority as the executive of our redemption in the throne room of God. (See v 1,

also Rom 4:25.)

35 What will it take to distance us from the love of Christ? You name any potential calamity: intense

pressure of the worst possible kind, cluster-phobia, persecution, destitution, loneliness, extreme

exposure, life-threatening danger, or war?

36 Let me quote scripture to remind you, “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are