Section 3
sheep in a fold. The Greek word translated "guarded" means confined. Before faith came— that is, before Christ came—the chosen people of God were confined under the law. They were "shut up" under the law. "Shut up" is a special word in Greek, meaning to be kept in custody or under special care in a ward. For instance, if the parents of a family pass away, the children might be put in the custody of their aunt or uncle. In other words, they are put under the care of some one else. This shows how the chosen people of God were placed under the custody of the law before faith in Christ came. The law kept God's people under custody "unto the faith," which is better translated as "for preparation to the faith." Galatians 3:24 says that "the law has become our child-conductor unto Christ." The law was our slave to bring us to our schoolmaster, who is Christ. In ancient times, the children of the rich, Jewish families were escorted to their school master by a trained slave. Likewise, the law served as a slave to bring us to Christ. Before we were brought to Christ, the schoolmaster, we were under the care of a slave, the law. God the Father used the law as a slave to take care of us and to bring us to Christ. Before Christ came, we were put under the hand of the law which