No ticket?

Galatians 3:24 (Young’s)
so that the law became our child-conductor -- to Christ, that by faith we may be declared righteous,

I know for a fact that everyone reading this has seen a train pass by at some point in time. Some of us may have even had the opportunity to ride on a train. (Yes, this includes the MBTA and NY Subway system.) For the most part, however, we only see the outsides of trains. We see big cars being pulled down the track by strong engines. And sometimes we are delayed at the crossing for extended periods of time.

There are lots of jobs to be had in the railroad industry, not the least of which is conductor. There are all different types of conductors in the railroad industry. There are yard conductors, responsible for maintaining the trains in the yard. There are road service conductors, in charge of scheduled stops, routes to be taken, and knowledge of the cargo on board. And, of course, there are the traditional rail conductors, the ones who take the tickets and collect the money.

The point with all of these conductors is that they have strict orders; they serve a very distinct purpose in maintaining the rail system. If the yard conductor says, “This train can’t leave,” then guess what? That train doesn’t leave. If the rail conductor finds someone without a ticket, well, I’m sure you know what happens.

Perhaps that is why Paul referred to the law, that is, the Ten Commandments (I know this because 2 Corinthians 3:7 refers to the law as “...the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones...”) as our child-conductor. The law is a list of rules that must be followed in order to attain righteousness. Its point is not, and never will be, to make a person righteous; its point is to show a person their unrighteousness and point him to the cross.

Once you come to the cross and claim Christ’s sacrifice as your redemption, professing faith in His fulfillment of the law, there is no longer a need to be persuaded or directed by the law. Faith in Christ declares you, me, and anyone else who chooses to believe, righteous. That is what makes grace so amazing.

Our conductor, the law, required a ticket (a fee) to pay for the seat. It did its job fully in showing us we did not have the funds to cover the cost. Thankfully, Christ, our redeemer, did have the reserves in His account to pay the tab. He purchased the ticket and gave us a seat. As a result, we are no longer in fear of the conductor, but can rest in glory with Christ.