Listen to me, my people; and give heed to me, my nation:
For a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples.
I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out, and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. --- Is. 51:4-5.

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.  Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.  As many of you as were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.  And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heir's according to the promise.  -- Gal. 3:23-29.

For a teaching will go out from me, and salvation and justice will come, that is the promise of Isaiah's prophet, whom we Christians see prophetically finally fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  Yet though Christ has come, the coastlands still wait for the teaching and for the arm of justice that comes by it.  We all have a job to do, a calling, as Christians, to serve the Lord our God in the spreading of the saving gospel and in the pursuit of justice on this earth. 

Paul, preeminent apostle to the Greeks, makes the point that salvation came from the Jews, and yet it is given freely so that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek -- all are one as children of God in faith.  The teaching that would go forth is that of faith, not of law, though the law, like a grammar school teacher provides a preparatory course for faith, for the law helps us see our own shortcomings before God and our need of a mediator of salvation from those shortcomings. 

Yes, we are justified, we are washed clean in baptism, by faith, to the end that we dress in new clothes, the clothes of the example of Jesus Christ, his life itself being the teaching.  May you be blessed this day in following the way of that great prophet and son of God, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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