When I was in eighth grade, we started learning algebra.  The teacher told us that variables stand for numbers, and we either solve for the specific number the variable represents, or treat the letter as if could be any number.

When a particularly astute student noticed that x, y, and z were always used as variables, he asked if any other letters could be used.

The teacher said any letter would work, but told us to avoid i.  We asked why, and he replied that it could be too easily confused with 1.

But, math wizards, that’s not really why we don’t use i, is it?  It’s actually a mathematical constant, defined as the square root of -1.

Like a good teacher, my math teacher gave us what we could handle.  Later, those of us that either read the sidebars in our algebra books (because we’re extra geeky) or took calculus learned the real reason why we don’t use i as a variable.  Clearly, eighth grade students learning the basics of algebra wouldn’t have been ready to learn about imaginary numbers.

My eighth grade math teacher didn’t lie.  He just didn’t give us information that we weren’t ready to have.  Later, a fuller revelation of the facts would be realized.

This is the reason that God gave the Law.  Not because he was lying or misleading us.  And he didn’t “edit” things or change his mind later.  He gave us the system that our feeble brains could handle, and now he has fully revealed the purpose and meaning of the Law, freeing us from its tyranny to live by grace in Christ Jesus.

The Law was but a shadow of the perfect reality to come (Heb 10:1).  Now that the perfect reality is here, we may rejoice in him (Jesus Christ) rather than having to follow the Law.