Note 8 at Gal. 3:23: "But before faith came" is not referring to faith in general, which Abraham exercised 430 years before the law. This is the faith described in verse 22- the "faith of Jesus Christ." Men have always been saved by faith, but the content of their faith has varied. Verse 25 reveals that "faith is come," i.e. the understanding of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

Note 9 at Gal. 3:23: "We were kept under the law, shut up" waiting for saving faith in Christ to be revealed. The word "kept" in the Greek carries the idea of the law being a jailer who has imprisoned us under guilt and condemnation. We are always aware of the consciousness of sin and always looking inward at ourselves. It is only faith in Jesus Christ that has the key that unlocks the door to the law's harsh imprisonment of guilt and condemnation (1 Cor. 15:56-57).

The law acted as a barrier that prevented us from ever obtaining salvation through our own efforts. The law's standards were so high that we could never scale them. We were "shut up" so that the only way we could look was up to God for help.