What does Galatians 3:25 mean?

In the previous verse, Paul described the useful purpose the law of Moses served in Israel, between the time of the exodus from Egypt and the earthly ministry of Christ. He compared the law to a servant in Greek families called a pedagogue. This person served the family by caring for the children from the age of 6 until late adolescence. The pedagogue disciplined, protected, and steered the children until they became independent adults.

When Christ came, Paul now insists, the need for the pedagogue ended. The law had fulfilled its purpose. Through it, God had steered Israel through all the false religions, empty philosophies, and gross immorality of the other nations of the world. The law itself could not set people free from sin, only guide them through the minefield of sin until true freedom came. Now that Christ, the Savior, had arrived to set people free from sin through faith in Him, the guardian was no longer necessary.