For all who are of the works of
the Law are under a curse; for it is
written,
"Cursed
is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, to
do them" [ref Deut 27:26].
Now that no one is declared righteous by the Law before God is evident;
for,
"The righteous one shall live by faith" [ref
Hab 2:4].
However, the Law is not of faith; rather,
"The one who practices them
shall live by them [God’s
laws]" [ref Lev 18:5].
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written,
"Cursed
is everyone who hangs on a tree" [ref Deut 21:23]
-- in order that in Christ Jesus the
blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith. (Gal. 3:10–14)
Paul’s reference to the curse of the Law and his train of thought
in Gal 3:10–14 are difficult to follow and have been a point of confusion to
me.* Having given the text more thought,
I believe there are key points of application in this difficult passage. It raises various issues: What is the “curse of the Law”? What is it relationship to faith? How did Christ redeem us from it?
Background to these verses
In Galatians, Paul is engaged in disputing the perspective of a Jewish
people group who failed to understand what the Mosaic Law cannot do and who did
not understand the sufficiency of the “faith of Christ” and the offer of new
life in the Spirit. This group was
encouraging the Christians at Galatia to adopt Jewish practices
of the Law primarily of religious identity, such as circumcision (see 5:2–12) which Paul condemns
as a perverted gospel (1:6–9). In
rebuttal, Paul clarifies the limitations of the Jewish Law in contrast to what
is offered in Christ. A main point of
Paul is that seeking to live by "works of Law,” does not lead to standing
as righteous/justified before God.
Prior to our verses, Paul contrasts and rejects the notion of a
person being made righteousness by "works of Law” in favor of “through the
faith of Christ” (2:15–16) and by entrusting oneself to Christ (2:19–21). Paul then briefly turns the Galatian’s
attention to their reception of the Spirit and experience of miracles of the Spirit
as something that happened not by works of the Law, but out of “hearing [of the
gospel of Christ] of faith” (3:1–5). (He comes back to the topic of the
Spirit under his next movement of thought.)
Paul’s thought then turns to presenting a series of arguments based
on Abraham, who is the key model and proof for Paul, since Abraham was prior to
the Law of Moses. His main point is that
Abraham is the model of righteousness by faith, which is a precursor to Gentiles
becoming righteous by faith in Christ and becoming children of Abraham and recipients of
the blessings of Abraham (3:6–9). (A
similar but more developed line of teaching is found in Romans 4.)
Proceeding from our text
Paul then develops this thesis by a series of rabbinic-style,
key-word arguments: our text about the curse of the Law (3:10–14); how God’s
covenant with Abraham was passed on to his “seed” (Christ) and was not set aside
by the Mosaic Law, which only had an intermediate and guardian role to guide us
“into Christ” (3:15–25); and, how Gentiles and Jews are now children of God,
Abraham’s “seed” by being in Christ, heirs of the promise, and recipients of
the Spirit (3:26–4:7). In this argument,
the faith of Abraham (Gal 3:6–9, see Rom 4) aligns with the “faith of Christ”
and stands in contrast to “works of Law.”
[Note: Paul is not against the Law; it was a good guide to the will of
God for the faithful/righteous Jew, but it could not impart life (Gal 3:21). Paul’s opponents had matters backward: a person
is not counted righteous by obeying the Law – particularly the outward, visible
aspects – rather, in good Judaism, a person who is righteous by faith will seek
to obey the stipulations of the Law.]
Galatians 3:10 – 14
In light of this before and after context, Paul’s train of thought
in 3:10 – 14 makes sense. He has apparently
picked his key term of “curse” from his reference to Abraham, who was to be a
blessing to the nations/Gentiles and not a curse (see Gen 12:1 – 3) and associated
“blessing” with righteousness (right relationship with God), and “cursing” with the
opposite. He then assumes his opponents’
position and refutes it in a rabbinic-style argument of linking his point to
Scripture by key words (curse, righteous, live, faith): if observing the Law could
make one righteous, then that would fail and all would be cursed, because they would
have to observe every single aspect it, and (implied) no one can; rather righteousness
comes by faith (3:10–12). The “curse
of the Law,” then, is its inability to make righteous and to impart the Spirit
and life (see 3:14 and 21). Paul creatively
continues his rabbinic device of linking texts by his key word “curse” and ties
Jesus’ redemptive death on the cross (a curse) to overcoming the Law’s
inability to make one righteous in the sight of God (the Law’s “curse”) much
like how Christ "gave himself ... to rescue us from the present evil age" (1:4) or how
Christ died for us and in so doing ended death for us (the basic thought behind
being crucified with Christ in 2:20–21).
A paraphrase of Paul’s thought in these verses might read:
Well, if observing the Law could
make one righteous, then all would fail, because they could not observe every
single aspect of it. This is the wrong view
of both the Law and righteousness. Scripture
tells us that it is not observing the Law that makes one righteous in God’s
eyes; it is living by faith. The
inability of the Law to make one righteous is overcome and supplanted by Jesus’
act of redemption, so that by faith in Jesus the Gentiles can receive
the same blessing of being recognized as righteous as Abraham was and receive
the blessings of the Spirit promised to Abraham.
Application
What I see behind this text is a repeated motif in my life, my
tendency not to accept the sufficiency of Jesus for my standing before
God. Inside of me is an inner voice like
that of Paul’s opponents telling me that I have to adopt practices that will
identify me as religious and make me look and feel righteous. However, if I listen to those opponents’ voice,
I will miss so much – actually I will miss everything. If I listen, I remain a prisoner, a minor, a
slave (see Gal 3:23 – 4:7). I will miss
life, freedom, and adoption as a child of God (see connection between 3:14, 21;
4:4). I will miss the fullness that is
offered in Christ.
Lord, close my ears to the voice of the opponents. All your promises to Abraham of blessing are
in Jesus. Again, I entrust myself to Christ
and Christ alone. Amen.
* Two great NT scholars and friends, Dr. Kent Yinger and Dr. Sharyn
Dowd, have helped me better comprehend Paul’s thinking 3:10–14, although of
course my errors are my own.
