Galatians Study Part Seven: 3:10-14
NLT: “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.”
“13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.”
NASB: “For as many as 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 perform them.” 11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.” 13 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”— 14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Paul delves more into the law and continues with Abraham. If you haven’t read Romans 4 yet, I encourage you to do so. The studies will be broken into smaller sections for now as we progress further into Galatians.
The law was a package deal. It was all or nothing. The Jews were expected to abide by every aspect of the law. A curse was pronounced on those who did not obey it. James 2:10-11 explains that a person could keep the law but mess up on one aspect of it and it was seen as breaking the entire law.
The law never made any man perfect or righteous. It took no faith at all to follow the law. It was a list of rules and regulations. One could follow them exactly and their heart could still be far from God and their character could still be carnal. Consider the Pharisees, who went to great lengths at times to follow all aspects of the law, even adding more rules than God required. Yet Jesus showed they did not know God and were full of dead men’s bones.
Following rules, whether it be the law given by God or those made by pastors and church organizations, will never change us on the inside. They can never cause us to be righteous before God. They take no faith to follow them.
We can see that these outsiders, who were confusing the people of Galatia, were causing them to be under a curse by requiring them to be circumcised or obey any other aspect of the law. Reverting to the law meant they were moving from faith in God to their own works. They were not remembering that Jesus had redeemed everyone from the curse of the law and made us righteous in God’s sight through faith in what he did.
Think about this: If Jesus rescued us from this, why would God institute another set of rules for people to follow?
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