The End of the Law’s Curse
2002-05-02
An Exegetical Study of Galatians 3:10-13
Galatians 3:10-13 is at the heart of the soteriological argument of this Pauline epistle. The work of Jesus Christ in his atoning work at Calvary is the event Paul discusses that will move the peoples of the world from cursing to blessing. This he supports by the use of Scripture, to show the superiority of freedom in Jesus Christ to Jewish law. Analyzing what Paul says can help one better understand the wisdom behind the gospel message and the folly of legalistic ritual as a means to serve God.
Context of the Epistle of Galatians
The region of Galatia is in Asia Minor, a portion of which was inhabited by Celtic people that came from Gaul (modern day France). The Romans conquered the Galatians in 189 B.C. and it became a Roman province in 25 B.C., which included peoples that were not ethnically Galatian. Churches that were founded by Paul in this region that were not ethnically Galatian included Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, as we know from Acts 13-14 (MacArthur 1786-1787).
Paul’s purpose of the letter was to combat attacks of the Judaizers’ false gospel in the Galatian church. Judaizers were those who attempted to persuade Christians to do works of the law as a prerequisite for salvation. Paul does this first by defending his apostleship in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and secondly by theological and historical truths that testify of justification by faith only. Paul’s emotion can be seen throughout the epistle as he expresses his concern for how they have fallen prey to destructive theology. His message repeatedly stresses the need to understand that one is justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone and not by works of the law. In order to understand the thrust of Galatians 3:10-13, the verses that are to be discussed, it is good write a concise theological statement and argument of Galatians to understand the entire context of the epistle.
Summation of the Context of Galatians
“The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was received from God, calls for all people to walk in the Spirit and in the promise of faith alone and to forsake the curse which is found under the law.”
The very freedom that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings us is a relief that we do not have to find something within ourselves to please God. This also should have been comforting to the Galatian people that were once alienated from God through idolatrous practices, but were brought near to God by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:10
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
Considering the postpositive ‘for,’ it is imperative to remember the immediate context from the previous verses (Longenecker 116). The ‘for’ connects back to the preceding passage. The argument that Paul had just made is that one is accounted righteous by faith, as Abraham was in Genesis 15:6. Then Paul adds, since they ‘begun in the Spirit,’ would they be made perfect by the flesh, namely physical markings such as circumcision?
There is also a comparison between “by the works of the law,” which Longenecker renders all who rely on works of the law, with the previous verse 3:9, “they which be of faith,” or those who rely on faith (Longenecker 116). Those who rely on works are distinguished from those who rely on faith; those of faith receive the blessing of Abraham, while those of works of the law are under a curse. The phrase “works of the law,” Burton argues, is always used in a legalistic sense (Burton 163). Interestingly enough, he continues that the qualitative phrase, the focus here is not that one fails of divine approval if one has works of the law without faith, as true as it may be, but that this is a verdict of the law. The curse is of the law, and not of God (Burton 164). In short, salvation is not from works of the law, but condemnation is from works of the law.
The Scripture quotation that Paul uses is from Deuteronomy 27:26, which is stated negatively, however, there is also an implied positive for the one who faithfully performs everything in the law (Burton 165). The principle of faith that Paul refers to in Genesis 15:6 cannot be undone by the law, which came over four hundred years after this promise to Abraham (cf. 3:17). Paul will discuss this in many of the following verses.
Galatians 3:10 is the transition Paul makes from the Abrahamic blessing through faith, and to juxtapose the cursing through the reliance of works of law. As the rest of the passage unfolds, the soteriological significance of faith becomes clearer.
Galatians 3:11
“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.”
The conjunction ‘but’ joins what Paul had previously said in the preceding verse. The verb ‘is justified’ corresponds with the subject ‘no man,’ and this verb is passive. Justification is a passive thing, for God is the One who is active in justifying, for Abraham “believed in the LORD; and he [the LORD] counted it to him [Abraham] for righteousness.” The second half of the verse, discussed below, explains that faith pleases God and brings life (cf. Hebrews 11:6). In the latter portion of Galatians 3, the law as a schoolmaster of righteousness no longer will serve when the perfect faith has come. That perfect faith came when Jesus was crucified, resurrected from the dead, and exalted to the Father’s right hand. The law showed us the need for faith: faith in God to do what we the unrighteous could never do.
In the latter half of the verse, the usage of this verse by Paul is slightly different in context from the way it was used in Habakkuk 2:4 (though the principle is the same). Paul removes the possessive pronoun, which he uses instead of “the just shall live by his faith.” “The just” (meaning a righteous person) in 3:11 is used in a forensic sense, taken to mean “the one regarded by God as righteous will through his faith” (George 234). God justifies us, or makes us right with Himself.
The most important concept to understand before continuing is that Scripture clearly states that the righteous live through faith, and that those who seek the righteousness of the law are accountable to keep the whole thing (5:3). This is impossible for anyone to do, being that we all have fallen short of God’s requirements. To understand verses 10 and 11 entirely, they cannot be disconnected from their context, especially from the verses to follow.
Galatians 3:12
“And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.”
The use of ‘and’ shows us that this is a continuation of the thoughts of the previous verse, but it is clear that this new thought contrasts with what was just said. Paul is demonstrating from the Scriptures that keeping the law is not the same as having faith. The promise of faith made to Abraham by God preceded the law by four hundred thirty years.
The ‘but’ in the latter half of the verse is a strong adversative, comparing the contrary argument of the former half of the verse. The verb ‘shall live’ is reminiscent of the ‘shall live’ in the previous verse. It is good to link the usage of this verb in both verses together. After one practically does what is in law, a man will live in those tenets. The law then is a part of one’s life. Take for example Psalm 1:2. The blessed man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” But faith comes first, and then one will live by faith, doing what pleases God. This is important as Christ comes as a beginning of a new created order (cf. 6:15), which puts away the physical elements of the flesh to be perfect in the Spirit.
Galatians 3:13
“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
The verb ‘redeemed’ is naturally an active verb, since Christ is the One doing the redeeming. He redeemed people not necessarily from the law, according to this context, but from the curse of the law. The curse, as stated before, is to do the whole law.
He became a curse in humanity’s place, which Burton says is a metonymy; not that one can become a curse, but He was accursed, as the latter part of the verse says. As Jesus died for the sin of all humankind, the righteous for the unrighteous, He also became accursed, so that humankind would not have experience the curse of falling short of doing everything in the law.
Now consider Deuteronomy 21:22-23: “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” Before whom Jesus was accursed? He was accursed before God. But he is God; how is this possible? We do not understand all that happened at Calvary, but we do understand that the events of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ were drastic measures that needed to be done in order for God to redeem the world.
Returning to the Epistle and Conclusion
Now that the Seed of Abraham (Jesus) came forth and ended the curse of the law, returning to the law and to its curse is ridiculous. Looking forward to the immediate context of Galatians 3, the curse is removed in Christ. Christ’s work was the return to blessing. Specifically in verse 14, the blessing of Abraham, the promise of the Spirit through faith was given also to the Gentiles. On the scale of the entire Bible, the turning from blessing (Genesis 1:22, 28, 2:3) to cursing (Genesis 3) left us with a promise (Genesis 3:15). The reversal of the curse through the Seed returns the creation to blessing. This is why Paul wonders why the Galatians would return to the elements of the world (cf. Galatians 4:3). This is the thrust of the gospel message, that faith alone justifies one before God, for Jesus was the promise to end the curse of sin.
We all have fallen short of God’s standard, but it should be a great relief that there are no works of the law or any other types of good deeds we have to do to win God’s favor. God did everything for us; all we need to do is trust Jesus Christ alone, that He died like a sinner though He knew no sin. He died for sinners: us. And when He died, He was taken down and buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead, being seen by many, and forty days later He was taken up into heaven until an appointed time in the future. God did all of this so that all people everywhere, from every country and ethnic group on the planet, can receive Him as Savior. It does not matter who you are, or where you have been. There is no person anywhere that is too good that he or she does not need to trust Jesus. There is also no person anywhere that is too evil that he or she cannot come to Jesus and trust Him. The proof of the empty tomb today testifies of Jesus ending the curse of the law.
Sources
Burton, Ernest De Witt. The Epistle to the Galatians. Edinburgh: T and T Clark, 1921.
George, Timothy. The New American Commentary, vol. 30. Birmingham: Broadman and Holman, 1994.
Longenecker, Richard N. Word Biblical Commentary, volume 41: Galatians. Dallas: Word Books, 1990.
MacArthur, John. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville: Word, 1997.