Becoming a Curse.
For a little insight into my mind (for those who care to know:) whenever I hear or read the word “curse” I immediately think of Captain Jack Sparrow and his infamous vessel, the Black Pearl. Pirates of the Caribbean and The Curse of the Black Pearl is one of my favorite movies. It’s full of fun, adventure, comedy, and of course pirates. When I decided to write a post about a text that mentions “a curse” I knew I had to see if there were any creative ties between the stories. While many common threads exist generally: good vs. evil, hero vs. villain, sacrifice and redemption, etc. I am sad to say the curse motif doesn’t exactly float. But in the words of Captain Jack himself, “not all treasure is silver and gold, mate.” Savvy?
The Text | Galatians 3:10-14
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
As we begin, it is important to keep in our minds Paul’s understanding of the gospel (as well as that of Peter, James, and John): a person is justified by faith and not by obedience to the Law of Moses. The gospel according to the Apostles is Jesus + nothing = life. This is what Paul is working out throughout the entire letter to the Galatian believers.
With the text before us, Paul presents the “curse of the law” here as further explanation and proof that one cannot be made righteous by the law, but the opposite is true: the law works to establish a curse rather than blessing. This is what Paul will begin to hammer home with his appeal to the Hebrew Scriptures and the Mosaic covenant.
Paul’s appeal to the Scriptures
Whenever Paul, or Jesus, or any biblical author says “for it is written,” they are about to quote the Jewish scriptures, what we know as the Old Testament. In this instance, there are 4 quotations. First, he quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26, when Moses says “cursed is anyone who does not confirm the words of the law by putting them into practice.” The second quote is from the prophet Habakkuk, chapter 2:4, “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” The third quotation is from Moses again, in Leviticus 18:5, “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.” And lastly, Paul quotes Moses from Deuteronomy 21:22-23, “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God.” What is this curse that Paul is talking about and why is it significant?
The Curse of the Law
During Old Testament times, a standard part of covenant making included the outlining of “blessings” and “curses.” If you abide by the stipulations of the covenant you can expect certain blessings. If on the other hand you fail to abide by the stipulations of the covenant, you can, with equal confidence, expect certain curses. Those specific blessings and curses would be outlined in the covenant document. This is what we see happening in the Deuteronomy passages that show Moses outlining the stipulations of the covenant God had made with Israel (Deuteronomy 27-30).
The problem however with the law, according to the Apostles, is that it was never meant to make people righteous but to point out transgression (Romans 3:20; 7:7). Therefore, in light of the death and resurrection of Israel’s messiah, the law has become an instrument of cursing to those who try to rely on it for righteousness. This is why Paul here says, “all who rely on works of the law are under a curse.” Since it is impossible to keep the entirety of the law, everyone who looks to the law as in instrument of righteousness (being in right relationship with God and in good standing with the community of God) or blessing, is doomed only to be cursed.
The Blessing of Faith
As we learned Sunday with the introduction of Abraham as ‘the man of faith’ we see that there are two ways of living in this world. One way is to rely on your own ability and power to be good and perfectly follow the law. The other way is the way of Abraham and the way of faith. The former leads to curses, the latter to a life of blessing. When we speak of the gospel, we implicitly set forth these two alternate ways of living and being: the way of the law and the way of faith. This remains true to this day. We are either striving to be as good as possible and hope it counts for something, or we give ourselves over to faith in Christ and trust that his life counts for everything.
Implicit in these ways of being are the outcomes of trusting them and living according to them: one brings curses, the other blessings. And of the two ways of living, Paul tells us that “the righteous shall live by faith.” John Stott points out the greater, more permanent outcomes of these two options: The curse of God brings condemnation and death, the blessing of God brings justification and life.
The Gospel Twist: Christ becomes a curse for us
Paul utilizes this moment to do two things. First, he identifies anyone that trusts the law for righteousness sake as being under a curse. They are under a curse because to obtain blessing through the law, the entirety of the law would need to be observed. The Apostle James says as much when he says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it (James 2:10).” Yet, regardless of who it is, all humans by nature are a law unto themselves. This is what Paul talks about in Romans 2. Therefore, it does not matter if one is a Jew or Gentile, both need the Law to be fulfilled. And this was a major part of the Messiah’s mission: Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17).”
The second point and perhaps capstone to his current argument is to bring into the picture once again the work of Christ Jesus on the cross. He says verse 13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse by becoming a curse for us.” By innocently taking on a death reserved only for criminals, Christ took the curse of the law into himself and at the same time fulfilled the law.
Now, because the law has been fulfilled we have been redeemed from the curse and the blessing that comes with being in Abraham’s family can be extended to Gentiles without any reference or adherence to the old covenant. There is no need to perform for God. For it is not by works of the law (reliance upon the law) that any are justified by God but rather through receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit through faith. We can now see how all the rhetorical questions of last weeks sermon (Galatians 3:1-9) are appropriate. As well as why Abraham is such a crucial figure in Paul’s understanding of the gospel.
Was it by reliance upon the law that you received the promised Spirit or was by believing with faith?
Having entered the kingdom of God through grace are you now earning your spot through works?
To reference John Stott again, the only thing necessary to live under the accepting gaze and loving smile of our Heavenly Father is faith in the curse bearing Messiah. We need not carry around the same curse of anxiety that comes with living in this world. A world of accomplishing this goal, winning that medal, and performing at certain levels in order to be accepted or loved. Those things are, in a very real sense, the curse of the law bearing down on society today. But praise be to God we get to live free from the law because of him who loved us and gave himself for us! Don’t you want to live free from anxiety? Free from depression? Are you not tired of performing and keeping up the law in order to be accepted? Jesus said, “my way is easy, my burden is light.” Jesus became the curse so that you and I can have his Holy Spirit, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17)!”
May you, today, know the freedom of true life that comes by faith and reception of the promised Holy Spirit!
Amen.
