SLIDES

The Letter to the Galatians

Part 12 (Galatians 3:10-14)

Introduction

There is a man who trained a long time to run a special marathon. He studied, practiced, and followed all the rules meticulously. On race day, as he was running perfectly, stumbled and fell down near the finish line. Another runner who was running closely behind him, picked him up and carried him across the finish line. The man received his medal not by his own works, but by the grace of the stranger. Just like this, Paul teaches us a person striving under the law to earn justification will not receive it. It’s only by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone that person can receive justification from God. Today we will see that Paul uses the Mosaic Law and the death of Christ to vindicate that justification is received by faith alone and not by works of the Mosaic Law.

Now we will see that Paul uses the effects of Law to vindicate that justification is received by faith not by works.

3. By the effect of the Law (3:10-12)

In Galatians 3:10-11, Paul contrasts the blessings one receives by being a person of faith, like Abraham, to the curses one receives by trying to be obedient to the Law of Moses. Let’s begin by reading verse 10.

10 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.”

Even though the Law of Moses has been rendered inoperative and replaced by the New Covenant, one can still choose to depend on or rely on the Law to please God and to obtain righteousness by trying to be obedient to it. Those who take that route will receive curses in contrast to the one who will receive blessings for his or her faith. It’s the same choice people have had to make for 2000 years - to please God by works or faith.

In the second part of verse 10, Paul gives the reason those who try to please God by works are cursed. The reason is because it is written in the Law itself. Paul here quotes Deuteronomy 27:26.

“CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.”

Remember that the context of the first three chapters is justification. How does one receive declared righteousness from God? The Judaizers were teaching that justification was by believing in Jesus plus keeping parts of the Mosaic Law. Paul from chapter one wrote that justification was by faith not by works of the Mosaic Law. He said this truth came directly from God by direct revelation. In this verse he has quoted the Law of Moses about the Law of Mses. The Law of Moses also came by revelation, except that God used angels as mediators.

In Deuteronomy 27:26 that Paul quoted here is very clear that those who do not observe the entire Law are cursed. In context, an Israelite who did not keep the entire Law perfectly would not receive declared righteousness from the Lord. Those Israelites who did not keep the entire Law perfectly and would not receive declared righteous and therefore would be considered cursed. A curse is opposite of a blessing. One who receives declared righteousness by faith is blessed and those who do not receive declared righteousness, because they did not keep the entire Law, are cursed.

It’s no different today. Those who try to receive righteousness by keeping the Mosaic Law or through other good works, will not receive righteousness from God, and are, therefore, cursed. Those who have faith in Christ to receive declared righteousness will receive it and are blessed. In Paul’s day and today, all religions, except Christianity, believe that God’s righteousness is gained by good works.

11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Before Jesus, the Israelite had two choices concerning receiving declared righteousness from the Lord. One, to keep the entire Law of Moses perfectly. Two, to receive declared righteousness through faith. Paul quoted Deuteronomy 27:26 in verse 10 to demonstrate from the Law itself that man is not justified by works of the Law. Then, in this verse he says that it is evident that man is not justified by the works of the Law. The word evident means “being clearly visible, then clear to the understanding, clear, plain, evident.” Then, by using the word “for,” Paul gives the reason why it is evident that no one is justified by the works of the Mosaic Law. His evidence is found in Habakkuk 2:4 that he quoted from the prophets.

Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4, from the Prophets section of the Old Testament, to demonstrate that justification by faith has always been God’s method of providing Justification. Let ‘s read Habakkuk 2:4.

   4      “Behold, as for the proud one,

      His soul is not right within him;

      But the righteous will live by his faith.

It’s the last part if verse 4 that Paul quoted. Scripture says that it is the person who is justified by faith that will live, but no one can be justified by works of the law.

Paul quoted Habakkuk 2:4 in Galatians 3:11 to stress “live,” rather than obtaining justification by obeying the Mosaic Law, as the Judaizers were trying to do plus believing in Jesus. However, the righteous person does so by faith. Now let’s look at verse 12.

12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”

Paul continues to contrast law and faith. The Law and faith cannot be mixed. They are mutually exclusive. He also explains the Law is not based on faith. The basic principle of the Law is found in Leviticus 18:5 which he quoted in this verse. “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.” They are two entirely different approaches to God. The Law demanded perfect compliance whereas faith simply trusts God to deliver what He has promised. Those who are committed to being under the authority of the Law must also be obedient to every aspect of the Law. As we shall see in a week or two, the Law does not bless but condemns. James 2:10 makes it clear that if fails to keep one part of the Law, he or she is guilty of being disobedient to all of them.

10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Now Paul presents another vindication that justification is by faith. This one relates to the work of Christ 2000 years ago.

Application

Historically, we can look back to the early Church and the debates regarding justification. Saint Augustine preached about grace versus works, illustrating that even the most pious life falls short without faith. Many were transformed by this message, realizing that their justification didn’t hinge on their own efforts but on belief in Christ. Today, every religion, except for Christianity, teaches that justification is received by man’s efforts. That means that most of humanity are on the wide road to destruction. We have a responsibility to carry forward the teaching of the early church that receiving justification is only through faith, not by keeping the Mosaic Law, as the Jews believe, or by any kind of good works, that that other religions believe.

Now we will transition to Paul using the death of Christ to vindicate that justification is received by faith not by works.

3. By the death of Christ (3:13-14)

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”—

Paul continues to speak about the Jews in verses 13-14 because “us” from the context refers to Jewish people. Gentiles were never under the authority of the Mosaic Law. Christ, the Messiah, redeemed the Jewish people from the curse of the Law of Moses because He became a curse for them. Yes, Christ died for Jew and Gentle alike, but other verses should be used to demonstrate that Christ died for Gentiles as well. But Paul is speaking here about the Jews being redeemed by Jesus the Messiah to demonstrate to the Gentiles who were being pressured by the Judaizers to mix law and grace for justification. Gentiles, then and now, should not have any desire to put themselves under the authority of the Law of Moses because it did not, nor does it bring. justification today. However, it did and does today bring a curse to those who think that by observing it brings justification.

Before we discuss the curse that the Law brings, let’s first discuss the word redemption. The word redemption means to buy out of slavery, with a price, and to set free.  God’s redemption harkens back to the Exodus from Egypt and the Passover as Moses reminded Israel in Deuteronomy 7:8b, “... the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” At the Passover, God brought Israel out slavery in Egypt with the price of the blood of the Passover lambs and eventually set them free in their own land.

Titus 2:11-14 explains that the blood of Jesus redeemed all men, both Jew and Gentile, from our sins. We were bought out of slavery to sin by the price of the blood of Jesus, and set were set free from sin.  In Galatians 3:13 Paul is specifically referring to Jesus’ death that redeemed the Jewish people from the curse of the Mosaic Law. Note that the Mosaic Law only brought a curse to Israelites, not a blessing. To understand what the curse of the Law is, let’s read Deuteronomy 21:23 that Paul quoted in Galatians 3:13. To put things in context, let’s read Deuteronomy 21:22-23.

        22   “If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

       23   his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accused of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.”

In verse 22-23 Moses is referring an Israelite who committed a capital offense that demanded he be put to death, such as first-degree murder, homosexuality, bestiality, a priest’s daughter who practices prostitution, etc.  If you look at the text closely, hanging a criminal on a tree was not for the purpose of putting him to death. Rather, after he was executed for a capital offense he had committed usually by stoning, his body was hanged on a tree as a warning to all who saw it not to commit the same offense. The criminal was under God’s curse not because his body was hung on a tree but because he had broken God’s Law by committing a crime worthy of death. Therefore, his body was not to be left on the tree overnight so that the land and the people would not be polluted by a cursed person.

All Jews who had broken the Mosaic Law, which means all of them, were under the curse of the Law. Jesus by dying on a tree, became Israel's substitutionary redeemer, whereby He took the penalty for all Jewish guilty lawbreakers on Himself. Thus, the “curse of the Law” was transferred from Jewish sinners to Christ, who was sinless, thereby delivering them from it. Now let’s finish up with verse 14,

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.

In Verse 13 & 14 Paul gives three purposes of Jesus dying on a tree. The first was to become a curse so as to redeem Jewish people from the curse of the Mosaic Law. The second purpose is found in the first part of verse 14  in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles

The blessing of Abraham was that he received declared righteousness through faith instead of the works of the Law. The word Gentiles is translated from the Greek word ethnos which literally means the nations that are not Jewish. Ethnos is where we get the words ethnic and ethnicity. Today some translators translate the word ethnos people groups.

The third purpose for Jesus’ sacrificial death on a tree was so that those who receive declared righteousness through faith would also receive the promise of the Holy Spirit as well. Receiving declared righteousness and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit occur at the same time one trusts in Christ as Savior. In Ezekiel 36:27 The Holy Spirit was promised to Israel and Judah when God would give them the New Covenant. In John 14:16-18 Jesus in the Upper Room promised that the Father would send the Holy Spirit to the disciples.

In Romans 4:16 we find that Paul reiterates what he said in Galatians 3:13-14.

“For this reason, it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all...”

The whole point of Galatians 3:1-14 was to demonstrate to the Judaizers and to those in the churches of Galatia who were considering mixing parts of the Mosaic Law and faith in Jesus for justification that no one past and present could ever be justified by being observant to the Mosaic Law. 

When we are sharing Christ with those who think that works of the Mosaic Law or other types of works must be added to faith in Christ for one to receive salvation, one important question to ask them is, “Do you not think that the blood of Christ is sufficient to remove all our sins? “This question is certainly a question that anyone who believe that works justify or save people from their sins should ruminate on.