10 All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law, however, is not based on faith; on the contrary, “The man who does these things will 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 hung on a tree.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Rebecca Lin

When I read this passage, the language of “curse” always stands out to me because it feels like such a strong and confronting word.  But it is a reminder to me of the reality of our sin and the seriousness of thinking that we might be able to redeem ourselves in part by doing good works.

There are always consequences for breaking the rules. In a game, you might miss a turn. At school, you might get a detention. On the road, you might get a fine. In more serious cases of law-breaking, you could even end up in jail. These are temporary consequences, debts you can usually pay off.  But when we inevitably break God’s law and fail to live His way, the consequence is permanent. It is death and eternal separation from God. No matter what good deeds we may try to do to make up for our rebellion against God, we will never pay off our debt. Verse 11 reminds us that “no one is justified by the law”. That’s why Galatians 3:10 rightly says that everyone who relies on works of the law is under a curse.

In light of this, I am greatly comforted that in God’s kindness and mercy, our salvation is not reliant on our ability to follow the law or anything we do at all. It relies completely on Jesus’ work. Verse 13 tells us that Christ is the one who has redeemed us from the curse of the law, which he did by dying on the cross. By doing this, he has made us righteous before God, debts forgiven, relationship restored. Spend some time reflecting and praising God for the undeserved gift of grace he has given us in sending Jesus to die to rescue us from the curse of the law.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rebecca is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.