Galatians 3:10,13 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”… 13Christ has 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”
If you know the verses in the Law of Moses that the apostle Paul is referring to, you can understand everything clearly.
He is quoting Deuteronomy 11:26-28 & Deuteronomy 27:26 ~
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 26“Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you today; 28and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today
Deuteronomy 27:26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’”
If you take the time to read all of Deuteronomy, you will find that God promises “blessings/rewards” upon His chosen people when they obey Him. He also promises “curses/punishments” upon those who disobey.
♦♦♦ The Word of God states: “I set before you today a blessing and a curse”; ‘the Law’ is not the curse or the blessing, the blessing and the curse is a choice ♦♦♦
“THE CURSE” is the effect produced by, or the consequence of our own choice to disobey the Instructions/Law of God; it is not the Law itself.
The “Law” is God’s Righteous Instructions for His set-apart (Holy) people to live by… Period.
“The Law” is NOT “the curse”. We are being taught wrong by the mainstream Christian System.
In the verse above, “As Many As“ who choose to disobey God, those are the ones cursed, punished, condemned…
So, let’s read Paul again ~
Galatians 3:10,13 10 for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”… 13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law
What did the text say?
It said, “cursed is everyone” and “the curse of the Law”, not ‘the curse is the Law’.
The words, “The Law is a curse” do not exist anywhere in the Word of God. Verses 10 and 13 of Galatians 3 have been, and still are misunderstood and taken out of context. The mainstream theological teaching that “The Law is the curse”, is a HUGE doctrinal error that has been passed down from our forefathers; it is heresy! There is not one verse in the Scriptures to back up this dogma; it is not only heresy, but also blasphemy.
The choices we make regarding the Law can also result in blessings! ~
Deuteronomy 11:26-27 26See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today,
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 1And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 29:18-21 18Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, 19one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. 20The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. 21And the LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for calamity, in accordance with all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.
It says, “I am setting before you (a choice) today a blessing AND a curse”! A blessing IF you choose to obey, and a curse IF you choose to disobey; the Law is not “the blessing” and it is not “the curse”.
Paul is reminding us that we have all sinned (disobeyed God’s Law) and deserve “the curse”, i.e., the condemnation/punishment, which ultimately is separation from the Creator in eternal death. We were in ‘bondage’ to our sin when we did not keep the Law of God. The lusts of our own desires, doing what’s right in our own eyes, obeying our own flesh and not choosing to obey God is what brings the curse upon us.
Paul is also reminding us that Christ redeemed us, he paid our ransom with his blood. Jesus bought our freedom from being “under” the bondage and slavery of our sin; He freed us from the dominion of sin “over” our life. No amount of works on our part could pay for that, or be enough to justify us before God; ‘for all have sinned and fallen short’…
The disconnect is this: because the apostle Paul chastised those believers that ‘tried to be justified’ by keeping the Law, we have assumed that he’s telling everyone, everywhere that, “keeping the Law is by default trying to be justified”; this is a ‘Straw-man argument’, and an utterly false assumption! Please click this link and read ‘Galatians Part 1: Freedom or Bondage‘.
We have to remember who Paul is talking to. He’s addressing those that were raised as pagans/gentiles and have now been deceived into believing that circumcision is what is needed to be justified before God (which it was never designed to do!).
They were relying on the work of circumcision for ‘justification’, even though Paul had taught them that belief, faith and trust in the work of Messiah and his resurrection is what justifies us. They (we) are no longer “under” the curse/condemnation, because Christ has atoned for them (us). We are no longer “under” condemnation, no longer “subject to the power” that the Law has to sentence us guilty for our past sins; if we have confessed them AND repented, which is not continuing in those sins and turning back to God’s righteous ways.
This leads us to the next misinterpreted verse in Paul’s letter to the Galatians ~
Galatians 3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.
So many Versions and Translations use English words like “held captive”, “imprisoned”, “locked-up”, “confined”, “restrained”, “in-custody”, “held as prisoners”, to the effect that anyone reading this verse sees in their minds eye a pitch-black solitary confinement cell on Alcatraz Island! The fact is the Greek words means nothing of the sort.
We have been, and still are being taught wrong by the mainstream System. I believe those interpretations of this verse have been purposefully mistranslated in order to fulfill an agenda.
“Held captive” is the Greek verb G5432 ἐφρουρούμεθα/ ephrouroumetha and is in the Passive Voice. Therefore, according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, it means: “to protect by guarding; kept in ward; to keep.
“Imprisoned” is the Greek verb G4788, συνκλειόμενοι/synkleiomenoi, and is also in the Passive Voice. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states this as: “to enclose completely”, “under the power of, subjected to, i.e., declared them to be subject”. This is in perfect harmony with the words “under the law” which immediately precedes it. “Under” the law means “subject to the power of” the law; please click this link and read the study “Subject to the Power of the Law”.
And just as CRITICAL, is the word “until“, which is not even in the Greek at all! It has been added by men in order to create false doctrine, and changes the original context spoken by Paul.
The actual word in the original Greek is G1519 εἰς/eis, and according to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon means: “in”, “into”, “towards”, that we might the more readily embrace the faith when its time should come, (specifically as it means in Galatians 3:23).
A more accurate translation of verse 23 that is truer to the Greek would be ~ “Now before faith came we were guarded under the law, subjected to its power into the about to be revealed faith”.
The Law of God given through Moses is not now, nor has it ever been a ‘prison‘.
Moses, Joshua, David and Jesus were not in ‘chains’ or ‘shackles’ as they obeyed the Creator’s Instructions; read every verse of Psalm 119 and see if David thought he was in prison or in bondage to the Law… The Law of God given through Moses is the Almighty’s directions for righteous living; they are His Instructions for what is right, and what is wrong. They guard us from making the wrong decisions, according to what He has justly decreed to be right or wrong. Who are we to tell God otherwise?
The next two verses are also greatly misunderstood, as well as, mistranslated ~
Galatians 3:24-25 24So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, (ESV)
Galatians 3:24-25 24Wherefore the Law was our Schoolemaster to bring vs vnto Christ, that we might be iustified by Faith 25But after that Faith is come, we are no longer vnder a Schoolemaster. (KJV-1611)
Galatians 3:24-25 24Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (NASB)
Tragically, the words ‘schoolmaster’ or ‘tutor’ are used in almost every current English version and are bad translations. ‘Guardian’ is close, but not quite right.
The Greek word is Strong’s G3807, paidagōgos/παιδαγωγὸς.
Strong’s states paidagōgos to be: – properly, a legally appointed overseer, authorized to train (bring) up a child by administering discipline, chastisement, and instruction, i.e., doing what was necessary to promote development.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says: The name ‘paidagōgos’ carries with it an idea of severity (as of a stern censor and enforcer of morals).
In our culture a ‘tutor’, is not someone who escorts a child everywhere, supervising, instructing, enforcing morals, and disciplining as needed. In the ancient Greco-Roman world, the word paidagōgos described such a person. This person was not a tutor nor a teacher in the sense that we understand these words today. The paidagōgos was an instructor/enforcer. Paul is communicating to ancient Greek believers in ancient Greek terminology.
The paidagōgos, the ‘enforcer’ of the Law, were the punishments (curses) incurred when you sinned i.e., ‘The Curses of the Law’. These verses about the ‘paidagōgos’/’enforcer’ are just a continuation of Paul’s discourse on “the curse of the Law” that he started at the beginning of this chapter, context, Context, Context.
Again, these curses/disciplines are what “we” deserve for our sinning/transgressing of the Law of God. Paul is explaining to all of us, that we were ‘under’ (‘subject to the power of’) all of the following:
- we were “under” the dominion of sin
- we were “under” the enforcer/paidagōgos/curse of the Law
- we were “under” condemnation, guilty “under” the Law
♦♦♦ Again, please click this link and read, ‘Subject to the Power of the Law’ to understand more fully this word “under” in the Greek; it is not what we are being taught by todays mainstream Christian teachers ♦♦♦
Please note Galatians 3:24 again and see how the Law is meant to lead us to Christ. The Law defines what sin is; it “reminds” us that we are sinners, and “shows” our need of a Savior from our sin. Sounds a lot like the ‘true’ translation of the Romans 10:4 (Please click these links and read ‘Is Christ the End-ing of the Law?’ and ‘It is Finished!‘)
Romans 10:4 The goal of the Law is Christ into righteousness for all who are believing.
Now that we have been led to faith, trust and belief in the Messiah’s resurrection, we are “under” (subject to the power of) grace through faith, no longer “under” condemnation for our past sins! Hallelu Yah!!!
And what does Paul have to say about that faith and the Law? ~
Romans 3:31 Do we then abolish the law through faith? God forbid. But we uphold the law. (Please read the study, “Paul Commands Us to Uphold the Law”)
Romans 6:1-2 1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Romans 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Paul says that the Law of God is to be established/upheld, even though we have faith. The Law tells us what sin is, it always has, and it always will.
The “Law” does not save; it was never designed to “save”. Only God can save His people from the bondage/slavery of sin; and He gave everyone that opportunity through the faithful work of Jesus. When the Word of God, the God of Israel, put on flesh and shed His blood, He paid the ransom that was necessary, so that everyone could have the opportunity to be saved/delivered from the bondage/slavery of sin. Please click this link to read the study, “Salvation vs. Eternal Life“.
Paul says that the Law of God given through Moses is Holy, Righteous and Good; and if it was Holy, Righteous and Good when Paul wrote that 20 years after the resurrection of Christ, then it is Holy, Righteous and Good ‘today’!
The Law of Moses is God’s list of Instructions for how He wants His set-apart people to live. It was never designed to ‘justify’, ‘redeem’ or ‘save’. The Law of God gives us knowledge of what sin is, at least according to Paul ~
What does the text say?
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Unfortunately, to the great detriment of all, the Law was abused. At the time of Jesus and Paul it had been taught incorrectly for generations, that it, along with some man-made laws, was the only way to get salvation from our sin and justification in the eyes of God.
Tragically, the Law is being abused again, only now the opposite has occurred, and it’s being maligned and abandoned.
In my last study “Galatians Part 1”, we covered one of the “Big Errors” in Christendom. The error is that ‘the Law of God given through Moses is bondage and slavery’. One of the other “Big Errors” is that ‘Israel (and later the Jews) were ‘saved’ by obeying the Law of Moses’. This is completely unscriptural and false. That ‘dogma’ has led to all kinds of disastrous doctrines from the mainstream Christian System.
Israel was never “saved” by obedience to the Law of Moses.
Historically, Israel was first “saved” out of ‘slavery in Egypt’ by God “then” they went to Sinai to make a Covenant with God, and “then” they received the Law. The Creator gave Instructions (Laws) to set-them-apart (Holy) because they are His chosen/elect people, His treasured possession above of all the nations of the earth.
What does the text say?
Exodus 19:2-6 2They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3while Moses went up to God. 4The LORD called to him out of the mountain (Sinai), saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy (set-apart) nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” 7So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord.
Exodus 29:9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
Deuteronomy 7:6,11-12 6For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth… 11You shall therefore be careful to do the commandment and the statutes and the rules that I command you today. 12And because you listen to these rules and keep and do them, the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love that he swore to your fathers.
Deuteronomy 14:2-3 2For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. 3“You shall not eat any abomination.
Deuteronomy 26:16-19 16“This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and rules. You shall therefore be careful to do them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17You have declared today that the LORD is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his rules, and will obey his voice. 18And the LORD has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments, 19and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy (set-apart) to the LORD your God, as he promised.”
Deuteronomy 27:9-10 9Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the LORD your God. 10You shall therefore obey the voice of the LORD your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.”
Deuteronomy 28:1 And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
Deuteronomy 28:9 The LORD will establish you as a people holy (set-apart) to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways.
Obedience to the Law of God given through Moses was never designed to save or justify Israel. God never promised, ‘If you obey my Laws you will be saved‘.
As you have read from the verses directly above, there is no ‘Salvation’, ‘Deliverance’, ‘Redemption’ or ‘Justification’ mentioned. God promised to be their God, bless them, and treasure them above all the nations if they obeyed His “VOICE”, that’s all. First, with the relationship established, God saved them from bondage in Egypt; then they went to Sinai where the Almighty promised to be their God and take care of them if they would obey His Voice, and they said they would {This is The Covenant}. “THEN” He gave them His Instructions, His Laws, on how to live as His set-apart “covenant” people.
Obedience to the Law cannot save. If they(we) try to keep the Law to deliver(save) us, which it is not designed to do, then we put ourselves back under bondage-to-our-sin. All have sinned and fallen short…
The children of Israel knew the Law could not save. They looked to God Himself as their Savior, their Deliverer and their Redeemer; and they looked to the coming Messiah (the Word-of-God manifested-in-the-flesh) to save them!
What does the text say?
Exodus 15:2,13 The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him… 13You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; (this is stated before the Mt. Sinai Law-giving event occurred)
Job 19:23 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 130:7-8 7O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. 8And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities(sins).
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”
Isaiah 45:17 But Israel is saved by the LORD with everlasting salvation; you shall not be put to shame or confounded to all eternity.
Isaiah 45:22-23 22Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. 23By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.
Isaiah 45:25 In the LORD all the offspring of Israel shall be justified and shall glory.”
All of Isaiah chapter 53!
Jeremiah 23:5-6 5Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: The LORD is our righteousness.’
This is the exact same understanding that we see revealed by the Disciples and Paul ~
Luke 1:67-75 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Luke 2:28-32 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.
Acts 13:21 Of this man’s (David) offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
Hebrews 5:8-10 8Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10being designated by God a high priest after the likeness of Melchizedek.
Titus 2:13-14 13our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness [quoting Psalm 130:8 above]
In conclusion, “Only” God ‘saves‘ or ‘delivers‘. His Instructions for righteous living, the Law of God given through Moses, are rules, statutes and just decrees for His treasured, covenant people in order to set-them-apart from the pagan nations/gentiles. And as Paul has decreed in Romans 3:31, we are to uphold the Law, “if” we have chosen to be in covenant with the God of Abraham, Jesus and Paul.
Final Thought: The entire context which is encompassed in the letter to Galatia is completely ignored and abandoned by today’s mainstream teachers and preachers. You cannot just take part of verse or one sentence and create a doctrine. You must read the entirety of the letter in context, as well as compare it to the rest of Scripture before declaring a change in Scripturally established doctrine.
What no one in mainstream Christianity seems to acknowledge is that right here in Galatians the apostle Paul admits he preaches/heralds/proclaims circumcision and wonders why he is still being persecuted! The documentation is blatantly obvious but because it goes against modern man-made denominational dogma the verse is completely ignored…
What does the text say?
Galatians 5:11 But if I, brothers, still preach circumcision, why am I still being persecuted?
Paul just said that he still preaches circumcision but is being persecuted anyway!
He’s confused as to why he’s being persecuted even though he still preaches circumcision!!
In the same letter to the Galatians, which the mainstream System uses to falsely denounce circumcision, the context and documentation proves Paul taught and preached circumcision! Acts 21 is further documentation that Paul did not teach against circumcision AND Acts 21 also proves he himself kept/guarded/observed the Law of Moses his “entire” life!!!
What does the text say?
“Thus, all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself (Paul) also live in observance of the law.” | James, the brother of Jesus, speaking to Paul, Acts 21:24 ~ Please read the complete study of Acts 21:24 by clicking this link, ‘You Yourself Also Live in Observance of the Law‘.
Paul did not teach against circumcision, nor did he teach the Law was abolished; he lived his life in observance of the Law!!!
- For further study of Paul’s teachings, as well as the original Greek, see the ‘Links’ at the top of this page or blog posts at the bottom. Be like the Bereans, and test Paul’s doctrines to the “Scriptures”; look up for yourself more than 60 of the “forever verses” listed directly below. Please ‘share’ this study. Thank you for your time!
A Paulogetic 
2 thoughts on “Galatians Part 2: the curse “OF” the law”