If you would, go ahead and take your Bibles and turn with me to the NT book of Galatians. We’re in Galatians 3:10–18 today. This passage is a densely argued and complex presentation of material from the Apostle Paul, including multiple references to the OT. 

And we can distill this down to its most simple component which is this—Jesus is the only means of salvation. I think that’s the sum total of what Paul is arguing here. And we’re going to dwell on that truth before we’re done today. But before we do that—before we simplify things—let’s wade in the deep water of Paul’s complex arguments here.

In Greek mythology, there is a character named Sisyphus who was the ancient king of Corinth. And Sisyphus was a deceitful character who gained a reputation for his trickery, and because of this he was punished by the gods. His punishment involved pushing an immense boulder up a hill. But shortly before he reached the top of the hill, the rock would roll back down. And Sisyphus was required to repeat this activity again and again and again throughout all eternity. 

Some of you may have heard the word “Sisyphean” before or perhaps you heard the term “Sisyphean task.” Well the word “Sisyphean” means “an endless labor or task.” It describes actions that are seemingly endless, or futile, or even worse, pointless. 

I mention that myth, and this word Sisyphean, because Paul is going to describe a Sisyphean task for us today—an endless, futile, and pointless task. It is the task of justification by works. People who try to atone for their sinfulness by human effort are essentially, like Sisyphus, pushing a rock up a hill only to have it roll down again and again and again. It’s a loop cycle. 

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And Paul describes people who rely on works of the law for their own justification with a strong word. He says, in Galatians 3:10, that they are “cursed.” 

Read with me in verse 10.

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.” 

It is a Sisyphean task to try to fulfill all of the requirements of the Book of the Law. This verse is a stark contrast with verse 9 where Paul says: “So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Faith was the foundational component of verses 1–9. And we saw last week that those who have faith in Christ have the indwelling Spirit, they have Holy Spirit power, they have the righteousness of God, and also they have the blessings of God.

But verse 10 is the antithesis of verse 9. Paul speaks here of curse not blessing. And works-based legalism that circumvents faith is a curse. “For all who rely on works of the law (a.k.a. legalism) are under a curse.” And at the end of verse 10, Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 27:26: “for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” 

By the way, you might notice the number of times that Paul quotes from the OT in Galatians 3. The references really start to stack up. Last week Paul quoted from Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.” And also he quoted Genesis 12:3, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 

In today’s passage, Paul will quote from Deuteronomy 27:26, Habakkuk 2:4, Leviticus 18:5, Deuteronomy 21:23. He’s also going to allude to Genesis 12:7 and Exodus 12:40. That’s a lot of OT references in this short section of Scripture. 

I think what Paul is doing here is matching wits with the Judaizers in Galatia. They think they have the upper hand in the churches by quoting OT Scripture and requiring that the people submit to them. But Paul is responding to them with OT Scripture. He’s saying, “You want to talk OT? Okay, I can talk OT.” And he is essentially beating them at their own game. Let me say it this way—Paul is out-judaizing the Judaizers.  

So Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26 at the end of verse 10 which says, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Jesus’s half-brother, James, basically said the same thing in James 2:10: “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”

By the way, Moses made this statement to the Israelites at the end of the Pentateuch shortly before the Israelites enter the Promised Land and after the entirety of the law was written down and recited to the people. In Deuteronomy 27, Moses warns the people that they will be cursed for all matters of the law that they do not obey. There are eleven specific curses pronounced in that chapter and then finally an all-inclusive statement, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” The Law of the OT was itself good, but it produced a cursedness for the people of Israel because they could not fulfill it perfectly. 

 Paul makes this clear in Romans as he quotes from the Psalms: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (Rom 3:10–12; see also Pss 14:1–3; 53:1–3).

And Paul’s argument in Romans makes clear that it’s not just the Israelites who fail before God. All humanity fails before God. Ergo all are cursed before God! 

The syllogism goes something like this:

Those who don’t do everything required by the law are cursed.

No one does everything required by the law.

Therefore, all are cursed.

So we’re all cursed! Pretty depressing, right? “What are we going to do about this, Pastor Tony?” Well Paul follows this bad news with some good news. 

And here’s the good news. Look at verse 11.

11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law 

It is evident through OT Scripture and through human experience that “no one is justified before God by the law.” You could say that God even designed it that way in order to steer people towards faith… to steer people towards his Son.

And here’s the payoff. Look at the end of verse 11.

for “The righteous shall live by faith.” 

In other words, “The [justified] shall live by faith.” We aren’t justified by works. We are justified by faith. That principle is as old as the OT. And it’s perfected in Christ.

  Here’s the first point from our text today. The title of our message today is “Reverse the Curse” and verses 10–11 are telling us that: 

1) The curse is reversed through justification by faith (3:10–11)

At the end of verse 11, Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4. Paul uses the Pentateuch to substantiate his argument that justification is by faith alone. But he also uses the Prophets of the OT. Habakkuk, written 600 years before Christ, communicated that “faith” was the medium for righteousness. Not works-based legalism! Not law-fulfillment! And of course that truth goes all the way back to Abraham as we learned last week. 

I had a good friend once who told me that he was going to repair the flooring in his house. This was supposed to be a small project. What he didn’t know at the time was that his small project would eventually end up being a gigantic project. What happened is that he initially was just going to repair the flooring in the house. But in the process, he noticed some serious problems with the walls of the house. And while working on the walls, he noticed some wiring problems. And while working on the walls and the wiring, he noticed some plumbing issues. Before he knew it he was involved in a wholescale remodeling project for his house. And in just a few months he was out of money, out of time, and because of an injury during the remodel, he was unable to complete the project. 

I mention that because I see justification by works of the law similarly. We try to become righteous by incorporating the law into our life. We eliminate a sin like filthy language, but then we find out that we are deceitful. We remove deceit, but then we realize that we are incredibly materialistic. We try to remove the materialism in our heart, but even after succeeding at this, we realize that we are prideful about it! 

The more sin we fight and conquer, the more sin we find hiding in the cracks of our heart. And the law reveals more and more sinfulness in our hearts. And we can’t remodel our old house one piece at a time. We need a new house. We need a new heart. 

You know even in our modern-day world, we constantly battle with thinking “the law” or some kind of manmade legalism is going to save us. We tell our kids, “Be good little boys and girls. and God will love you.” But that’s not true. And they don’t have the capacity to do good. Not enough of it. 

You know what we need to tell our kids? We need to tell them, “Kids, you’re sinners. And mom and dad are sinners too. We are sinners saved by grace. We are sinners, but we have a perfect high priest who has conquered sin on our behalf and offers us life.”

Parents, do your kids a favor. Don’t over-encumber them with expectations of being good. We don’t want good kids here at VBVF. We want gospel kids!

 You know there’s an old ditty that goes like this. It probably dates back to the days of John Bunyan, but I don’t think anyone knows for sure. 

“Do this and that the law commands

But gives me neither feet nor hands

Far better news the gospel brings, 

It bids us fly and gives us wings.”

There’s another version of that poem that goes like this:

“A rigid matter was the law,

demanding brick, denying straw,

But when with gospel tongue it sings,

it bids me fly and gives me wings.”

Here’s another way to say that: “I fought the law, and the law won!” The original readers of Galatians couldn’t keep the law or trust in it for their salvation, and neither can we. We need a law-fulfiller. We need a great high priest who fulfilled the law perfectly and died on our behalf.  

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Actually Jesus did more than that. Look at verse 12 with me.

12 But the law is not of faith

In other words, the law is a totally different trajectory than faith. They go in opposite directions. Faith leads to peace and joy through justification. Faith leads to power through the indwelling Spirit. The law leads to disillusionment and despair. Faith enacts a blessing, and legalism enacts a curse. 

12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 

Now this is another OT quotation. “The one who does them shall live by them,” is taken from Leviticus 18:5. Paul is saying here that the choice between law and faith is a life choice. If you choose the law you will live by it and all that accompanies it. If you choose faith you will live by means of faith for salvation and the ongoing work of sanctification. And you will have access to all that accompanies faith. 

 Let’s just imagine for a minute that this door here represents “living by legalism” and the double door in the back of the sanctuary represents “living by faith.” I assume that most of you in this room are going to exit by that door, so I’ll make that the door that represents “living by faith.” 

Well every person here at the end of the service has a choice to make: this exit or that exit. If you choose this exit, the door that represents living by the law, you will be cursed. You are unable to fulfill the requirements of the law. You are stained by sin and so you are destined for a cursed life full of despair and hopeless striving. But if you choose that exit, the door of faith, you will have the blessings of God, the righteousness from God and the indwelling Spirit. You will be at peace with God. You will be, as Paul states in verse 13, “redeemed from the curse.” 

And let me say this too. Once you go through that door, you can’t come back in and exit by this door! You can’t reverse course. And you can’t go through both doors. The way of faith is a lifelong commitment. You can’t backtrack. 

Look at verse 13 with me. These are some of the greatest words, in my humble opinion, ever written by the Apostle Paul. Let’s just bask in the glory of what Paul says here. 

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.

Here’s the second point from our text today. The curse is reversed through justification by faith, but also…

2) The cursed are redeemed through the substitution of Christ (3:12–14)

“Who’s the cursed, Pastor Tony? Who are you calling ‘cursed?’” The cursed are all of us. All of humanity is cursed. Unless, that is, we are redeemed by Christ. 

The word “redeemed” in verse 13 means to “buy back” or “to release from slavery by paying a ransom.” It was used in the Greek world to refer to a commercial transaction between parties. Christ “bought us back” or “paid our ransom” by becoming a curse for us. 

You might ask, “How did Christ become a curse?” Good question. Deuteronomy 21:22–23 says the following: “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.” 

The word for “tree” in Deuteronomy 21 in Hebrew is the word עֵץ. Coincidently it’s the same word that is used in Genesis 2–3 for the “Tree of Life” and the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” The LXX, which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, translates that Hebrew word עֵץ with the Greek word ξύλον. So the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is called a ξύλον. And the Tree of Life is called a ξύλον. And the tree in Deuteronomy 21 is called a ξύλον. 

And the NT writers new all about this “curse” language for one who hangs on a tree. So Peter would say in the NT, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the [ξύλον]” (1 Pet 2:24). And Peter preached Acts 5:30, “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a [ξύλον].” Paul preached too in Acts 13:29, “And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the [ξύλον] and laid him in a tomb.”

And Paul would say in the book of Galatians, “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 [ξύλον]’” (Gal 3:13). And all this took place so that we might partake of what’s called the ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, the “Tree of Life” forever (see Rev 22:2, 14).

The more common word for this “tree” in the Bible is the word “cross” or the Greek σταυρός. That word shows up 27 times in the Bible. It was, of course, the word used to describe a crucifixion, the Roman process of affixing a person’s body to two pieces of wood that were fastened together forming a “cross.” 

This is the tree that Jesus died on for our sins. This is the curse that Jesus endured. This was the worst expression of human torture and the most ignominious means of death utilized in the first century that Jesus, God in the flesh, endured. Jesus, the one who made the very humans who were crucifying him from the dirt of the ground, allowed himself to be crucified by those hands! 

Why did Jesus endure that? Why did he suffer like this? He did it because he loves you. He did it to reverse the consequences of sin in the Garden of Eden. He did it to help us regain access to the tree of life so that we could live forever, not in a sinful state, but in a perfect state clothed in the righteousness that he purchased for us. 

That’s what Christ has done for you. Do you believe that? If you are listening to this now, and you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, why don’t you do that today? Just admit your sinfulness before a righteous God. Turn from your sin, and by faith receive what Christ has done for you—his death on the cross as a payment for sin and his resurrection three days later to permanently conquer death. 

Paul, who had a brilliant mind and a superior understanding of the OT, connects the tree, the chunk of wood, that Jesus was crucified on with the curse that was issued in the OT, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” Christ became a curse for us. He became cursed in order to redeem us, the cursed. The cursed are redeemed through the substitution of Christ. 

Over the last few weeks we’ve been dealing with the doctrine of justification. But another doctrine that is connected to Justification is the doctrine of Substitution. Some of you may have heard the term “Penal Substitutionary Atonement.” That is what is being referenced here in Galatians 3. Christ was the substitute for us. He became a curse for us. Paul says elsewhere, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). 

This “cursedness” that took place on the cross is one of the reasons that many Jews couldn’t come to terms with Jesus as the Messiah. The idea that God’s Son would voluntarily put himself on the cross, which they knew constituted a curse according to Deuteronomy 21, was too much for them. They couldn’t handle it. 

Also, I think they struggled with the expansion of the promises of Abraham beyond the Jewish people. They couldn’t accept a cross-cultural gospel message. Paul says in verse 14 that the work of redemption that took place upon the cross allowed the blessing of Abraham to come to the Gentiles. God told Abraham, “In you shall all the nations be blessed,” and that blessing was actualized by faith. Therefore those who have faith are the “sons of Abraham” and even Gentiles are allowed to experience the Abrahamic blessing.    

Not only that, but also the Holy Spirit resides in them. Look again at verses 13–14. 

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us— 

14 so that in Christ Jesus 

[1] the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, 

[2] so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

This is what’s called a “purpose statement” in Greek. Christ redeemed us “so that” the blessing of Abraham would come to Gentiles. But also “so that” the blessing of the Holy Spirit might come to both Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus Christ as their Savior. That’s what Paul is communicating here. The curse of the law is reversed through justification by faith, and the “cursed” are redeemed by the substitution of Christ.

Before we move on to the last point, let me just make a final statement about verses 13–14. If I could use one word to describe the activities of Christ in these verses, I might use the word Redemption or Substitution or even Incarnation. All of those communicate the truth of what took place when Jesus came to earth, as God-Incarnate, and allowed himself to become a curse on the cross for us. 

But another word that I would use that I think encapsulates what Jesus did for us is this word: “humility.” Christ humbled himself and allowed himself to be cursed for our sake. Now you might say that he did this to receive greater glory in the end. And if you said that, I would agree. Nevertheless you can’t get away from the dramatic display of humility that Jesus exhibited. 

And my assertion to you today is that we, as Christ-followers who have been redeemed from the curse as a result of Christ’s work, should exhibit that humility. We should emulate it. In fact, if the Holy Spirit resides within us, He will be actively working through trials and suffering and refining to bring about humility in our lives. And that is something that Christians should exhibit in their lives as they mature in Christ. 

I once had a conversation with a believer about ten years ago, and this person actually tried to convince me that he was the humblest person that I would ever meet. Have any of you ever had a conversation with a person like that? I was so bewildered by this conversation, I just kept thinking to myself, “Is this person for real? Are they really trying to convince me how humble they are?” There was such a dramatic sense of irony in that conversation.

But if the Spirit of God is really working in your life, you don’t have to try to convince people about how humble you are. God will bring that about by his own power. Your job is to respond appropriately to the Spirit of God’s conviction in your life. Your job, likewise, is to humble yourself and willingly endure the difficulties and trials that God brings into your life. 

I don’t say this as an expert on humility. I say this as a fellow pilgrim on this journey of sanctification with you who God is currently working on to cultivate humility.   

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Look at verse 15 with me.

15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 

Paul transitions here in verse 15 to argue another point, namely that the covenant of faith between God and Abraham was permanent and was not enhanced by the Law. That covenant was irrevocable. In other words, if you go out that back door today and embrace “a lifestyle of faith,” it will not be enhanced, annulled, or improved by “legalism.” You can’t go through that door and this door at the same time. It’s either one or the other. 

Likewise you don’t go through that door and embrace “faith” but then beef up that faith with legalism. No, a life of faith is lived by faith. It’s an ongoing thing! 

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. [God’s promises were Christological and not just biological]. 

17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 

18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Here’s the third point from our text today. You can see in verses 15–18 that the key word is “promise.” The word shows up four times in these verses. And what Paul is saying here is that the promises weren’t realized when the law came, nor were they realized by fulfillment of the law. They were realized by the coming of Christ. Christ is the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise. 

3) The promise is realized through the incarnation of Christ (3:15–18)

 The promise, that is, the Abrahamic promise is realized through the incarnation of Christ. Theologically speaking, here are three beautiful words that we need to understand as Christians: 1) Justification, 2) Substitution, and 3) Incarnation. These wonderful terms help us to conceptually understand the work of Christ on this earth. 

Christmas, by the way, is a time to celebrate the Incarnation. It’s not about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire.” Now, I don’t have anything against chestnuts or eggnog or sleigh-bells or family gatherings or any of those other Christmas-y things. But if that’s all that Christmas represents in your mind, you missed a glorious opportunity to remember the incarnation of Christ. Emmanuel, God residing with us in human flesh. That’s something to celebrate!

 Paul takes the marvel of the incarnation a step further in verse 16. 

16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 

Christ’s entry into this world is the fulfillment of OT prophecy. When God made a promise to Abraham and his offspring (offspring being singular), he wasn’t referring to the Jewish people or even to the larger spectrum of nationalities represented in humanity. His promise was “made to” and “fulfilled in” Christ. And by extension I would add that the promise was made to all of those who belong to Christ. His promises are our promises and his inheritance is our inheritance.  

Paul is explaining in these verses both the irrevocability and the seniority of the Abrahamic Covenant. In verses 15–16, Paul explains the Irrevocability of this promise, this covenant. Even a man-made covenant would not be annulled once it has been ratified, so you can rest assured that God’s covenant will not be revoked. In verses 17–18 Paul adds to the irrevocability of this covenant, the seniority of the covenant. It predates the law by 430 years. Paul says, “the law, which came 430 years [after the Abrahamic covenant]… does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.” 

430 years was the time that elapsed between the giving of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis and the giving of the Mosaic Law in Sinai, as recorded in Exodus. The one does not negate the other, and the younger covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, does not abrogate the other.

 Of course we know that both of these covenants, the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant, are fulfilled in Christ. Christ himself warned us, “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” (Matt 5:17). Christ was prefigured in the time of Abraham. He was prefigured in the OT law and the OT sacrifices. His reign and work of redemption was foreshadowed in the Prophets. 

The plan for Christ even predates Abraham. God told Satan in the Garden of Eden, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15). This passage is referred to as the “First Gospel” or the “protoevangelium.” It’s a foreshadowing of Christ, the seed/offspring of Eve, who defeats the work of Satan at the cross. Paul is making extensive use of the OT here to show that those Scriptures point to Christ as the source of redemption and the medium for God’s promises.

 Verse 18 says, “For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.” We’ll be talking more about “inheritance” in the coming weeks, but let me just reiterate the main point here. The Abrahamic promise, The Abrahamic covenant, and even the Abrahamic inheritance are not appropriated by obedience to the law. They are appropriated, they are experienced, they are realized through the work of Christ. 

The sons of Abraham are not recognized by their DNA or by their adherence to the law; they are recognized by their faith in Christ. And 1) The curse is reversed through justification by faith (3:10–11), 2) the cursed are redeemed through the substitution of Christ (3:12–14), and 3) the promise is realized through the incarnation of Christ (3:15–18).

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I’ll close with this. I told you earlier about a friend of mine who tried to convince me how humble he was. Well I had another friend in Chicago, who I’ll just call Kurt, who actually was a very humble person. We served together on the board at a church. And I respected this man a lot. 

And one of the things I remember about Kurt is that he was a really quiet, soft-spoken man. And every time we were arguing or deliberating over a difficult issue on our board, he would always remain quiet. And then we’d ask him, “What do you think, Kurt?” And after a short pause he would always answer, “It’s all about Jesus, man, that’s what I think. It’s all about Jesus.” 

Now at first this would annoy me. Because I thought to myself, “Come on! We need something more substantive than that!” But it was also endearing. It was also needed, I think. Kurt was able to give our meetings the Christological injection that it needed. 

I mention that story about Kurt, because I see something similar here in Paul’s argumentation in Galatians 3. No doubt, Paul’s argumentation here is way more sophisticated than my friend Kurt. But the root statement here behind Abraham’s promise and his offspring and all these OT quotations is simply this, “It’s all about Jesus, man. It’s all about Jesus.”  The OT is about Jesus. The Abrahamic Covenant is about Jesus. The inheritance for the people of God is all bound up in Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. 

If you are here this evening, and you haven’t done this already, put your faith in Christ. Do like Abraham. Believe! Believe in his death and believe in his resurrection. If you do already have saving faith in Christ, you just stay anchored to that faith. Walk by faith. Live your life in obedience to God as an outworking of that faith. We are saved by faith, and we are also sanctified by faith. Because “The righteous shall live by faith.”