Gospel Prayer Ministry

📖 Passage

Galatians 3:10–14
Read Galatians 3:10–14 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Paul has reminded the Galatians that they began their Christian life by the Spirit through hearing with faith (3:1–9). Now he presses the point further: Scripture itself testifies that those who rely on the works of the Law stand under a curse (3:10). The Law, while holy and good, demands perfect and continual obedience (Deut 27:26). Any failure, even in one point, places the sinner under judgment. Thus, the Law can expose sin and condemn, but it cannot justify.

Paul contrasts two principles of life:

Faith (Hab 2:4): “The righteous shall live by faith.” Justification rests on trusting God’s promise, as exemplified in Abraham.
Doing (Lev 18:5): “The one who does them shall live by them.” This principle requires flawless obedience, which fallen humanity cannot meet.

Into this hopeless dilemma comes the gospel: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by taking that curse upon Himself. Paul cites Deut 21:23: “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” On the cross, Jesus bore the penalty that God’s law demands for covenant breakers. In His death, He became the representative substitute—taking the curse we deserved so that blessing might flow to those who believe.

The purpose of this redemption is twofold (3:14):

That the blessing of Abraham (justification by faith) might come to the Gentiles.
That believers might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

This passage weaves together law, curse, promise, cross, and Spirit into a unified picture of salvation history. The Law reveals humanity’s plight; Christ bears the curse; faith unites the believer to Christ; and the Spirit applies the blessing of Abraham to Jew and Gentile alike. The end result is not condemnation but life in the Spirit, grounded in the finished work of Christ.

🌿 Key Themes

The Law’s Demand — God’s Law requires perfect, perpetual obedience (Deut 27:26). Even a single violation leaves a person guilty and under its curse. The Law exposes sin but cannot provide righteousness.
Faith vs. Doing — Paul contrasts two principles of life: “The righteous shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4) versus “The one who does them shall live by them” (Lev 18:5). These are mutually exclusive systems—faith rests on God’s promise, while doing demands flawless human effort.
Substitutionary Redemption — Christ took the curse upon Himself by being “hanged on a tree” (Deut 21:23). On the cross He bore the covenant penalty in the place of His people. This is the heart of substitutionary atonement: He became what we were (cursed) so that we might receive what He is (blessed).
Abraham’s Blessing to the Nations — The purpose of Christ’s redeeming work is twofold:
1. That the blessing of Abraham (justification by faith) might extend beyond Israel to the Gentiles.
2. That the promised Spirit might be given, marking out God’s true people and empowering new life.
  In this way the Abrahamic promise is fulfilled: the nations are blessed in Christ through faith.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Galatians 3:10 — Under a Curse

“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse…”

Deut 27:26 cited: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things written…”—the Law is an all-or-nothing covenant.
Pastoral edge: Relying on performance puts the conscience under constant threat, not peace.

Galatians 3:11 — The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

“…no one is justified by the law… for, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

Hab 2:4: God’s righteous ones live by faith, not by accumulation of merit.
Forensic center: Justification is a verdict received by faith in Christ.

Galatians 3:12 — Not of Faith

“Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘The man who does them shall live by them.’”

Lev 18:5: The Law’s principle is do and live.
Incompatibility: As a basis for acceptance, law-doing and faith are mutually exclusive.

Galatians 3:13 — Christ Became a Curse for Us

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us…”

Deut 21:23: “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.” The cross marks Christ as bearing the covenant curse.
Substitution: “For us” signals penal substitution—He bears what our sins deserved.
Redemption: Exodus-slavery imagery—purchase out of bondage at the price of His blood.

Galatians 3:14 — Blessing & Spirit to the Nations

“…that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Two gifts: Justifying blessing (Abrahamic promise) and indwelling Spirit arrive together in Christ.
Mission: The scope is global—Jew and Gentile alike through faith.

“Christ was not only cursed for us, but He was made a curse for us; and this is a stronger expression than if it had been said, ‘He was made accursed.’ The law pronounces the sentence of death upon all who break its commands, and Christ endured that death, that we might not die.” — Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon highlights the shocking depth of substitution: Christ did not just carry a curse, He became the very embodiment of curse-bearing on the cross.
This makes the believer’s deliverance secure and the blessing of Abraham certain.

Summary: Whether in Sproul’s clarity or Spurgeon’s passion, the point stands: Christ bore the curse in our place so that blessing might flow to all who believe.

🧩 Review Questions

🔍 Definitions

Justification — God’s legal declaration that a sinner is righteous, based not on works but on Christ’s obedience and sacrifice received by faith (Romans 3:28).
Curse — The penalty of God’s law on disobedience (Deut 27:26), resulting in guilt, judgment, and separation from God.
Redeem — To purchase or deliver by paying a price. Christ redeemed His people by bearing the curse in their place (Gal 3:13).
Substitution — The act of Christ standing in the place of sinners, receiving the curse they deserved so they might receive His blessing (2 Cor 5:21).
Blessing of Abraham — The promise of justification and covenant fellowship with God, extended to all nations through faith in Christ (Gen 12:3).

🙋 Application Questions

Where do you still measure your standing with God by performance? How does 3:10–12 free you to rest in Christ?
How might you practice assurance this week (e.g., confessing sin quickly, praying with gratitude) because Christ bore the curse for you?
In what ways can your church more visibly embody Abraham’s blessing to the nations (mission, hospitality, multilingual worship)?
How does receiving the Spirit by faith (v.14) reshape your pursuit of holiness?

❓ Common Objections (alternate add-on)

“Is it unfair for God to curse those who try their best?”
Scripture shows that God’s standard is perfection; “trying harder” cannot erase guilt (James 2:10). The good news is Christ met the standard and bore the curse for us.
“Why give the Law at all if it only curses?”
The Law reveals sin and drives us to Christ (Gal 3:24). It is a mirror, not a ladder.
“If Christ bore the curse, does that mean the Law is useless now?”
No—the Law still reveals God’s holiness and guides gratitude, but it is no longer the ground of acceptance with Him.

🔤 Greek Keywords

katara (κατάρα) — Curse; covenant condemnation (v. 10, 13).
exagorazō (ἐξαγοράζω) — Redeem/buy out from bondage (v. 13).
prostithemi / lambanō — To give/receive (implied in v.14 with the Spirit as gift).
pistis (πίστις) — Faith/trust as instrument of receiving blessing (vv. 11, 14).
pneuma (πνεῦμα) — Spirit; the promised gift accompanying justification (v. 14).

📚 Cross References

Deuteronomy 27:26 — Curse for failing to continue in all the Law.
Habakkuk 2:4 — The righteous live by faith.
Leviticus 18:5 — “Do this and live.”
Deuteronomy 21:22–23 — Hanged on a tree = cursed.
Genesis 12:3; 15:6 — Blessing and credited righteousness promised to Abraham.
2 Corinthians 5:21 — The great exchange: our sin for His righteousness.

📦 Next Study

Next Study → Galatians 3:15–22 – Law and Promise

Galatians 3:10–14 – Redeemed from the Curse