Christ the Cursebearer

If you will take your Bibles and turn to Galatians 3:10-14.

Galatians 3:10–14 ESV

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.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 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”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Be careful what you wish for-for you may get it. How often have we really wanted something, maybe a thing or an experience only to find out that what comes along with it wasn’t really worth it. I remember when my brother and I were kids our parents took us to Silver Dollar City in Branson. And what I really wanted to do was visit Marvel Cave. I had seen pictures and thought being below the ground and in a cave like that would just be neat. The catch is- it’s not a cave just there in the wild. It’s a cave tour. Which means your stuck in a group. Touring the cave means 60 minutes of walking up and down stairs and listening to someone else talk about the cave. So yes getting down to the cave and seeing this massive hole in the ground was certainly a neat thing to do, it was not worth the wasted hour long underground staircase. In the end I left sore, bored, and tired. I got exactly what I wished for.

I think Paul’s message to the Galatians is very similar in our text this morning. We can almost hear the warning in his writing- be careful what you wish for. Remember that the issue Paul is addressing in this letter is that some false teachers have crept in and have convinced the Galatians that in order to be saved they must become Jewish first. They must submit to circumcision and to keep the Law. The teaching was that in order to be right with God we need faith plus law or faith plus works. And understand this is not a view that says that we must go back to sacrifices to save. It would surely say that Jesus’ death was needed for salvation. But what was being asked was “Is Christ sufficient alone to save? Or do I need something extra. Do I need to add my efforts in to mix? Is Christ enough? Am I righteous before God by faith alone?”

And this is the same debate that Martin Luther contended against over 500 years ago and even now still lingers in some circles- am I justified by faith alone? Am I saved by the believing in the work of Christ alone?

And perhaps we feel this weight. We feel the ongoing pressure to perform. We struggle with our own assurance and ask ourselves that question, “Is he really pleased with me? Have I done enough? Have I been good enough?

There is a sense in which the Law offers life. Our Confession teaches that in the Garden God gave the Law to Adam. And he bound Adam and all his posterity to"personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it;” God said to Adam, “Here is the Law, do this and live.” Keep the Law, and you will merit for yourself and all those after you eternal life. And yes Adam failed, but the promise of the covenant of works still remains true. It is still in effect for everyone who wants to be justified by works. And God confirms this in a sense at Sinai, where we see parts of the Law which say “Do this and you will live” Paul even quotes that promise in v. 12 of our text. He’s quoting Lev 18:5

“You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.”

You can certainly try to merit for yourself eternal life through the law, that door is open for you. But be careful what you wish for- you may get it.

Paul not mince his words. He very plainly says it in v. 10 “All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. He then quotes from Deuteronomy 27. He cites where Moses gives the Law in Moab. He charges them with these commands.

15 “ ‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the LORD, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

16 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

17 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

18 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

19 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

And we hear this and if you’re like me you maybe want to crawl into and under your chair. Because he starts off that the idolaters are who’s cursed. And I don’t panic because I don’t make idols of metal or wood. But then he says that those who don’t honor their parents are cursed, and when we look at the outworking of the law it really we’re talking about all of our superiors. And then we see that it’s those who cheat their neighbor or wrong the needy or pervert justice to the oppressed who are cursed. We are slowly seeing that we do not escape.

But then he comes to the summation of the Law being given “Cursed is everyone who does not obey all the things written in the Book of the Law.”

And if I’m just being honest this doesn’t hit me as hard as it should- maybe you’re in the same boat with me. We read cursed and I think we associate it with just having an ongoing case of misfortune. But when we look at this word in the Scriptures we see that while it is used a few times in the New Testament, it is really used strong in the Old Testament. It is what God tells the Serpent in the Garden, “Cursed are you! Satan.” It is also used often in Duet especially in Chapters twenty seven through thirty. But when it is God doing the cursing it isn’t just misfortune or not being successful, rather it is His divine wrath and judgement.

Everyone who falls short of perfect obedience to the Law has broken it. If you want to try the covenant of works route, you may certainly have at it. If you want to say that faith alone is not enough, that we must run back to the Law for our ongoing standing, if you would like to rely on the Law, you will find out that you will not stand.

Because one failure, one lie, one dishonorable word or thought against your parents, and you will bring on to yourself divine judgement. You don’t just get to do the parts of the Law that you like. If you would be saved through the Law you accept the terms and the curses that come with them.

And we see very quickly that we don’t do it. We may try to tick off the boxes in our minds. I’ve never worshipped a false God, I’ve never murdered anyone, and that may be as far as we get. But even then Christ comes in the Sermon on the Mount and says, “You’re right you’ve never killed anyone- but you’ve been angry at your brother, and so you’ve broken the commandment. You’re right you’ve never cheated on your spouse. But you do have a lingering eye, and so you’ve broken the commandment. So we can clearly see that we’ve never done it. We’ve never kept the Law. We fall short. And so we are under the curse of God.

And it is a fearful thing. In Chapter 27 of Duet, we see some of the sins that bring down God’s judgement and that obedience must be perfect. The next chapter, God declares what that judgement looks like. It’s a long section of Scripture, you can read it in your own time but I encourage it. It’s tough reading. It’s quite hard. Because God declares that if you fail to keep My Law, I will destroy you. You will be smashed, scattered, and undone. It closes in part with this

65 And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the LORD will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. 66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see.

This is the state for those who rely on their own law keeping or their own pietism. If you want to be judged according to the Law it will be your undoing. And Paul summarizes what we have now come to see, that no one is justified before God by the Law

But hear the good news of the Gospel for you today that Paul writes in v 13. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Christ has come. Christ has come and placed Himself under the Law, and yet able to keep it. He comes and takes the curse of God for us. He dies in our place. Not as some political revolutionary brutally executed by the state. Not as some mere example for us to esteem. We don’t need some political revolutionary. We don’t need just another man to look up to. We need a savior. We need a curse-bearer. We need Christ. And notice how He does it. In his being crucified, he takes on the curse of God. Christ, the obedient son, is treated as the most vile covenant breaker. He suffers the covenant curses on our behalf. And by doing this He redeems us, He pays our sin debt. He gets our curse and we get His blessing.

But not just this. We get the promises of Abraham. We get all of the benefits of the Covenant of Grace. God promises to be our God and the God of our children. And this is the great mystery of the ages- that we Gentiles are brought near. That God is not bound up to those who are just merely physically children of Abraham, but rather we are made heirs to the promise. We get to march around like we were kids again and sing Father Abraham and that you and I are his children.

But most importantly we receive the Holy Spirit. We are united to to Christ by the Spirit and from that union we have our assurance, joy, confidence before God, as well as being declared God’s people. And it is from this reality that we can live in community with one another. It is from this heart that serve one another and that we do our good works. Not so that you are righteous before God, but because you’re neighbor needs them. We honor our superiors, because by doing so we proclaim the love of Christ. We deal fairly with our neighbors, we care for afflicted, we seek the justice of the oppressed, not so that we can some how climb the Law ladder and climb ourselves into glory, but because by caring for them we proclaim the mercy and goodness of Christ the redeemer.

So then what are we to do? How then should we respond? We respond in faith. Paul tells us, that the righteous shall live by faith alone. Notice that Paul separates Law and faith where he says in v. 12 “The law is not of faith. Salvation is not based on our works, nor is it a mixture of faith and works. Faith is not the entrance point into God’s good graces but then we must work to maintain our place. These two things stand against each other.t

No it is faith and faith alone that takes hold of Christ; because anything added to faith ceases to be faith

AS J Greshem Machen said “There are two conceivable ways of salvation. One way is to keep the law perfectly, to do the things which the law requires. No mere man since the fall has accomplished that. The other way is to receive something, to receive something that is freely given by God’s grace. That way is followed when a man has faith. But you cannot possibly mingle the two. You might conceivably be saved by works or you might be saved by faith; but you cannot be saved by both. It is “either or” here not “both and.” But which shall it be, works or faith? The Scripture gives the answer. The Scripture says it is faith. Therefore it is not works.”

It is saving faith, receiving and resting on Christ alone for salvation as He is offered to us in the Gospel, that frees us from the curse of God.

So then look to Christ. If you are here this morning and you would say, I have really at the end of the day relied on my own works to save me- look to Christ who offers peace with God with no payment required. Rest in Christ who redeems us from the curse by faith alone