Today I want to write down my thoughts on this subject that was taught by Paul in Galatians 3:13,14. I was taught years ago that this was talking about Deuteronomy 28:1-14, but is that what Paul was teaching? I don’t think so and I want to show you what he actually said. In Galatians 3:13 he said “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us….That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Deuteronomy 28:1-14 was really for the Jews, the Gentiles were never under the Law of Moses. Only the Jews were promised this blessings and or the curse if they chose not to obey the Lord. But that is another subject and I want to focus on Galatians and its impact on the Church.
Let’s look at Genesis 12:1-3 and see what this blessing was. God was talking directly to Abram as He had selected him to be the father of Gods people to be. He told him to leave his fathers home and even the country he was living in, and go to a country where God would show him to settle in. God seals the deal with a 7 fold blessing if he obeys. Abram doesn’t question God at all, he just packs up his stuff and heads out into the unknown as God leads him.
What are these blessing we inherited through Jesus Christ?
1. I will make you a great nation
2. I will bless you
3. I will make your name great
4. You will be a blessing
5. I will bless those who bless you
6. I will curse those who curse you
7. In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed
Now what is the curse of the law? Galatians 3:13 specifically says we are redeemed from the curse of the law! Jesus was made the curse for us all! God says that He has redeemed us by and through Jesus. But exactly what is this curse Paul is talking about?
In Bensons commentary on this scripture he makes this statement, “ for as the Gentiles never were under that law, they would have no concern with its curse. But it is the curse of the more ancient law of works, under which Adam and Eve fell, and which, through their fall, came upon all their posterity.”
Genesis 3:9-19 explains this curse pronounced upon Adam,Eve, and the serpent. We find Adam hiding from God as He tells Adam to show himself. They were afraid for the first time since they were created. God puts these curses upon each one of them.
Snake: Cursed above all cattle and every beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Eve: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Adam: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;and thou eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
So we find the curse we have been redeemed of. The woman would have children but only with much pain, and this would be upon every female after her. The woman would also be in submission to her husband. The man’s curse was much worse. The very ground from which he was taken would produce thorns and thistles. Physical labor would be his lot in life as he tries to produce the things they would need to survive. The worst part of life would now be death, as he no longer had the opportunity to become immortal.
After the fall, work with labor, and sweat, became the new normal, instead of a garden that was planted by God for their daily use. Their dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28) was terminated, and they became subject to the natural forces of nature. Their pain got worse as they aged, and had to bear the loss of their son Able,by his death at the hands of their other son Cain. Sorrow and death became normal for mankind. Eventually they reaped the consequences of disobedience as they too died.
So the curse Jesus delivered us from is our loss of dominion over the earth, and being subject to defeat, sickness, pain, sorrow, and the works of the law. All the law was good but it was subject to conditions, miss one point and you were guilty of all. Jesus finished that on the cross and Grace was introduced into the earth. Mankind was able to be free of the curse and able to take back his dominion in the name of Jesus, who became the second Adam who completed his task without failing, and redeemed all who would believe in Him.
We are not taught this in Church School, mainly because the teachers don’t know it either. Taking back our dominion is not without difficulty, peer pressure, and faith in Jesus to do what he said he would do. Mankind has been trying to take back his dominion since the fall of man in the garden. So don’t get talked into disbelief by those who would discourage you. Start small and aim for victory as your faith grows as you dare to believe what is written in Gods Word.
Paul was not just filling up space with words! He was writing under the guidance of Holy Spirit for us to become sons and daughters of God, able to do the impossible through Jesus. Just believe and receive. Always remember, you will make it, just don’t give up. See you next week as I try to bring you letters of hope and encouragement.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 