"Christ 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’ - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:13-14

The Apostle Paul had firmly established the Churches in Galatia on faith in Jesus Christ for their righteousness and salvation. Later in this chapter he explains that Christians, whether Jew or Gentile, have entered into Abraham’s Covenant of Promise by the blood of Christ which ratified it.

 Judaizing Christians had come from Jerusalem and were troubling the Galatians by insisting that they must be circumcised and directed to keep the whole Law of Moses. In essence, they were moving the new converts from the blessing of Abraham’s Covenant to the bondage of the Sinai Covenant.

 

Both Covenants contain Laws to be kept, but the Sinai Covenant which came 430 years after the promise to Abraham contained hundreds more Laws that were added because of transgressions. There were blessings in the Sinai Covenant for all who kept the Book of the Law but curses for anyone who broke them, -"For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, to perform them." (3:10)

 This may sound like the Book of the Law itself is a curse but the curse comes when one of the Laws are violated. When Moses read the Book of the Law to the people they all said, -"We will keep them" by which they entered into a Covenant with God at Sinai. Moses then sprinkled the Book and the people with animal blood to ratify the Covenant.

 But the people did not obey the Laws but continually broke them, -"For if that first Covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. For finding fault with them, He says, . . .’For they did not continue in My Covenant, and I did not care for them.’" (Heb.8)

 

The Bible says that all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God. As sinners we are all subject to the penalty of our sins which is death, even death in the Lake of Fire. Laws can reveal to us what sin is, but there is no Law that can forgive sin.

 The Bible says that only by the shedding of blood can sins be forgiven. The blood of animals could not remove our sins - it took the righteous blood of the Son of God.

Whether Jew or Greek, all were cursed because all violated God’s righteous Laws - the Jews in the letter and the Gentiles in their hearts. Now God had a problem. He loved us but we were separated from Him by our sins. Sin is an abomination to God so in order to draw us near to Him He had to make us righteous.

 He did this by giving His only Son as an offering in our place - as a propitiation, which means Jesus absorbed the wrath due for our sins. Jesus actually became our curse that we might become His righteousness and be reconciled to God, -"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor.)