D28-27: What Did Paul Mean When He Said Messiah Has Redeemed Us From The Curse Of The Law?

Alrighty, we’ve just finished taking a good look at the looooong list of divine curses in Deuteronomy 28 the Lord presented to Israel should they violate His Torah.

In fact, Deuteronomy 28 prophesied that Israel would inevitably break the covenant and as a result take on the curses.

To this point, do you recall how in previous lessons I stressed the importance of making a distinction between the “curses” (plural) versus “The Curse” (singular)? 

Do you remember the difference?

The “curses” refer to all of the individual penalties one will suffer for sinning against the Lord.

Some of these penalties could be relatively mild and others extremely harsh.

And others are fatal…meaning the death penalty.

On the other hand, “The Curse” of the Law refers to the sum of all the curses resulting in Israel’s national destruction.

It refers to being cut off (KARET) from the Lord and having one’s name blotted out.

Let’s take a look at the number one verse gentile churches cherry pick and use to demonstrate that the Law of God is inherently a bad thing and that it was a good thing it was done away with.

Here’s the verse.

“Messiah 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.'”-Galatians 3:13

The common and mistaken gentile interpretation is that Paul said the Law itself is a curse.

In other words, Paul saying the “Curse of the Law” was exactly like saying “The Curse of Cancer” for example.

Umm…wrong.

At this stage in our studies it should be clear to you that the Law consisted of the following three different parts:

-The Laws and Commands

-The List of Blessings

-The List of Curses

My point is that the “curses of the law” are only one part out of the three parts that comprise the Law and as I’ve already said, they represent the consequences or individual penalties for breaking the Lord’s commands.

Understand that when Paul talks about “The Curse” (singular) versus the “curses” (plural), this ain’t no trivial thing man.

He even made the exact same distinction when talking about “the seed” (singular) coming from Abraham versus the many “seeds” (plural) and why the difference was important.

Paul was a Rabbi, a first-rate theologian and an excellent communicator.

He didn’t go around carelessly mixing up his singulars and plurals.

The Curse of the Law is basically what we would call “eternal damnation”.

This is what happens when a person choses death over life…

…OR…

…evil over blessing and as a result falls away from the Living God.

So what exactly was Paul saying to the Galatians in the above verse I quoted?

He was telling us that since Yeshua has become the object of the Curse of the Law on our behalf, one who trusts in the sacrifice of Yeshua will not have to worry about the prospect of eternal separation from the Lord hanging over his shoulders for his sins.

But having said that, no way does this mean we won’t suffer penalties for the sins we commit in this life.

The Scripture makes it clear we shall reap what we sow.

Dispensational theology asserts that HASHEM has transferred the administration of His divine justice over to human governments.

As much as I disagree with the gentile church on a lot of things, on this point I do agree (to a point).

If we steal, we should be put in jail.

If we murder, we should be executed.

If we cheat someone, it’s only fair the perpetrator be forced to pay reparations.

Therefore, this idea that believers will suffer no divine consequences for their individual sins is pure hogwash.

It’s manmade doctrine and not Scripture.

In fact, I can vouch from my own personal experience that I have paid (and in some cases continue to pay) for the many sins I have committed in my life.

So let me make it crystal clear.

If you break the Lord’s commands, you WILL be disciplined, whether directly by the Lord Himself or by human government.

According to Paul, the one thing you won’t have to worry about because of Yeshua’s sacrifice is THE CURSE (singular) of the Law.

Why?

Because Messiah has already been damned in our place.

Unfortunately, according to Paul, for those who have NOT accepted the sacrifice of Yeshua, the Curse of the Law hangs over their heads like the Grim Reaper.

Let’s summarize the main points and bring this article to a close.

FIRST, the Law itself  is NOT a curse and Paul never said it was.

Trust me, if he had said the Law was a curse, not only would he be speaking against Yeshua’s Sermon on the Mount but he wouldn’t have survived one day under Jewish Law.

SECOND, a believer will suffer earthly consequences or penalties for breaking God’s Law

THIRD, what Messiah has freed us from is THE CURSE of the Law which is eternal damnation.

NEXT  TIME WE BEGIN DEUTERONOMY CHAPTER 29