Jesus Cursed for Us
Notes
Transcript
Narnia
Narnia
In the Chronicles of Narnia, in the first book The Lion, The Witch and the Wardobe the penalty that is given for Edmond’s treachery is death. Aslan is able to take his place. This is because of their law that stated that all traitors were given over to the White Witch. This law in Narnia was known as the deep magic, this inscribed on the stone table that Aslan was sacrificed on. When he was sacrifice occurred the stone table was cracked. Aslan knew this would occur and he tells the Pevensie girls Lucy and Susan is… about this
"It means that though the Witch knew the Deep Magic, there is a magic deeper still which she did not know. Her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. But if she could have looked a little further back, into the stillness and the darkness before Time dawned, she would have read there a different incantation. She would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."
When Aslan refers to the deeper magic, he is essentially saying that he knew the law of Narnia better than the White Witch. She had an understanding of an important part of the law - but the law was much deeper and greater than she understood.
And that’s a lot like what Paul is doing here. The Gentile converts that he is writing to have some understanding of the law. They have been taught Genesis 17, Abraham and the covenant of circumcision. However, when Paul does in this text is show them how the law is much deeper than circumcision. Though it’s not really a deeper law - it was all present to them - but if they had read the whole law, they wouldn’t be caught up with thinking that they would be saved by their works. Paul in the 5 verses that we are looking at today roots his whole argument in teaching from the Old Testament. Three of those 4 verses are from the Old Testament law, and the other from the prophets.
One reason for why he is doing this is that he is creating a systematic theology composed of the whole Old Testament as it is likely that his opponents were emphasizing Genesis 17 while ignoring Deuteronomy.
Paul quotes several Old Testament texts in these verses. I’m going to say these twice so you have time to write them down if you so desire.
In verse 10: Deuteronomy 27:26
In verse 11: Habakkuk 2:4, which he also quotes in Romans 1:17.
In verse 12: Lev. 18:5
in verse 13: Deuteronomy 21:23.
In verse 14: Paul references several texts but does not quote any. The Promise of Abraham Genesis 12.
When it comes to how the New Testament uses the Old Testament, we often need to understand the context of the Old Testament passage to truly understand what the New Testament author is saying.
So in understanding this passage today we need to understand, at least in part, what Paul is referencing. So you might be flipping between Deuteronomy and Galatians a little today.
In verse 10, Paul is explaining that no one is faithful to the law. If you are relying on the law you are cursed because you aren’t keeping that law.
Cursed by the Law
Cursed by the Law
10 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.”
In this verse, Paul quotes Deut. 27:26. This he does to support his claim that those who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. Going back to the book of Deuteronomy we see where this curse comes from.
26 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’
Deuteronomy 27 is a list of curses. Some against sexual immorality (beastiality, homosexuality, incest), murder, idolatry, disobedience to parents, deceiving your neighbor, etc. Many of them reminiscient of the 10 Commandments - while it is not a comprehensive repetition of the law - it is a sufficient sample. The passage ends with a curse that covers all of it - "Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen."
So Paul’s quotation of this passage is to further demonstrate that keeping the law requires obedience to ALL of the law.
And to continue that part of Paul's argument is "If these people who joyously embraced this law, and even agreed to be cursed if they did not keep it, could not earn their righteousness by keeping it (because they didn't keep it) what makes you think that you can succeed where they failed by taking that law upon yourself?
So in their desire to return to the law through circumcision - they must keep all of the law, if they are seeking to be righteous through any part of it.
Any one slip of disobedience is enough to bring certain doom.
Which to us when we have those moments of “Oh I know I sinned but I’ll make it up by being extra good next week. I’ll put a little more in the offering box. I’ll try to be a nicer person.” Ultimately fall flat as soon as we sin again.
Justified by Faith
Justified by Faith
Thus, as Paul states it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law.
Paul then quotes Hab 2:4 as his second of the quotations. We looked at Habakkuk 2 at our praying meeting this past Wednesday.
Verse 11: Habakkuk 2:4
I once heard a pastor describe Habakkuk as Hot Sauce and Milk. Chapter 1 being hot sauce as Habakkuk complains and God adds more fuel to the fire… or more hot sauce to the curry… and chapter 2 the soothing balm - or milk…
So the Hot sauce:
Habakkuk complains to the Lord asking him “Where are you? Why are you not doing anything about the evil around us?” Habakkuk is lamenting God’s seeming lack of action in response to wickedness.
The Lord responds with “Just you wait… I’m about to do something in your day that you wouldn’t believe…” And God tells him that he is going to raise up the Chaldeans to judge Judah (The Southern Kingdom of Israel).
Then the milk:
Habakkuk responds by asking “Why would you raise up a more wicked people than us to judge us?”
Chaldeans are the same group who we call the Babylonians who will later go on to take over the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
Habakkuk responds with asking how he could use more wicked people to judge less wicked people. God tells him not to fear the wicked, but to humble himself and that the life of a righteous person is one of faith.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Chapter 2 ends with the Lord telling Habakkuk:
20 But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”
Thus Habakkuk is told that regardless of what may happen with the wicked God is holy, and all the earth ought to stand before him and revere him. And there will be a judgment for those who don’t.
But going back to verse 4 - those who live by faith will be righteous.
And then Hab ends responds in prayer. And at the end of the prayer, and the book, he says this:
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
In context:
God is telling Habakkuk not to fear the Chaldeans or the wicked around him. Do not put your faith in your armies but rather put your faith in God. Trust in God for life - even when the world around you is crashing you shall be saved by your faith.
In Galatians:
Paul is taking this verse to say that you should to trust in your good deeds to save you, but rather you ought to look to the Lord for your salvation. Do not put your faith in your works, but rather put your faith in God.
Law of Works
Law of Works
Then in Paul’s 3rd quotation in verse 12:
He quotes Leviticus 18. This is a passage that is key to how the Israelites were commanded to live in the law. I’ve often described this text as the opposite of “When in Rome…” and instead “when in Canaan do not under any circumstances do as the Canaanites do, or as the Egyptians did.” This precedes passages about unlawful sexual relations, as well as commands to be holy as God is Holy. They are in verse 4 commanded to keep God's statutes and they are told to live in those commands. And then Lev. 18:5
5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
This is the text that Paul quotes. Paul is showing that the law is not of faith by showing that it is one a work that is done. And yet also when considering how the Levitical law is presented - they shall live by the statutes… but they don’t. So rather than living by them - they will die by them - as we saw from the text in Deuteronomy.
Now we also need to be careful that we don’t come away from this thinking that the law is bad, or that we would be better off without the law. The Old Testament regularly repeats love for the law. Paul also speaks positively of the law later in Galatians, and in Romans. The law is not a burden it is a blessing. But the law isn’t enough to save, because we are unable to fully keep the law. But the law is a guardian, and the law is a pair of glasses… Romans 7:7 “7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.””
The law reveals our sin to us. And thus reveals our need for salvation.
RETRACE:
For a second I want to retrace Paul’s arguments here:
First, Paul makes the argument that no one is justified by the law. But rather those who rely on the law will be cursed by that law.
(Now there isn’t any excuse for those who don’t rely on the law - in Romans Paul argues that we all have God’s law written on our hearts.) But remember that Paul writes it like this because the gentile converts to Christianity in Galatia would trying to earn their justification by taking on the law. So Paul shows them that this is impossible - but also that they are under a curse.
So the natural question to follow this would be - well if I am under this curse… what do I do? Or if the law cannot save me, but rather condemns me - how can I be saved? One must be justified before God. But obedience to the law will not justify, but only justification by faith - as we are unable to keep the law. If you are going to keep the law you have to keep all of it - and we don’t and can’t.
And the reason that we can’t is something that Paul doesn’t touch on here but helps us out nonetheless:
Inherited sin, imputed sin. We all received a sinful nature from Adam. (Romans 5:12) All of life and creation has been stained by sin and the effects of sin.
And thus all of this should lead anyone to respond as Paul does in Romans 7:24:
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Paul then answers this question on the readers behalf… the righteous live by faith - you will find your justification by believing in Jesus. And from here Paul then goes to explain the saving faith of Jesus - and more specifically how it is that Jesus can save us.
So then Paul finally brings resolution to this conflict in verse 13. Which brings us to another Old Testament quotation - but before we get to that last quote let’s see how Paul leads into it.
Galatians 3:13 (ESV)
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—
As Paul has established our disobedience to God’s law has put us under a curse. But Christ became a curse for us. Jesus was perfectly obedient to the law but he was hung on a tree. Which is what we read in the second part of that verse.
13 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 this makes for our 4th Old Testament quotation in as many verses. And again we return to Deuteronomy. As a reminder we’ve been looking at Deuteronomy in Sunday School - and looked at this text this morning - PLUG SS…
Verse 13:
And so looking at the source of this final reference we look at Deut 21:22-23
22 “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
This law is given for any man who is put to death because of a crime that he committed. There are other texts in Deuteronomy that involve the death penalty - but immediately before this text is the penalty for an adult son who is rebellious and disobedient. Though this man is punished by being stoned - it is certainly interesting that the man described in the text immediately before this is the exact opposite of who Jesus is. Jesus rather than being a rebellious son, is the Son of God who is perfectly obedient to his Father, and perfectly keeps the law. And yet he dies on a tree. Death penalty by hanging is not prescribed in the Old Testament law. Yet even so, Jesus was crucified and hanged on a tree, the cross. So this law while it is applied in Joshua 8 and 10, also is applied to Jesus in John 19:31.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
The man who is hung on a tree is not to remain there overnight. But rather he is to be buried the same day. The text tells us that a hanged man is cursed, and thus if they leave the cursed man on the tree over night his “curse” defiles the land.
And yet with Jesus it is the opposite, rather than him being a cursed man whose curse spreads to the land - he is a sinless man who became a curse for us - that his righteousness might spread to all who confess their sins, repent and believe in him.
And Paul concludes this section by explaining just that. Because Jesus was cursed for us we are given the blessing of Abraham. This promise is not reserved for only those who are in the bloodline of Abraham, because as we read last week in Gal 3:7 those of faith are the sons of Abraham. And it is through that faith that we receive the promised Spirit.
It is by grace through faith that we are saved. And thus we should take comfort to know that nothing we do will will add to, or invalidate that faith. Faith is a gift from God.
And yet we should also be reminded that none of our loved ones, none of our neighbors, no celebrity or politician will be saved by how good they are. They are under a curse that is the law. And the only cure is through Christ Jesus - who has become a curse for us. Thus we go out from here with a reminder of God’s grace and our wonderful opportunity to proclaim that news to others. And when we rest our heads on our pillows at nights we can delight in knowing that our redemption has been accomplished by Christ on his cross. And yet we are called to live a life of obedience, a life dedicated to glorifying God, making disciples and loving our neighbor - because we have been saved - not that we might be.
We will stand as children of the promise
We will fix our eyes on Him our soul’s reward
Till the race is finished and the work is done
We’ll walk by faith and not by sight