The Bible speaks of the law as being a curse in **Galatians 3:10-13**. This passage explains that the "curse" of the law comes from the fact that no one can fully obey the law perfectly, and as a result, anyone who does not uphold it is subject to its curse. However, the passage also highlights that Christ redeemed believers from this curse.
Galatians 3:10-13 (ESV):
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.'"_
11 _"Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for 'The righteous shall live by faith.'"_
12 _"But the law is not of faith, rather 'The one who does them shall live by them.'"_
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'—"_
Key Points:
1. **The Curse of the Law**: In verse 10, Paul refers to the curse that comes from relying on the law for salvation. The law demands perfect obedience, and failure to uphold the law brings a curse, as stated in Deuteronomy 27:26.
2. **Inability to Keep the Law**: Verse 11 emphasizes that no one can be justified by the law because it is impossible to keep it perfectly.
3. **Christ Redeems Us**: Verse 13 explains that Christ took on this curse on behalf of believers by dying on the cross ("cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree," which is a reference to Deuteronomy 21:23). Through His sacrifice, believers are freed from the curse of the law.
### Summary:
The law is described as a "curse" because it reveals humanity's inability to live up to God's perfect standard, leading to condemnation for those who try to rely on the law for righteousness. However, through Christ, believers are redeemed from the curse of the law and justified by faith, not by works of the law.
It is good for you to evaluate whether what you think what a passage says makes sense and to sometimes come to the conclusion that you must have misunderstood it.
Does it make sense to interpret it as Paul denying the truth of the many other verses that say that relying on the Law of God is the way to be blessed while not obeying it is the way to be cursed?
Does it make sense to interpret it as Paul denying what he said in Romans 10:5-8 is the word of faith that we proclaim?
According to Deuteronomy 27-28, relying on the the Law of God is the way to be blessed while not relying on it is the way to be cursed, so does it make sense to interpret Paul as quoting from that passage in order to support a point that is arguing against what he was quoting from?
Does it make sense to interpret Paul was arguing against what he considered to be Scripture?
Does God want His instructions to be obeyed or disobeyed?
Does it make sense to think that God curses anyone who tries to obey His instructions and the way to avoid being cursed is by refusing to obey His instructions?
Does it make sense to interpret a servant of God as arguing against obeying His instructions, especially when Deuteronomy 13 says that those who do that are false prophets who are not speaking for God?
Does it make sense to think that we should rely on God, but not on His instructions?
Does it make sense to think that we should trust in God while considering Him to be a giver of untrustworthy instructions, especially when Psalms 19:7 says that God's instructions are trustworthy?
In Romans 3:27, Paul contrasted a law of works with a law of faith and in Romans 3:31, he said that our faith upholds the Law of God in contrast with saying that "works of the law" are not of faith, so that phrase does not refer to obedience to the Law of God. Rather, according to Deuteronomy 27-28, it is not relying on the Book of the Law that causes someone to come under its curse, which is why everyone who relies on works of the law instead comes under that curse. In Galatians 3:10, Paul said that cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything in the Book of the Law, so the only way that verse leaves open to avoid being cursed is by continuing to do everything in the Book of the Law.
In Deuteronomy 11:26-32, the difference between being under the blessing or the curse of God's law is not based whether we have perfect obedience, but on whether we choose to serve God or to chase after other gods. The Law of God came with instructions for what to do when the people sinned, so it never required perfect obedience. If we needed to have perfect obedience, then we repenting after we had sinned would be of no value, so the fact that repentance has value again demonstrates that we don't need to have perfect obedience. If we needed perfect obedience in order to avoid coming under God's curse, then everyone in the OT would have been cursed, however, that does not reflect the reality of what is recorded about those who served God, just those who chased after other gods.
In Galatians 3:10-12, Paul connected a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 that the righteous shall live by faith with a quote from Leviticus 18:5 that the one who obeys the Law of God will live by it, so the righteous living by faith are the same as those who are living in obedience to the Law of God. Likewise, in Isaiah 51:7, the righteous are those on whose heart is the Law of God, and in 1 John 3:4-7, everything who is a doer of righteous works in obedience to the Law of God is righteous even as they are righteous, so the righteous living by faith does not refer to a manner of living that is not in obedience to it. In Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments.
God is trustworthy, therefore His instructions are also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), so the way to trust in God is by obediently trusting in His instructions, it is contradictory to think that God is trustworthy while also thinking that He is a giver of untrustworthy instructions, and to deny that the Law of God is of faith rather than works of the law is to deny the trustworthiness/faithfulness of the Lawgiver.
In Deuteronomy 27-28, it describes the blessing of the law and the curse of lawlessness, so Jesus setting us from from the cruse of the law is setting us from from lawlessness so that we can be free to enjoy the blessing of the law. In Titus 2:14, it does not say that Jesus gave himself to free us from the Law of God, but in order to free us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people of his own possession who are zealous for doin good works, so becoming zealous for doing good works in obedience to the Law of God is the way to believe that Jesus has redeem us from the cruse of the law (Acts 21:20).