Have you ever felt the weight of trying to be good enough for God? You resolve to follow every rule, avoid every sin, and measure up perfectly, only to fall short again. That nagging sense of failure can feel like a heavy chain. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul explains exactly why that happens. The law itself brings a curse when we fail to keep it perfectly, but Christ steps in to redeem us from that curse.
Paul lays this out clearly in Galatians 3:10-13. He begins with a sobering reality in verse 10: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’” Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26 here. The law demands total, unwavering obedience. It is not enough to keep most of it or to try your best. One single failure brings the curse.
This curse is God’s righteous judgment against sin. The law is holy and good (Romans 7:12), but because we are sinners, it exposes our guilt and pronounces condemnation. As Paul says in Romans 3:23, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” No one can claim perfect obedience. Therefore, relying on works of the law for righteousness places us under this curse. It is not that the law is bad; it is that we are unable to fulfill its demands.
Paul continues in Galatians 3:11-12 to reinforce the point. No one is justified by the law in God’s sight, because “the just shall live by faith.” The law operates on a different principle: “the man who does them shall live by them.” It requires perfect performance for life and blessings. But since no one achieves that, the result is death and a curse.
This truth must have struck the Galatians hard. False teachers had convinced them that faith in Christ needed to be supplemented with law-keeping, like circumcision. Paul shows that such thinking is disastrous. Adding works to faith does not improve salvation; it actually places people back under the curse they were rescued from.
Then comes the glorious turning point in Galatians 3:13: “Christ has 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’).” Here, Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23, which describes the shame and divine disfavor that fall on one executed by hanging on a tree. Jesus was crucified, hung on a wooden cross, fulfilling this picture.
Christ did not deserve the curse. He was sinless. Yet He willingly became a curse in our place. This is substitutionary atonement at its deepest level. Jesus took the full weight of the law’s condemnation upon Himself. He bore the penalty we deserved so that we could be set free. The curse that should have fallen on us fell on Him instead.
“Redemption” means buying back at a price. Christ paid the ultimate price, His own life, to purchase our release from bondage to the curse. Because of what He did, believers are no longer under condemnation. Romans 8:1 declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” The curse is gone. In its place comes blessing.
Paul explains the purpose in Galatians 3:14: “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Through faith in Christ, we inherit the promise given to Abraham: justification by faith, not works. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us as the guarantee of our inheritance.
This truth transforms how we relate to God. We no longer approach Him with fear of failure or the need to prove ourselves. We come boldly because Christ has dealt with the curse. Our acceptance is based on His perfect obedience and sacrificial death, not our imperfect efforts.
Yet this does not mean we disregard the law entirely. The law still reveals God’s character and guides us in holy living. But it no longer condemns those in Christ. We obey out of love and gratitude, empowered by the Spirit, not to earn salvation.
Many people today live under a similar curse without realizing it. They may not follow the Mosaic law, but they rely on moral performance, good deeds, or religious routines to feel right with God. When they falter, guilt overwhelms them. The gospel offers freedom from that cycle. Christ has already borne the curse. Rest in His finished work.
If you are carrying the burden of trying to measure up, hear this good news. Jesus became a curse for you so you could be blessed. Trust in Him alone. The curse is lifted. You are redeemed.
Let this truth sink deep into your heart. Boast only in the cross, where the curse was absorbed, and grace poured out. Walk in the freedom and joy of those redeemed from the curse of the law. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift in Christ Jesus.