What is the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10)?

TL;DR:

The “curse of the law” in Galatians 3:10 is the penalty levied for not keeping the law God had given the Israelites. Christ freed us from the curse of the law by covering us with His righteousness.

The Bible recounts God’s creation of mankind (Genesis 1–2), humanity’s fall into sin (Genesis 3), and God’s plan of redemption for humanity through Christ (Genesis 3:15). Part of God’s plan included a covenant with His chosen people, the Israelites (Deuteronomy 7:6–11; 14:2). Exodus tells of the Lord freeing His people from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 1–12) and making a covenant with them, known as the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19—24). But the Israelites frequently broke that covenant (Judges 2:11–13; Jeremiah 11:10–11; Hosea 8:1–4). As the Old Testament tells of God sending Moses to free the Israelites from slavery to Egypt, the New Testament tells of God sending Christ to free humanity from slavery to sin (John 3:16; Romans 6:17). This was necessary because, as the Bible teaches, no human being could keep the law perfectly, as we’re all born in sin (Romans 5:12; Galatians 3:10; James 2:10). As Paul points out in his letter to the Romans, the Mosaic Law was not meant to save; it was meant to show us our sin (Romans 7:7–12) and point us to Christ (Romans 7:24–25). Several other New Testament books explain the futility of the law and our salvation in the Spirit through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:3–5; Ephesians 2:8–9; Hebrews 10:4). The Bible teaches that trying to keep the law to make ourselves righteous before God is futile (Romans 3:20; Hebrews 10:29). Scripture points to an inescapable truth: Christ saves, not the law (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8–9).

from the old testament

Genesis 15:6 says, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” God’s covenant with Abraham came more than four hundred years before God gave the nation of Israel the Mosaic Law. But even without the law, Abraham had faith in the Lord, which foreshadows the saving faith we have today through Christ. All saints, before and after Christ, are saved through faith. Even though Abraham did not know of Christ, he was covered by the blood of Christ, and his faith in the Lord rendered him righteous before God.
In Deuteronomy 27:26, Moses reminds the Israelites of the curses that await if they ignore the God-given law: “‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” The Old Testament records the many times that the Israelites broke the Mosaic Covenant. They could temporarily atone for sin through animal sacrifice, but they could never be righteous before God because the blood of bulls and goats would not suffice (Hebrews 10:4–6). The law pointed to the need for Christ.

from the new testament

In Galatians 3:10, Paul writes, “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.’” Paul was reminding the Galatians that if they relied on their adherence to the Mosaic Law, they would never be saved since the law pointed to Christ, in whom we place our faith to be saved.
Paul explains this in Philippians 3:8–9: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” Paul was a credentialed Jew if there ever was one. But that meant little to him in contrast to the joy and freedom he found in Christ.
Hebrews 10:4 makes it clear that the Mosaic Law does not save us; only Christ does: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were temporary atonement only. Lasting atonement comes only through Christ.

implications for today

“Rules are made to be broken.” How many times have you heard that? People usually say it to excuse the fact that they’re about to break a rule. But even if rules weren’t made to be broken, we’d break them anyway. People aren’t perfect, so no matter how hard we try, we’re bound to break a law, especially spiritually. Even if we try to act perfectly, our thoughts testify to our sinfulness (Matthew 5:28). Considering this, we would all be condemned—if not for Christ. The Father sent the Son to save us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10). On Him was placed the sin of all humanity. In His death and resurrection, we are saved. Knowing that, we should lead lives that testify to Christ’s goodness and grace. We should witness to others, letting them know that they can have the freedom we have in Christ. No one is perfect, and we can’t make ourselves perfect through the law. But when we place our faith in Christ, we are covered in His righteousness. Scripture points to an inescapable truth: Christ saves, not the law (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8–9).

understand

The curse of the law is that we are sinful.
The curse of the law reveals that we can never be saved by following it.
Christ offers freedom from the curse of the law for all who believe in Him for the forgiveness of sins.

reflect

How does understanding that Christ has freed you from the curse of the law affect your daily walk with Him?
How have you experienced freedom from striving for righteousness through your own efforts?
How can you rely more fully on Christ’s righteousness, rather than your own works?

engage

Why do we often find it easier to rely on our works instead of embracing faith in Christ’s saving grace?
How can our community help one another live in the freedom Christ offers from the curse of the law?
How can we testify to others about the grace and freedom found in Christ?