Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Gal. 3:13).
In his epistle to the Galatian Christians, Paul was concerned to steer them away from any temptation to accept second-class status because of their Gentile origins. They had not come from idolatry into Judaism or even into neo-Judaism dressed up as Christianity. For this reason it was important that they should not be forced to be circumcised to acquire parity with Christians from Jewish origins.
It is against this background that Paul can write, in chapter 4 verses 4-5, of being redeemed from legal bondage into the freedom of sonship. Redemption in Scripture is seen in different contexts—from iniquity, from futility, and from enemies. It may seem odd, therefore, to read of its being from bondage to law, or, even more strangely, from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13).
The Demands of the Broken Law
We have to ask, “What is the effect of seeking to relate to God under a strictly legal system?” What does God require from those who would seek acceptance on a legal basis? Deuteronomy 27:26 makes the requirement clear, and this is the verse which Paul quotes in Galatians 3:10: “Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them.” It was not a matter of knowing the Law or giving mental assent to it; what was required was the doing of it. Moreover, it was not a question of obeying a selection of items required by the Law on a cafeteria basis. The Law in its entirety was God’s standard. One must keep it all or become a law-breaker. James 2:10 spells this out: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The Law is like a chain: it is either sound in all its links or it is broken.
Have we any indication in the story of the life and death of Christ that He experienced the curse of the broken Law?
Yes indeed, says Paul. We have an eloquent expression of His experience of this dreadful curse: “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” (Gal. 3:13) The detailed circumstances of the sufferings of Christ have been so ordered by God that we have vivid reminders of how God has intervened in grace to redeem us. Christ “became a curse for us” (v.?13, RV). The relevant law is found in Deuteronomy 21:22-23: “And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” He who hung on a cross for us wore that day a crown of thorns, the sign of the curse. It is the curse aspect of Christ’s sufferings which is emphasized when we read of the cross as “the tree.”
The Law which requires complete obedience in deed as well as word is not a discussion document; it is an inflexible decree, demanding unwavering obedience to the last detail. God is utterly holy in Himself and cannot tolerate compromise of His perfect demands. He is the Judge of all mankind, living and dead. His Law is “holy and just and good” (Rom. 7:12). We sinful people know that we cannot approach God on the basis of what we are or how we live. When His law is applied to us, we are exposed as defiled and can only experience the curse of a broken law. We remember that when Adam sinned, Genesis contains its first reference to a curse and to visible signs of that curse.
Yet Genesis also contains references to people whom God blessed. God’s law is inflexible, but He moves in wonderful grace to find ways to bring sinful, erring people into blessing. After the flood, on a cleansed earth, He blessed Noah and his sons. He called Abram out of Ur, gave him promises, and blessed him. Scripture says that Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. David wrote of the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin. God’s law is inflexible, but His grace is abundant and flows freely. But a question arises: how does He retain His integrity as righteous Judge while showing mercy to sinful people? Even the best of God’s people in the Old Testament sinned and failed. What right has God to show mercy to people like that?
There was one Man on earth who was different. He was conceived uniquely in a virgin’s womb. He was the only person ever born who could be said to be an essentially holy baby. He was the only boy who ever grew to manhood without ever straying from absolute holiness and devotion to His God. He was brought up in a Jewish home and delighted in the law of God as He heard it in the synagogue. He delighted in it simply because it was the law of God and therefore perfect. Other men resented His being different. They could sense that His integrity showed up their sin and selfishness. His devotion to His Father caused Him to clash with men who sought to make a profit of religion, even a God-given religion. Their resentment intensified until they began to seek means to get rid of Him. Could God forgive men like that? Could He order circumstances for their blessing?
The Result of the Curse
Calvary provides answers. God needed no help from any human person or group to achieve a just solution to the problem of human sin. He was perfectly in control in the events leading to the crucifixion. Men’s contribution to those events was sinful and shameful and brutal and cowardly. In the midst of an array of manifestations of sin, the Christ moved in perfect harmony with His Father’s plan to provide salvation for sinful people of whatever type. Men were guilty of deeds that day which are monstrous to contemplate. Even the disciples were not blameless. Judas betrayed Him. The Romans failed to uphold even their own standards of justice. Jewish leaders were guilty of perverting the course of justice and bribing false witnesses. The mob were without mercy or any kind of integrity. Yet God was in control.
Men did what they could to get rid of Christ. Yet He was crucified in the way God planned, fulfilling Scripture. He was crucified at the time God planned, fulfilling the Passover. God was active at the cross in laying on His Son what men could never have laid on Him—our sins. He bore all that needed to be borne, paid all that needed to be paid, “suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust.” It was at the hands of God that He bore the curse of a broken law. Only this interpretation of the cross can explain how God can retain His integrity and yet pardon the transgressors. At the cross, as nowhere else, we see the attributes of God shine forth in perfect balance. His holiness and righteousness are seen. His grace and mercy have full scope. His wisdom planned, and His hand executed, this wonderful way to put right what sin had distorted and defiled. To God alone be the glory!
This is why we cannot mix law and grace as means of approaching God or living for God. He redeemed us to make us free to serve Him as sons, enabled by His Spirit and upheld by His promises. May we know His grace to live like this!
At the cross, as nowhere else, we see the attributes of God shine forth in perfect balance.