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Q. What about the Scripture that says; “…if you are under the Law you are under a curse…”?

A.

Gal 3:10 For as many as are out of works of the Law, these are under a 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."

Now if we took the stance of many on this scripture, we would say that anyone who tries to keep the law is under a curse. But that isn't what is being said here at all!! Look at the scripture that is being quoted here. It is Deut. 27:26-

Deu 27:26 Cursed is he who does not confirm all the words of this Law, to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Does this scripture say that those who do them are under a curse? Certainly not. It is saying those who DO NOT DO them are under a curse!!! So how does this fit in with what Paul said? It is those Jews who did not accept Yeshua’s good news of salvation who are not of faith because they are relying on their obedience to YHVH's law to save them. Because all men sinned, no one is able to keep the Law of YHVH and if you rely on keeping it for salvation, you are lost, or in other words cursed by the penalty of the Law, namely death. Those who teach salvation by doing the 'works of the law' are under a curse because they have broken that law that they are relying on to save them! No man has kept it perfectly, this is why ALL men need Yeshua the Messiah!

This direct quote from Deut, Moses repeated the Law in front of the congregation, emphasizing the consequences of NOT obeying all that is written in the Law. What does this mean? This underlines the seriousness of the Law and the intention of the Law and the Holiness of God vs. the sinfulness of man. The Law is the measuring stick, which will be used to judge all nations. If you do not understand God’s Holiness, you will not understand why He gave the nation of Israel all these things to comply with.

To understand this concept, we have to go back to the beginning where it all started. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden and dwelled with God. For a person to stand before God’s Holiness, you have to be without sin. God is light and sin is darkness. Darkness cannot exist in light and that is why man was separated from God because the darkness of Satan (sin) came into the world and death came upon man. This ‘death’ is the curse of the Law, which is the result of sin. If you do not comply with God’s standards (living without sin), you receive the same curse Adam and Ever received, namely death.

Death means ‘separation’. For man to die on the same day he committed the first sin was to be removed or separated from God’s presence and they were expelled from the Garden. We now live in the same ‘state of death’ as Adam and Eve lived after sin came into the world. The Torah or Law of God gives us the standard or the way to live a holy life without sin. Sin means ‘to miss the mark’ and the word Torah comes from the root word ‘tor’, which means; ‘to learn how to shoot’. In other words, the Torah or Law is there to help us to hit the mark every time or to live a holy (set apart) life unto YHVH. If we miss the mark, we sin and the curse of death is hanging over us again. All have sinned and no one can comply with the Torah’s standards, this is why ALL need Yeshua and His Spirit. Lets look at what salvation is all about since it is not from the works of the Law.

Gal 3:11 But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, "The just shall live by faith."This is a quote from Hab 2:4:


Hab 2:4 Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

One cannot live or be justified by trusting in his own righteousness. This scripture says "the proud, his soul is not upright in him" To claim that we'll live (have eternal life) by our own righteousness is to boast in something that isn't even true. Pride is an abomination to YHVH.

Hab 2:4 Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

So just because a person claims to be "upright" does not mean he is. We cannot be justified by our claims of righteousness because all men have sinned at some point in their life. We are left with no choice but to live by faith! Faith and hope for mercy from YHVH Almighty!! We must come to YHVH and trust in Him to forgive us of our sins and make us righteous through Yeshua’s blood. Years back in Israel they could also not comply with YHVH’s Torah and they had the Sacrificial system where the blood of animals paid for their sin and died in their place. When Yeshua came, He became the Lamb of YHVH and died so that we might live. It is the same concept with different lamb. This whole argument is made within the context of Pharisaic teaching that you are saved by works of the Law. (Which was wrong even in ancient Israel’s times). The Law they taught was the Oral Law, which had certain requirements for ‘coming into Israel’, that brought about salvation. The requirements were to be circumcised, to undergo a mikvah bath (baptism) and to renounce other gods. These works for attaining salvation Paul was speaking against and calls them “the works of the law”. The prove that you are accepted by YHVH was through receiving the gift of His Spirit and that is why Paul asked the question in Gal 3:2-3.

Gal 3:2-3

(2) This only I would learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing of faith? (3) Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, do you now perfect yourself in the flesh?

The Gentiles were starting to fall into this false doctrine that they were not saved unless they were circumcised and went through the prescribed ritual stipulated in the Oral law (man’s law). They were putting all their faith in the fact that they were children of Abraham through their works of the oral law. But John the baptist rebuked them for this:

Mat 3:7-9

(7) But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (8) Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance; (9) and do not think to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. When the Gentiles heard this doctrine, they were troubled and Paul had to rectify the basis of salvation, which is faith in the Lamb of YHVH, Yeshua the Messiah.

Gal 3:4-5

(4) Did you suffer so many things in vain, if indeed it is even in vain? (5) Then He supplying the Spirit to you and working powerful works in you, is it by works of the law (oral law), or by hearing of faith?

The gentiles are being reminded of all the things they suffered for Yeshua's sake. Those miracles did not come because they had kept the law or were circumcised. But YHVH had purified their hearts by faith. And also the miracles that had been done among them as further evidence that they were indeed accepted by YHVH.

Also read "Tests for Salvation Assurance"

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