Sermons

August 14, 2022

Galatians 3:10-14

Paul quotes Deuteronomy 27:26 to prove that, contrary to what the Judaizers claimed, the law cannot justify and save—it can only condemn.  Breaking even one commandment brings a person under condemnation.  Because everyone has broken the commandments, everyone is condemned, and the law can do nothing to reverse the condemnation.  But Christ took the curse of the law upon himself when he hung on the cross.  He did this so we wouldn’t have to bear our own punishment and so we could be saved through him.  The only condition is that we accept Christ’s work on the cross.

Trying to be “righteous” in our own power doesn’t work.  Good intentions such as “I’ll do better next time” or “I’ll never do that again” usually end in failure.  Paul pointed to Habakkuk’s declaration (2:4) that by trusting God—believing in his provision for our sins and living each day in the power of the Spirit—we can break this cycle of failure.