Galatians 3:10-14

Context

This passage belongs to Galatians, the letter that Paul wrote to the churches in the region of Galatia. At the time, certain teachers were insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law, and Paul wrote the letter to oppose them. In the immediately preceding verses (3:6-9), Paul says that Abraham was counted righteous by faith. In this section he continues that argument by quoting the Old Testament four times: verse 10 cites Deuteronomy 27:26, verse 11 cites Habakkuk 2:4, verse 12 cites Leviticus 18:5, and verse 13 cites Deuteronomy 21:23. Paul concludes that Christ "redeemed" (that is, set free by paying a price) believers from "the curse of the law." The purpose of this redemption is that the Gentiles might receive the blessing of Abraham and receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Interpretation

• The Reformation reading: Since Martin Luther and John Calvin, the Lutheran and Reformed traditions have read this passage as follows: the law demands perfect obedience, which no one achieves, and therefore all are under its curse; Christ bore that curse in their place. This reading treats the passage as a principal text supporting substitutionary atonement and justification (the declaration that a sinner is righteous) by faith.
• The New Perspective on Paul: This interpretation was advanced by some New Testament scholars in the late twentieth century. They understand "the works of the law" as markers, such as circumcision and the food laws, that separated Jews from Gentiles. Accordingly, they see the focus of this section as the question of the Gentiles' inclusion in the covenant people. Scholars who hold to the traditional reading criticize this interpretation for weakening the questions of individual sin and atonement.
• A reading focused on the promise of the Spirit: Because verse 14 speaks of salvation and the reception of the Spirit together, Pentecostal denominations cite this passage as one basis for their emphasis on the experience and gifts of the Spirit.

Controversies and Issues

• The scope of "the blessing of Abraham": The "gospel of blessing" of the Korean pastor David Yonggi Cho is reported to have taught, on the basis of verses 13-14, that because Christ bore the curse in their place, believers may enjoy both spiritual and material blessings. Critics counter that the blessing Paul speaks of here consists of justification and the reception of the Spirit, and that the passage can hardly serve as a basis for prosperity theology.
• Relation to the doctrine of generational curses: Denominations and scholars who criticize the doctrine of generational curses appeal to verse 13. Because Christ has already borne the curse, they argue, the claim that believers must separately break ancestral curses is inconsistent with this passage.
• The sentence structure of verse 11: The original text can be read either as "The just shall live by faith" or as "He who is righteous by faith shall live," and scholars are divided on the question.

Related Passages

• Galatians 3:6-9
• Romans 3:21-26
• 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Hebrews 10:38
• 1 Peter 2:24