The Galatians You’ve Never Heard - Part 2

In Part 1 of this series, I began to challenge the assumption that Paul's letter to the Galatians rejects Old Testament law (if you haven't had a chance to read the first post, I encourage you to check it out before going any further). I believe that when you consider how the Old Testament influenced Paul - specifically Deuteronomy- you will begin to see this letter differently. 

Deuteronomy isn't just "the book of the law." It's a covenant document that Moses gave to a group of uncircumcised Israelites. In this book, Moses repeatedly emphasized to Israel that their relationship with God was not founded on works. 

The teachings of Moses and other Old Testament authors served as the foundation of Paul’s letters. That's why how one interprets Paul matters so much! It shapes how you will understand the unity of Scripture and the issue of salvation itself. If you assume Paul threw away the law because grace made it irrelevant, then you risk losing the covenant framework that has always defined God’s people and misrepresenting the very nature of salvation throughout history.

The "anti-law" interpretation of this letter is incredibly common and has fueled centuries of tension in Christian theology. You've probably heard some version of it before:  "You're not justified by work, so don't bother with the law—just have faith!" But was Paul really denouncing the law in favor of faith in this letter? Was he at odds with the Scriptures that came before him? To answer this question, let's look at a key issue in Galatians: justification.

…a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:16

Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because the righteous will live by faith.

Galatians 3:11

Justification is a theological term that means: "to be declared right before God." When you read from the Old Testament in a book like Deuteronomy, it probably sounds a lot like Israel's "rightness" was based on what they did, not what they believed. But Moses outright rebuked the idea that Israel's ability to be righteous earned them their standing before God.

The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8 (emphasis mine)

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deuteronomy 9:6 (emphasis mine)

The issue is not obedience itself—it's what one believes obedience accomplishes. Moses and Paul agree that obedience was not a pathway to entering God's covenant. So when Paul said to the Galatians that the works of the law did not make them "right," he made an incredibly Mosaic statement!

Paul goes on to say:

All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'

Galatians 3:10, quoting Deuteronomy 27:26 (emphasis mine)

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:4, 6b

To your ears, it probably sounds like Paul is saying, "See? Obedience to the law brings a curse!" But notice a keyword in Paul's letter - rely. He was not warning against obedience but against trusting in performance as the basis of justification. The problem is not the law but the human tendency to use the law as a system for earning your standing before God.  Only the blood of Jesus can wipe our slate clean and make us right with God (Romans 5:8-9). We are considered righteous because of our faith in what Jesus has accomplished. Paul’s warning is clear: relying on anything other than Jesus to do that - including the law - places you under a curse (Romans 9:30-31). 

Now, we have to dig into Paul's statement about the curse because it is often misunderstood as a negative portrayal of the law itself. When, in fact, it reflects part of the law's rightful function. 

Yes, the law does bring a curse…because the law condemns sin. 

The law condemns sin not because it is broken…but because we are.

Paul did not weaponize the law when he quoted Deuteronomy 27. He was using it exactly how Moses intended. 

In Deuteronomy 29, Moses elaborated on God's teachings of covenant blessings and curses. He clearly explained that the curse falls on those who believe they can reject God's terms and still claim the blessings of the covenant.  

Make sure there is no man, or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God….When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing on themselves, thinking, 'I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way'…All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the LORD will blot out their names from under heaven. And when the nations see the curse fall on Israel and ask "Why has the LORD done this?" It is because the people abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made when he brought them out of Egypt. 

Deuteronomy 29:18a, 19, 20b, 24-25 (emphasis mine)

People whose hearts abandon faith in God's covenant in favor of self-reliance are under a curse. Moses emphasized this point by rooting Israel's identity in two key moments: God's promise to Abraham and their rescue from Egypt (see underlined text in the passages above). The core of the covenant is faith in what God has done for Israel, not what Israel has done for God. The problem is not obeying the law; it's faithlessness. 

God never intended the law to be a means of self-justification; He gave it to shape the lives of the people He had already redeemed. So when the law brings a curse, it is not because the law failed, but because it has succeeded! 1 The curse of the law is not a mark of its weakness but of its faithfulness to expose sin and unfaithfulness to God. 

If you try to use the law to save yourself, you reject what God has already done through the sacrifice of Jesus. That's not just an error—it's idolatry.  Paul's statement was calling out the misuse of the law, not the law itself. Like Moses, Paul insisted that entering the covenant was not based on human effort. Obedience should flow from faith, not the other way around. 

Next up, I want to get into Paul’s statements about the law as a temporary "guardian”. In Part 3, I will explore this idea and see how Paul and Moses understand the law not as obsolete or an enemy of grace but as its servant.

Reflection Questions

• When you hear “justified by faith, not by works of the law,” do you automatically associate the law with legalism / failure? Why?

• Have you ever relied on your performance to feel secure in your standing with God? How did that affect your relationship with Him?

• When Paul quotes from Deuteronomy, do you see him aligning with Moses or correcting him? 

• Do you believe that later revelation can/should correct earlier revelation given by God? Why does your answer matter for understanding the unity of Scripture and the character of God?

Footnotes

1. Tim Hegg, Paul's Epistle to the Galatians: Commentary (University Place: Torah Resource, 2024), 31.