The Curse of Galatians 3:10-14 and Penal Substitution

Galatians 3:1-18 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU." So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer. For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM." Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man's covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

The curse of Galatians 3 is the curse that mankind suffered under (10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.") This curse is death, for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. It is appointed to man once to die and then the Judgment. And Christ became a curse for us (Christ lay down His own life as a “guilt offering”). He shared in our infirmity, our “flesh”, and our death.

But note – NOWHERE in Galatians does Paul tell us that God cursed Jesus by pouring out His wrath upon His Son as the punishment due our sins. It is not Scripture that makes heresy false, but what is done to that Scripture.

Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

What is cursed in Genesis 3 is the ground. This verse does not support the interpretation that God poured His wrath upon Christ. It shows, perhaps, that being a man Christ submitted to death.

Deuteronomy 28:27 "The LORD will smite you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors and with the scab and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed.

This was the consequence for Israel should they disobey the Covenant given in the Mosaic Law. This does not prove that God was wrathful towards Christ.

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 "If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

This verse is descriptive of hanging being a punishment for those who are considered accursed of God. The Jews considered Christ to have committed a sin worthy of death, worthy of hanging on a tree. And they crucified Him. But this verse in no way proves that God poured out His wrath on Christ, or that God cursed Christ.

Psalm 7:6-13 Arise, O LORD, in Your anger; Lift up Yourself against the rage of my adversaries, And arouse Yourself for me; You have appointed judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, And over them return on high. The LORD judges the peoples; Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds. My shield is with God, Who saves the upright in heart. God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts.

Here you extract a part of a verse (“God is a righteous judge”) to apply it to your theory that God therefore punished Christ. But the Psalm itself denies the Theory of Penal Substitution. God vindicates the righteous and God punishes the unrepentant.

Isaiah 53:4-11 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities.

The passage here does not teach that God punished Jesus with our punishment, that God poured His wrath upon His Son. In fact, it teaches the opposite – that while this was God’s will it was the judgement of men that condemned Christ and God vindicated Him.

Romans 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.


Scripture does not present Christ as being ungodly and unrighteous, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Again, this passage does not teach that God was wrathful to Christ.

Romans 3:21-26 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.


This passage speaks of justification by faith in Jesus Christ (the justification of the believer) which is now available as a righteousness of God apart from the Law. God passed over the sins previously committed for the demonstration of His righteousness in Christ – He is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ. It is appointed to man once to die and then the Judgment. The “second death” is the pronouncement of condemnation at the Judgment. Jesus does not deliver us from the consequences of sin (which is death) but gives us life. Our hope is not in never dying physically but that we will live in Him.

This passage also does not teach that God was wrathful to Christ.

Insofar as the Early Church Father’s, they affirmed the biblical doctrine of penal substitution (they believed Scripture) but NONE of them held to the Penal Substitution Theory of Atonement (none viewed God as pouring out His wrath upon Christ and punishing Him with the punishment for our sins).[/QUOTE]

 

I hated posting such a long post, but also didn't want to leave unaddressed the numerous verses. Scripture itself does not support Penal Substitution Theory but this is often masked by asserting otherwise and mentioning as many passages as possible that speak of Christ bearing our sin. I just thought I'd lay that charge behind us so perhaps we could dive into a few passages. I'm still waiting on one that evidences God as being wrathful towards Christ.

 

This is not true. I am denying that God has a true wrath directed at Jesus. Please try to be a little more accurate when referencing the words of others.

Thanks.

 

To which passage are you referring?

 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This passage is speaking of our ambassadorship in Christ, God appealing through us to be reconciled to Him. God made Jesus sin on our behalf so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is clearly penal substitution, but not Penal Substitution Theory. The verse does not speak of God pouring His wrath on Christ or Jesus experiencing 3 hours of hell.

 

Every Christian sees God's wrath as being directed towards sinners.

But we are not talking about my theory. We are talking about yours.

Would you agree at least that God pouring His wrath upon Christ, that Christ suffering Hell, and Christ bearing God's wrath is not in Scripture itself but an interpretation or theory systematically derived from what is in Scripture?

 

You are right.

 

Scripture does say that Jesus suffered, and that He was made in the likeness of sinful flesh (He who knew no sin became sin for us), and that our chastisement fell upon Him, and He shared in our infirmity, and by His stripes we are healed.

But Scripture does not say that Jesus suffered in his own body the very punishment due to us, so judgment for sins, forsaken by God, and enduring wrath. I'm sure if the Bible did say any of those things you would have provided a verse by now (if not you, @Martin Marprelate or @The Archangel would have by now).

My point is that you take what Scripture actually says and then you add to it ("suffering in his own body the very punishment due to us"; "enduring wrath"; etc). What I am arguing against is not Scripture but those things that you add to it (those things that you can't provide a passage to confirm).

 

This is tradition and not what the Bible actually teaches (as evidenced by no passages of Scripture that teach what you imagine here).