Bewitched by the Rules
Why do we constantly try to earn the things we've already been given for free?
Galatians 3:1-14
Read the whole passage before anything else. Everything below exists to help you understand what you just read.
1Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?
2I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
3Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?
4Did you suffer so many things in vain, if it is indeed in vain?
5He therefore who supplies the Spirit to you and does miracles among you, does he do it by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?
6Even so, Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”
7Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.
8The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the Good News beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.”
9So then, those who are of faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham.
10For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.”
11Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.”
12The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.”
13Christ 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,”
14that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
What just happened?
Imagine standing in the marketplace in Ankara, the capital city of the Roman province of Galatia, around 50 AD. Paul, a Jewish former scholar who became a follower of Jesus, had recently visited this region. He had shared a message that was, for many, startlingly simple: that God, through Jesus, offered a direct connection to himself, a 'right standing' that didn't depend on following a long list of ancient Jewish laws. The Galatians, a mix of Jewish people and non-Jewish people (Gentiles), had embraced this message with enthusiasm. They had felt a spiritual awakening, experiencing what they understood to be God's Spirit in a real way. Life, for a time, felt clear and hopeful, and the burden of trying to be 'good enough' was lifted.
But then, another group of teachers arrived. These were Jewish followers of Jesus, often called 'Judaizers,' who believed that to truly follow Jesus, non-Jewish people also needed to adopt key Jewish practices – circumcision, dietary laws, and specific festival observances. Their argument was persuasive: if God gave these laws to Moses, and if Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, then surely these laws were still necessary for God's people. They weren't saying Jesus wasn't important; they were saying Jesus plus the Law was the complete package. This 'add-on' message began to take root in the Galatian communities, sowing confusion and anxiety among those who had initially found freedom.
Paul, hearing about this shift, is furious. He sees this as a fundamental betrayal of the core message of Jesus. He views it not as a minor theological squabble but as a complete distortion, an undermining of the very foundation of their new faith. He's not writing a gentle suggestion; he's writing a fiery, urgent letter, almost like a parent trying to snap their child out of a dangerous trance. His central argument in this section is to remind them of their initial experience and to show how their current path contradicts not only that experience but also a deep thread running through their own sacred texts, the Hebrew Scriptures.
The Astonished Accusation
Paul begins this section with a sharp, almost incredulous question: 'Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you...?' The word translated 'bewitched' (Greek: *ebaskanen*) carries the sense of being cast under a spell, of having one's clear judgment clouded by some dark influence. It's a dramatic accusation, suggesting that something unnatural and deceptive has taken hold of their minds. He reminds them that they had a clear, vivid presentation of Jesus' crucifixion among them, an event that, in Paul's view, was the ultimate demonstration of God's free grace. This wasn't some abstract theological concept; it was the vivid, bloody reality of someone dying for them.
He then cuts straight to the central issue with a series of rhetorical questions, designed to force them to recall their own experiences. 'Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith?' He's asking them to remember the moment they felt connected to God, when they experienced spiritual life. Did that come because they had perfectly kept a set of rules, or because they had simply heard and believed the message about Jesus? Paul knows the answer: it came through belief. He presses further: 'Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?' The 'flesh' here isn't just the physical body, but represents the human effort, particularly the effort of trying to earn God's favor through law-keeping. His point is, if their spiritual journey started with a gift from God, why do they think they now need to finish it by their own striving?
Abraham's Unexpected Example
To back up his point, Paul pivots from their personal experience to a figure central to Jewish identity: Abraham. He quotes Genesis 15:6: 'Even so, Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.'' This is a foundational text for understanding how people relate to God in Jewish tradition. Paul highlights that Abraham's 'righteousness' – his right standing with God – came not from obeying a law (the Law of Moses wouldn't be given for another 430 years) but from his belief, his trust in what God had promised him. Abraham simply took God at his word. This is a powerful move by Paul because it uses their own scriptures to argue against the very thing they are being tempted to do.
Paul then makes a critical leap: 'Know therefore that those who are of faith are children of Abraham.' For Jewish people, being a 'child of Abraham' meant being part of God's chosen people, inheriting divine promises. Paul redefines this, asserting that true connection to Abraham isn't about physical lineage or following a specific set of rules, but about sharing Abraham's fundamental posture of faith. He even suggests that the ancient scriptures, long before Jesus, hinted at God's plan to include non-Jewish people (Gentiles) through faith, quoting Genesis 12:3: 'In you all the nations will be blessed.' This means God's plan was always bigger than one nation and one set of rules, always including those who simply trust Him.
The Law's Unbearable Burden
Paul then lays out the stark, uncomfortable truth about trying to live by law: 'For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse.' This sounds incredibly harsh, but Paul is reflecting a core principle of the Law itself. He quotes Deuteronomy 27:26: 'Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.' The Law, by its very nature, demands perfect and continuous obedience. It's an 'all or nothing' proposition. If you miss even one detail, you're not just imperfect; you're 'cursed,' meaning you've failed to meet God's standard.
This isn't to say the Law is bad; it's just that humans are incapable of perfectly keeping it. The Law was never designed as a path to earning God's favor because no one can ever fully accomplish it. It serves a different purpose, which Paul will get to later. But for now, he wants the Galatians to see the trap: if you choose to pursue 'right standing' by following rules, you take on an impossible task. He underscores this with another quote from Habakkuk 2:4, 'The righteous will live by faith,' again contrasting living by effort with living by trust. The Law says, 'Do this and live,' while faith says, 'Trust and live.'
The Cost of Freedom
Having explained the impossible burden of the law, Paul reveals the solution: 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.' The word 'redeemed' (Greek: *exagorazo*) means to buy back or set free from a slave market or a debt. It implies a cost was paid. Jesus didn't just model good behavior or teach nice lessons; he actively stepped into the 'cursed' position that humanity, through its inability to perfectly keep the Law, found itself in. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 21:23, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,' explicitly connecting the crucifixion to this idea of bearing a curse. Jesus' death on a cross was not just a tragic execution; it was, for Paul, Jesus willingly taking on the penalty of humanity's failure to meet God's perfect standard.
The reason for this immense cost, Paul explains, is 'that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.' This wraps up his argument, bringing it full circle. Jesus' self-sacrifice wasn't just about forgiveness; it was about opening the floodgates of God's blessing and the indwelling of God's Spirit to everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, who would simply believe. It's the fulfillment of that ancient promise to Abraham, a promise that bypasses human effort and is received as a free gift, through faith. This freedom, purchased at such a high price, is what Paul is fighting so desperately for the Galatians to reclaim.
What are we supposed to see?
This passage shows a God who is passionately committed to making a relationship with humanity accessible, not exclusive. He doesn't invent complex barriers for people to overcome but, according to Paul, has always intended to include a broad sweep of humanity through a simple act of trust, as exemplified by Abraham. When people stray from this path by creating systems of human effort and rules, God, through Paul, expresses a frustration that borders on astonishment—a clear sign that this 'free gift' approach is foundational to His character and His plan.
The passage also shows Jesus as the ultimate bridge-builder, actively stepping into humanity's place under the 'curse' of unfulfilled expectations. He isn't just a teacher or a prophet; he is the one who bears the cost, who 'redeems' or buys back those who were trapped. This action demonstrates a radical, self-sacrificing love that prioritizes human freedom and access to God's Spirit over adherence to a rigid system of laws. Jesus, in this view, is the active agent of God's inclusive, grace-filled plan.
- 1WHAT HE VALUES
God values faith and trust over human effort and rule-keeping as the basis for a relationship with Him.
- 2WHAT HE CONFRONTS
God confronts any system or teaching that adds human effort as a prerequisite to receiving His free gifts, especially salvation and His Spirit.
- 3IDENTITY
God is the generous Giver who redeems people from impossible burdens, opening a path to blessing for all who believe.
Where this sits in the whole Bible
Galatians 3:6 → Genesis 15:6
Paul directly quotes Genesis to show that Abraham's 'righteousness' (right standing with God) came from belief, not from following laws, setting a precedent long before the Law of Moses.
Galatians 3:10 → Deuteronomy 27:26
Paul uses this Old Testament law to demonstrate the impossible burden and 'curse' that comes from attempting to perfectly fulfill every part of the Law, highlighting its demanding nature.
Galatians 3:11 → Habakkuk 2:4
This verse is a crucial link, showing that even in the Old Testament, the principle of 'living by faith' was present, further supporting Paul's argument that faith, not law, is the ultimate path to 'right standing' with God.
Paul isn't arguing that rules are bad, but that they are a dead-end if your goal is to earn God's favor. The moment you try to use them for that purpose, you step onto an impossible treadmill, making a gift into a grueling test.
Don't rush past this
The hardest thing in this passage is Paul's blunt assertion that 'as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse.' This isn't just a gentle suggestion that following rules is less effective; it's a declaration that striving to earn God's favor through human effort actually places someone under divine condemnation. It implies that good intentions and diligent effort, if misdirected toward earning what God offers freely, lead to a negative spiritual outcome, rather than a positive one. This challenges a deeply ingrained human intuition that hard work and obedience should always be rewarded.
Furthermore, the idea that Jesus 'became a curse for us' is profoundly unsettling. It means that the perfect, sinless Son of God willingly took on a state of divine condemnation—a state associated with shame and separation from God—in a public, brutal execution. It's not just that he died, but that he died as someone condemned by both human and divine law, enduring the ultimate disgrace. This redefines 'sacrifice' in the most extreme terms, asking us to confront the depth of what was necessary to free humanity from the impossible burden of earning its way.
Turn it inward
Three questions from this passage. Answer them or just sit with them — nothing here is required to finish the lesson.
God, it's so easy for us to fall into the trap of thinking we need to earn your love or prove our worth. We get 'bewitched' by the idea that we have to work for what you've already offered as a gift. Help us to see the immense cost Jesus paid to free us from that impossible burden. Guide us to simply trust in your grace and live in the freedom you've provided, knowing that our worth is found in what you've done, not what we can achieve.
This week, identify one area in your life where you are trying to earn something (love, approval, peace) that you suspect might actually be a gift. Consciously practice letting go of the striving for that one thing, and simply receive it as a gift, without needing to perform.
History, language, objections and sources. None of it is needed to understand the passage.
Paul says the Law puts people under a 'curse.' Is he saying God's own Law was a bad thing or that God tricked people into being cursed?
Paul is not saying the Law itself is bad. In fact, elsewhere, he calls the Law 'holy, righteous, and good' (Romans 7:12). His argument is about the Law's *purpose*. The Law was never given as a means to achieve 'right standing' with God through perfect human effort, because God knew humans couldn't perfectly keep it. Instead, Paul understands the Law as a mirror, reflecting humanity's inability to meet God's perfect standards, thus revealing the need for a different solution. It functions to highlight sin and lead people to recognize their need for grace, rather than to provide a path to earning salvation. So, God didn't trick people; He provided the Law to show them their need for something *beyond* the Law, preparing the way for Jesus.
If righteousness comes by faith, does that mean good works and moral behavior don't matter at all? Why bother being a good person?
This is a common and important concern. Paul's emphasis on faith over works in Galatians is about *how we get right with God*, not about *how we live once we are right with God*. He's addressing the foundation, not the fruit. For Paul, good works and moral behavior are a natural, spontaneous overflow of a life connected to God through faith, not a prerequisite for earning that connection. In later chapters of Galatians (5:16-26), Paul explicitly calls believers to 'walk by the Spirit,' which involves living a life marked by love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the 'fruit' of the Spirit, not the 'works of the law.' So, good works absolutely matter, but they are a response to a free gift, not a payment for it.
Paul says Abraham 'believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.' Does this mean belief is the 'work' we have to do?
No, Paul carefully distinguishes 'faith' (belief, trust) from 'works of the law' (human effort to obey specific commands to earn favor). In Paul's worldview, faith is not an accomplishment or something you perform to earn credit. Rather, it's a posture of reliance, a receptivity to a gift. It's like accepting a present; the act of accepting is not 'earning' the present. Abraham's belief was a radical trust in God's promise, even when it seemed impossible from a human perspective. This trust is what God honored, not any action Abraham performed. So, faith isn't a 'work' in the sense of earning, but a humble acceptance of what God offers.
The Meaning of 'Bewitched'
The Greek word Paul uses, *ebaskanen*, meaning 'bewitched' or 'cast an evil eye upon,' was not merely a casual insult. In the Greco-Roman world, the 'evil eye' was a common superstition referring to a malevolent gaze that could bring misfortune or misfortune. It was believed that envy or ill will, even if unconscious, could project harmful energy. Paul's use of this term here is deeply evocative. He's not suggesting literal magic, but he's implying that a destructive, irrational, almost supernatural force has clouded the Galatians' judgment and pulled them away from clear truth, much like a spell. It underscores the urgency and seriousness with which Paul views their departure from the core message of grace.
For Paul, the 'truth' he refers to is the clear proclamation of Jesus' crucifixion and its meaning—that salvation is by faith alone. To move away from that truth, to add human effort back into the equation, is not merely a theological error but a profound deception, almost an enchantment that blinds people to the plain reality of what Christ has accomplished.