Romans 4:15 vs Galatians 3:10: law's curse?
How does Romans 4:15 connect with Galatians 3:10 about the law's curse?

Scripture Passages

Romans 4:15 — “For the law brings wrath; and where there is no law, there is no transgression.”

Galatians 3:10 — “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.’ ”


What Romans 4:15 Teaches about the Law

• The law is holy and good, yet its immediate effect on fallen humanity is to “bring wrath.”

• Wrath comes because the law defines sin with unmistakable clarity; by naming transgression, it exposes guilt (cf. Romans 3:20).

• “Where there is no law, there is no transgression” highlights that sin becomes legally chargeable only when the command is expressed (cf. Romans 5:13).

• Result: the law cannot grant righteousness; it can only reveal violation and just condemnation.


The Curse Described in Galatians 3:10

• Paul cites Deuteronomy 27:26 to show that perfect, unbroken obedience is the standard: “everyone who does not continue to do everything…”

• Because no sinner keeps the law flawlessly (Romans 3:23; James 2:10), reliance on law-keeping places a person under a divine “curse.”

• The “curse” is God’s righteous judgment—parallel to the “wrath” spoken of in Romans 4:15.


Thread That Joins the Two Passages

• Same problem, two words: “wrath” (Romans 4) and “curse” (Galatians 3) describe identical divine response to law-breaking.

• Both verses stress universality—every infraction invites the curse; every transgressor faces wrath.

• Law serves a diagnostic role, revealing sin and driving people away from self-reliance toward faith in God’s provision (Galatians 3:24).

• Neither verse criticizes the law’s character; each underscores human inability to meet its demands.


Supporting Scriptures That Fill Out the Picture

Romans 3:19-20 — Law stops every mouth and makes the world accountable to God.

Romans 5:20 — “The law was added so that the trespass might increase.”

Romans 7:7-12 — The law exposes sin as “utterly sinful.”

Galatians 3:11-13 — “The righteous will live by faith… Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 — God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, solving the curse-wrath dilemma.


Implications for Believers Today

• Confidence in human effort is misplaced; the law’s very nature condemns imperfection.

• Faith in Christ’s substitutionary work is the only escape from the curse and wrath the law reveals.

• Gratitude flows from understanding both the gravity of the curse and the grace that lifts it (Romans 8:1).

How can understanding Romans 4:15 deepen our appreciation of grace?
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