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). |