In Galatians 3:6-14, Paul speaks of the righteousness of Abraham and quotes from Habakkuk that “The righteous will live by faith.” Paul explains that the law is not of faith and to live by law is to try to relate to God through a curse. The end of the two testaments in the modern order of the Bible (i.e., Old, and New) exemplify the contrast between the curse of the law under the Old Covenant and the grace of the gospel under the New Covenant.
The last verse of the Old Testament ends like this:
Malachi 4:6 He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse."
The last verse of the New Testament ends like this:
Revelation 22:21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.
It is easy and simplistic to just assume the Old Testament is just about the curse of the law as though that is all there ever was but in Galatians 3:6-14, we see God began, not with law, but with grace.
The first covenant was a grace covenant not a law covenant
Paul does not argue salvation and sanctification by grace through faith from the New Testament, but from the Old Testament. He does not seek to proclaim grace as something new but to reclaim it as something old. The “New” Covenant then is not really all that new in principle. It is the fulfillment of a promise given under the old covenant which God made with Abraham. The Mosaic Covenant was a temporary, inferior covenant that could provide neither salvation nor sanctification.
Notice how God’s interactions with people change after the law covenant is established
Did you ever notice how touch-feely with believers God was before the law? He seems very approachable by Noah, Abraham, and Moses. He walks with Enoch; He wrestles with Jacob. Note how all that stops with the giving of the law:
Exodus 19:7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said." So, Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.
I wonder what would have happened if the people of Israel had said, “You know Lord, we noticed that since we have been freed from Egypt that we pretty much suck at this whole obedience thing…maybe we should try to work out something that doesn’t require that we obey You fully and keep Your covenants, because we are all pretty sure we’re going to screw that up.”
But they did not say that…what they said was "We will do everything the LORD has said." How did that work out for them? They assumed they had the inclination and the ability to follow the law. When someone today says in effect, "There must be works added to faith," they are also assuming the same thing and that assumption implies that there is more to salvation and sanctification besides the finished work of Christ. It is to believe we by human effort can “do everything the Lord has said.” And whenever we do that, we are trying to attain the blessings of God through the curse of the law.
Notice when the people of Israel placed themselves under what was for them a new covenant with God how all touchy-feely the Lord is now:
Exodus 19:12 Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, 'Be careful that you do not go up the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 He shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on him. Whether man or animal, he shall not be permitted to live.' Only when the ram's horn sounds a long blast may they go up to the mountain." 14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 15 Then he said to the people, "Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations." 16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, 19 and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
Exodus 20:18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they (said, “Hey can we take a Mulligan on this whole law thing because we see it has made you a bit testy?”) trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance
Whenever we approach God through legalism it is as though we are saying the kind of relationship we want with God is one of fear…and distance…and smoke and trembling. Do we really want a shake and bake relationship with God? Do we really want to try to relate to God through the vehicle of the curse? What they did not understand was...
The law condemns it never commends
If Paul is right in insisting that the Law can only condemn people, then those who elevate the law as the means of obtaining God’s blessings will only find frustration and guilt, for the law (if rightly understood) cannot and will not pronounce a blessing on us but a curse. Only through Christ can the curse of the law be overcome, and yet, by turning from Christ to the law, we turn from the cure back to the curse.
In all of life there are only two choices: Trusting more in God’s promises or trying harder with our own performance; the cure of the cross or the curse of the Law. This is a decision initially made pertaining to our salvation, but it is also one which is persistently made regarding our sanctification. What kind of relationship do you want with God? The law is a stumbling block not a steppingstone. People who make the mistake of approaching God through works based on legalism are seeking commendation from something that can only bring condemnation.