Many believers today talk about the blessings and curses of the law as though they apply universally to everyone. You’ll hear things like, “If you do good, you’ll be blessed… if you disobey, you’ll be cursed.” But is that really what Scripture teaches?
Let’s take a closer look—starting with Deuteronomy 28.
Are you a Jew?
Deuteronomy 28 isn’t a vague list of how the universe works. It’s a specific covenantal agreement between God and Israel. The chapter outlines in great detail what blessings Israel would receive if they “carefully obey all His commandments,” and what curses would come upon them if they did not.
These were commandments given to the nation of Israel, not the Gentile world.
“If you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today…” (Deut 28:1)
“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these curses will come upon you…” (Deut 28:15)
This was covenant law, and it was only given to Israel.
Gentiles Were Never Under That Law
This is important: Gentiles were never under the law.
We weren’t invited to Mount Sinai. We weren’t given the tablets.
We were “strangers from the covenants of promise… having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
Our problem wasn’t that we failed to keep the law of Moses.
Our problem was sin and death—a condition inherited from Adam (Romans 5:12).
We were spiritually dead. And there was nothing we could do to fix it.
So What the Curse of the Law?
Here’s where it gets beautiful.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus…” (Galatians 3:13–14)
Jesus took on the curse of the law—but who was under that curse? Israel.
He redeemed them from that curse.
Why? So that the blessing of Abraham—which came long before the law—could come to us, the Gentiles, by faith.
Not the blessing of the law. The blessing of Abraham. So, do we get the blessings of the law? Of course, we do, because Christ kept the law and we are in Christ! That’s an added bonus.
And how do we receive it? Not by law-keeping, but by grace through faith.
Why This Matters
There’s a reason the law was given only to Israel—and a reason only Israel needed to be redeemed from it.
Gentiles were never under that system.
We were outside the covenant, and Jesus brought us in—not by giving us the law, but by giving us His Spirit.
We’re not living under Deuteronomy 28.
We’re living in the reality of Galatians 3:14—the blessing of Abraham, the promise of the Spirit, and a brand-new life in Christ.
Let this free you today. You’re not under the curse. You’re not under the law.
You’re in Christ. And that changes everything.
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