Bible Contradiction? Are those who obey the law cursed?

 

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Are those who obey the law cursed?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

Those who follow the law are cursed.

“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”” (Galatians 3:10)

Those who do not follow the law are cursed.

“‘Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Deuteronomy 27:26)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

 

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

1. When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction.  A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time.  To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
2. One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the Skeptic Annotated Bible’s track record of inaccurately handling the Bible.  See the many examples of their error which we have responded to in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions.  Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this claim of a contradiction, which is what the remainder of this post will do.  But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages cited by the Skeptic Annotated Bible to see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
3. The skeptic tries to pit Galatians 3:10 as affirming the claim “those who follow the law are cursed” against Deuteronomy 27:26 as affirming “those who do not follow the law are cursed.”
4. Note the term “follow” used by the skeptic here has the meaning of obey.
5. It is interesting to note that on the page of the Skeptic Annotated Bible the author Steve Wells only quoted parts of Galatians 3:10.  The part quoted was “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse.”  But the skeptic leaves out the second half of the verse which reads “for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”  Readers will notice that the second half of Galatians 3:10 is a quotation of the Greek translation of Deuteronomy 27:26.  Deuteronomy 27:26 of course is the verse that the skeptic here is trying to pit against Galatians 3:10 as a contradiction.  The likelihood of this being a contradiction seems less likely when one realizes that Galatians 3:10 is quoting Deuteronomy 27:26 and extrapolating truths from that verse.  The skeptics’ omission is academically dishonest.
6. We have to see if the verse the verses were properly interpreted by the skeptics.
7. The skeptics rightly interpreted Deuteronomy 27:26 as teaching that “”those who do not follow the law are cursed.”  The verse talks about “he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.”  What’s the consequences for this individual?  The first part of the verse answer that: “Cursed is he.“
8. It does not seem that the skeptics is justified to interpret Galatians 3:10 as affirming the claim “those who follow the law are cursed.”
   1. The verse does not say anything about obedience, and following God’s law.  The skeptic cannot interpret this verse to say its teaching us that those who follow the laws are cursed.
   2. The only part of this verse that is not a quotation of Deuteronomy 27:26 is the beginning that states “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse.”  This part doesn’t say obedience of the law are cursed.  It merely is saying those who are using the standard of the law they are under a curse, not because they obey the law but the law judges them.  This is in agreement with Deuteronomy 27:26 actually because our disobedience to the standard of God’s Law leaves us curse.
   3. Also the context of Galatians 3 itself doesn’t affirm “those who follow the law are cursed.”  Galatians 3:19 states the law is to show our transgressions (sins) as a mean of preparing us to trust in the Gospel.  The mention of sins in Galatians 3 presupposes we are not following God’s law!  So the skeptic is going against the intent of the author of Galatians 3 by claiming that Galatians 3:10 is teaching us that someone can obey the law.
9. Given the skeptic misinterpreted Galatians 3:10 as affirming the claim “those who follow the law are cursed” therefore this verse does not contradict with the teaching of Deuteronomy 27:26 that “”those who do not follow the law are cursed.”
10. We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity.  The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible.  In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview.  Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”