Righteousness

For convicting a person of [his lack of] righteousness by the Law, consider “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them’” (Galatians 3:10 ESV). Here the Apostle teaches us three things:

1. By reason of our natural sinfulness, the impossibility of anybody being justified by the works of the Law is so certain, that any who do seek Justification by the works of the Law are liable to the curse of God for breaking of the Law. “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse,” says God.

2. Keeping one or two of the precepts, or doing some or all of the duties (if it were possible) for only a time does not qualify as perfect fulfilling of the Law. This is because the Law requires that a person “abide by [continually do] all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

3. Because nobody can come up to this perfection, everybody is by nature under the curse, for the Law says, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now, to be under the curse includes all the displeasure of God, with the danger of God’s wrath breaking forth more and more upon soul and body, both in this life and after death perpetually, if grace does not prevent the full execution of it.