Redemption Part 7: Redeemed from the Curse of the Law and Free from Condemnation

This Redemption Part 7 message teaches that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law so that we can receive from God by faith, not by performance, and live free from condemnation and guilt. The pastor walks through the covenant of grace, the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28, and the promise that in Christ every promise of God is yes.

It is the seventh week of the series and continues directly from Redemption Part 6: Redeemed From the Curse of the Law, which began the teaching on being redeemed from poverty, sickness and spiritual death. Below you will find the full video, a structured summary, every key Scripture linked to the New King James Version on Bible Gateway, a timestamped outline and practical steps for this week.

Sermon at a Glance

This message was posted on June 4, 2024, at NTC Ministries in Merrill, Wisconsin. The pastor says he is bringing the teaching on being redeemed from poverty, sickness and spiritual death to a close, with the series itself concluding in a message on water baptism. His central text is Galatians 3:10–14, read alongside the long list of blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28.

The thread running through the whole hour is simple: performance keeps you bound to the problem, while faith receives what Jesus already purchased. He repeatedly leads the congregation in one confession, “I have been redeemed from the curse of the law,” and closes with an invitation to receive Christ.

We Have Been, Are Being and Will Be Redeemed

The pastor begins by reminding the church that redemption is “a continual motion.” We have been redeemed, we are being redeemed, and we will be redeemed. Your spirit is already perfect and holy; that is the real you. Your soul and mind must be washed and renewed, which is why Scripture tells us to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Finally, our bodies will receive the fullness of redemption, as Romans 8:23 says.

He uses a gardening picture. It is easy to grow a field of weeds; it takes constant work to grow a field that produces vegetables or fruit. In the same way, it takes work to be spiritual. You cannot sit at home watching TV and expect victory to be handed to you. “Corruption will box your ears,” he warns, unless we hold dear the redemption Christ thought was worth His life.

He also draws a line between being churched and being redeemed. Christ came, he says, to teach us how to receive from God and enter His rest, confident rather than worried.

He quotes the original Webster’s Dictionary: redemption is the act of making something better and more acceptable. The acceptable part we must get into our heads; the better part the world will see.

A Covenant of Love, Not a Contract

Picking up from the previous week in Galatians, the pastor explains the difference between a covenant and the law by comparing a covenant to a contract. A contract has performance clauses. If someone agrees to paint his house for $100, paid in $25 installments as each stage is finished, he is only obligated to pay when the work is done. Fail to perform, and he owes nothing.

Our salvation is not like that. We are saved by grace through faith, and it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8–9). There is work in the Christian life, he says, but it is not to please God or get Him to do anything. “The work that we have is to enter into the rest of God,” trusting and believing what He has already done.

He reads Galatians 3:10–12: as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, and no one is justified by the law in the sight of God, because the just shall live by faith. When you need healing and think you must act good enough to receive it, that is the law of performance. It has no bearing on what God does. What it does do, he says, is keep you in bondage to the problem.

The law came 430 years after God’s covenant with Abram. A covenant is built on love, he teaches, but the law is always performance. The law is holy and good, yet it was brought in to show us that we are weak. Even David understood that God did not want sacrifice and offering but a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Psalm 51:16–17).

The law served as a tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24). So we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), expecting Him to perfect and complete us. Working as hard as we can and hoping to reach heaven one day, he says, is not faith; that is law.

Condemnation Keeps Us from God’s Goodness

Because no one performs perfectly, the pastor explains, the law produces condemnation and guilt that want to ride us “like a pack mule.” Jesus came to deliver us from that. He fulfilled the law and abolished it for us, so that we can live without guilt or fear.

He gives two examples. When Adam sinned, he hid, and God called, “Where are you?” Adam said he was afraid because he was naked, and God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:9–11). God was not there to condemn Adam, the pastor says. Adam condemned himself.

Then Jesus, the last Adam, used Peter’s boat as a platform to preach and told him to let down his nets. Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, but obeyed, and the catch nearly sank two boats. Peter fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to depart, because he was a sinful man (Luke 5:4–8). Jesus was not condemning him; He wanted to bless him. The condemnation came from Peter himself.

“That’s what condemnation does it keeps us from the goodness of God,” the pastor says. Jesus wants to remove condemnation because He came to give. He said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). You can only be a great giver once you have learned to receive freely.

Later he adds that condemnation can even shape doctrine: people who feel they cannot receive from God may preach that miracles have passed away. The answer to condemnation is not trying harder but receiving righteousness as a gift.

Redeemed from the Curse of the Law

The center of the Redemption Part 7 teaching is Galatians 3:13–14: “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Because we are redeemed from the curse of the law, he says, performance now has no bearing on whether you receive from God. You receive by believing Jesus gave it to you, and then you freely give.

He explains the background in Deuteronomy 21:23. A tree meant a pole cut from a tree. Anyone who died hanging on it was cursed, and the body could not remain there overnight, or the land God wanted to bless would also become cursed. That, he says, is why Jesus was taken down the same day. He took all the curse and became sin for us, though He never sinned.

Because Christ took the curse for everyone, the pastor says, even people far from God have been redeemed, so we pray for the eyes of their understanding to be enlightened. Only the Holy Spirit can draw them, as He drew us when we caved in weakness before Him.

He reads 1 Peter 1:18–21. We were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish, foreordained before the foundation of the world. This was planned before God created anything, so that our faith and hope are in God, not in ourselves. The old covenant was a ministry of condemnation, but the kingdom is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). “It’s a party with Jesus,” he says.

Abraham, not the law, is the father of our faith (Romans 4:16). God made His covenant while Abram was asleep. So, he concludes, let us be diligent to enter that rest (Hebrews 4:11); you cannot obtain the promises of God by sweat, ingenuity or genius.

The Blessings and Curses of Deuteronomy 28

The pastor then reads the whole of Deuteronomy 28. Deuteronomy 28:1–14 promises that if Israel obeys carefully, God will set them high above all nations. Under the law, that required doing everything perfectly. In Christ, he says, simply believing in Jesus sets us on high.

The blessings were pronounced first, from rugged Mount Gerizim, and the curses from Mount Ebal. It is always harder to pronounce a blessing than to curse a problem. “If you want condemnation out of your life you got to start talking good,” he says. The people answered that they would do everything, and fell from that promise the same day, like a New Year’s resolution broken before the words are out.

Then come the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15–68: confusion and rebuke, plagues and fever, defeat before enemies, madness and blindness, losing homes, harvests and children, and finally a trembling heart and fear day and night. After each section he stops and leads the church in the same response: I have been redeemed from the curse of the law. Every one of these curses, he says, is what Christ bore for us.

Verse 47 catches his attention: the curses came because Israel did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of everything. The table below follows how he sets the two lists side by side.

His application is personal. The curse of the law is a law of death and condemnation, so if you read that list and condemn yourself because things have gone wrong in your life, stop. Christ took the curse on the cross, and He will finish what He started in you. “Quit giving yourself that much attention,” he says; give it to Jesus. And while the world grows darker, believers are the salt of the earth and a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:13–14), because it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

Every Promise Is Yes in Christ

The pastor turns to the one law believers now live by. James 2:8–10 calls loving your neighbor as yourself the royal law, warns that showing partiality is sin, and says whoever stumbles in one point is guilty of all. Jesus said to love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). So, he says, forget the law: love people, do not backbite, and do good to everybody, because the Father sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).

Next he reads 2 Corinthians 1:18–22. The gospel was not yes and no, but in Christ it is yes, and all the promises of God in Him are yes and amen. God has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

To explain that guarantee he describes a ruined house, used as a meth lab for ten years. Someone offers a billion dollars for it, and the owner cannot believe it. That is how people respond when told God wants to bless them. Normally earnest money is a small portion of the price, but God did the opposite. He gave the Holy Spirit as the greater portion and will give “the penny later,” which is the redemption of our bodies.

From 2 Peter 1:1–4 he teaches that every believer has obtained like precious faith with Peter. God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and through His exceedingly great and precious promises we become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world. “It’s an inside job,” he says.

That changes how we speak. Rather than complaining about a spouse, a boss or children, we thank God for what He is doing in them. Romans 2:1–4 warns that whoever judges another condemns himself, and that the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Judging, he says, stops you from receiving from God.

Living Redeemed This Week

The pastor closes by reminding the church that now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Redemption includes heaven, but it starts now. Here are practical steps drawn from this message:

• Confess it daily. Say out loud, “I have been redeemed from the curse of the law,” especially when life is not going well.
• Stop performing for God. When you need healing or help, receive it as a gift Jesus purchased instead of trying to act good enough.
• Tend the garden. Put effort into renewing your mind; weeds grow by themselves, but fruit takes work.
• Speak blessing, not curses. Like the people on Mount Gerizim, choose to declare what is good rather than what is wrong.
• Thank God for others. Replace complaints about your spouse, boss or children with thanks for what He is doing in them.
• Refuse condemnation. When guilt says to hide like Adam or push Jesus away like Peter, run toward His goodness instead.

He ends with an invitation for anyone who has known God only religiously to receive Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior and Redeemer, and to live from now on in the goodness of God.

Timestamped Outline

• 0:00 Week seven: redemption is a continual motion
• 1:19 Romans 8:23 and the field of weeds
• 4:12 Redemption makes us better and more acceptable
• 5:16 Contract versus covenant
• 6:30 Galatians 3:10–12: the just shall live by faith
• 8:34 Condemnation, Adam and Peter
• 11:58 Freely receive, freely give
• 13:28 The law as our tutor: Galatians 3:24
• 16:13 Galatians 3:13–14: Christ became a curse
• 17:33 Deuteronomy 21:23: cursed is he who hangs on a tree
• 20:07 1 Peter 1:18–21: redeemed by precious blood
• 23:46 Abraham, the father of our faith
• 25:02 The blessings of Deuteronomy 28
• 32:41 Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal
• 34:47 The curses begin at verse 15
• 42:14 Verse 47: serving the Lord with gladness
• 48:33 The salt of the earth and the Father’s good pleasure
• 51:22 The law brought us to Christ
• 52:39 James 2:8–10: the royal law of love
• 56:51 2 Corinthians 1:18–22: every promise is yes
• 59:05 The ruined house and the Holy Spirit as earnest
• 1:00:11 2 Peter 1:1–4: like precious faith
• 1:04:57 Thanking God for what He is doing in others
• 1:09:39 Invitation and prayer of salvation

Redemption Series

This message is part of a teaching series on biblical redemption at NTC Ministries. Start from the beginning or continue where this one leaves off:

• First message: Redemption Part 1: Behold the Lamb of God Who Takes Away Condemnation
• Previous: Redemption Part 6: Redeemed From the Curse of the Law
• You are here: Redemption Part 7: Redeemed from the Curse of the Law and Free from Condemnation
• Next: Redemption Part 8: Water Baptism, Buried With Christ and Raised to Newness of Life

Frequently Asked Questions

Was infant baptism the same as receiving Christ?

The pastor addresses people who say they were baptized as babies. He explains that what happened then was a dedication of the child to the Lord. It was the parents’ commitment to make sure the child would come to know the Lord and could one day make a personal decision to accept Him as Lord and Savior. He says some people have known God religiously but never intimately in a redemptive way, and he invites them to receive Christ today.

Does freedom from the law mean behavior no longer matters?

No. The pastor says that God leads him in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, which does not mean anyone can rob banks, lie, cheat or steal and think it is fine. The difference is where the power comes from. We are made righteous as a gift, and then God’s nature rises up inside us and makes us better people. Change, he teaches, comes from the goodness of God at work within, not from straining to keep rules.

What should I do with habits or addictions I cannot break?

He tells listeners to start saying that Jesus is taking those things out of them. In his words, it is not a ten-step program but Jesus, who is our all in all. Christ did not save us and leave us on our own. He is rewiring our minds, strengthening us and causing love, joy, hope and peace to grow. Our part is to trust Him, keep confessing His work in us, and stop living under guilt.

Scripture References

All passages open in the New King James Version on Bible Gateway:

• Galatians 3:13–14 — Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law
• Galatians 3:10–12 — the just shall live by faith
• Deuteronomy 28:1–14 — the blessings
• Deuteronomy 28:15–68 — the curses
• Deuteronomy 21:23 — cursed is he who hangs on a tree
• 1 Peter 1:18–21 — redeemed with the precious blood of Christ
• 2 Corinthians 1:18–22 — all the promises of God are yes
• 2 Peter 1:1–4 — partakers of the divine nature
• Romans 2:1–4 — the goodness of God leads to repentance

How this summary was made: written with AI assistance from the sermon’s own transcript and checked against the Scriptures listed above.

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