Living under the law is indeed a curse. Paul is adamant on this and points it out frequently in several of his letters. But the curse of living under the law was lifted from us. As Christ was lifted up on the cross, He took the law with Him (so to speak). He did that so we could find the blessings of Abraham overwhelming our lives. This is what he says in Galatians 3:12-14, “But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

The idea of redemption is a bit too religious for me. All it really means is the payment of a price to secure the release of a prisoner or a slave. It was used also of prisoners of war and even of criminals in jail and especially for criminals that have been placed under a death sentence. Redemption always means the payment of a price to secure a person’s release. As humans living under the curse of sin, we are all slaves to sin. We cannot set ourselves free from that slavery. It is part of who we are. I know it stinks! I do not like it. You do not like it, but liking it has nothing to do with its existence. I do not like limburger cheese! My dad loved it. My not liking it did not affect its existence or my dad eating it! Limburger cheese is still there, and sin is still there. But Christ’s death on the cross was the payment of a ransom price by which sinners are set free. Now that we are redeemed, we are free! Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, we are free at last!

A.B. Simpson is reported to have said that the gospel “Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled, that justice is satisfied, that sin has been atoned for, that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, the condemnation of the sinner canceled, the curse of the Law blotted out, the gates of hell closed, the portals of heaven opened wide, the power of sin subdued, the guilty conscience healed, the broken heart comforted, the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone.” I would add and the smell of limburger cheese eradicated! We are now a sweet-smelling savor to God through faith, not through works.