A Curse

“ 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’ ” (Galatians 3:13 ESV)

It's a profound challenge to grasp the idea of forgiving someone we know; let alone someone we've never met. But consider this: your name was inscribed in the Book of Life of the Lamb who was slain, before the creation of time. He knew you intimately, even before you knew yourself. You were not just a name on a list, but a cherished soul in His heart.

Some false teachers would tell you that Jesus died so that you could live an abundant life, your best life now.  Yet Paul tells us that Jesus became a curse for you. He went to a tree to be crucified, beaten, hated, and despised; He willingly became a curse and died for you.

Jesus did not die so you could be healthy and wealthy, but, as Paul continued in Galatians, Jesus died “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. (v.14). Christ died so that you could be saved from your sin and rejoined in a relationship with God.

The purpose of your redemption is to glorify God. Not get rich, not be healthy, nor go to heaven. Going to heaven is a bonus; glorifying God is your purpose. Getting God in your life is your gift. Some 700 years before Christ, Isaiah wrote, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Christ’s wounds have healed us. His righteousness has been transferred to us. We live freed from sin because Christ paid for our sins with His blood.

As we were bound to sin and Satan in life, we are born to Christ in our death to the world. While sin remains present in our worldly lives, the Holy Spirit resides in us and rejects it. While we sin, we are convicted of that sin, and through Christ’s redeeming us, we are cleansed in our repentance. We can only turn from our sin because we are saved; if not for Christ, the wave of sin would overcome us.

Jesus became a curse. These words cut to the quick. He who knew no sin became sin so you could be saved from an eternity in hell. Everything in your life has been given to you by God, everything. Rejoice and be satisfied in God. Be fulfilled in every blessing given to you by God. Every breath, every sunrise, every sunset, every meal ever eaten, every line of scripture read, every sermon ever heard, be satisfied in God. No goodness, no benefit that surpasses the cross of Christ can be offered to us.

Without that cross, we are the walking dead. Therefore, the cross must be the foundation of every sermon, every message, every devotional, every lesson, every study, and every step we take as Christians because they are all constituted in the blood of Christ.

Walk with Christ, and in that walk, spread the gospel.

Grace and Peace!