Paul the apostle has been
implying to the church membership in Galatia that the law of God is
perfect. The only difficulty with the law is those who are supposed
to comply don't. There would be no problem with that except that the
law has a curse associated with it for anyone who does not obey it.
Paul said in Galatians three and verse twelve, “the law is not
of faith: but, The man that does them shall live in them”,
and we learned that those who attempt to keep the law only find
themselves under its curse because they fail to do so. In Galatians
chapter three and verse thirteen Paul adds a wonderful statement
about Jesus Christ's deliverance from that curse. He wrote:
Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
written, Cursed [is] every one that hangs on a tree:
Paul
said first, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law”.
The word “redeemed” means, “to buy up, to pay a price to
recover from the power of another, to ransom, to buy off, to free
from another's control”. Jesus Christ has freed everyone who will
believe in Him from the imprisonment that disobedience to the law had
upon them. The law has a curse within it for all who disobey it, and
yet, Jesus Christ is more powerful than that curse. The curse has no
more power over those who believe in Jesus because Jesus took the
curse upon Himself.
Paul
continued, “being made a curse for us:”. In
substitutionary fashion, Jesus took our curse upon Himself. We, as
were the church members in Galatia, are all doomed to have the curse
of the law upon us because of our noncompliance to the law. Jesus was
“made a curse for us”. The curse had to be employed for
the very law of God imposed it. However, those who deserved the
curse, us, do not have to have it imposed upon us any longer. Jesus
has freed us from the curse of the law because He fulfilled the very
obligation of it being imposed.
How did
Jesus redeem us? What was His method? Paul said, “Cursed is
every one that hangs on a tree:” as he refers to an Old
Testament verse found in Deuteronomy chapter twenty-one and verse
twenty-three:
His body shall not
remain all night upon the tree, but you shall in any wise bury him
that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that your
land be not defiled, which the LORD your God gives you [for] an
inheritance.
Jesus
Christ hung on “a tree”, the cross, and thereby took our curse
upon Him. He became our curse when He gave His life for everyone. Our
redemption cost Jesus Christ. Though we are made free and are
redeemed from the curse of the law, Jesus paid the price for it. The
curse of the law had to be imposed, and by dying upon the cross Jesus
took the curse of the law upon Himself. We no longer are bound by
that curse, and freedom is available for all who will believe in
Jesus' substitutionary method of hanging on a tree.
As we
think about today's verse, perhaps there are mixed emotions that will
arise in us. At first, we might be elated that our curse has been
satisfied, but then again, as we think about the cost for that curse
to be lifted, our hearts might be saddened. Whichever way we feel, we
can know this, the price of our redemption has already been paid, and
now the bondage of the law's curse has no more power over us. This is
the gospel of grace, unmerited favor, at its highest peak, and those
who ponder these things thoroughly will fall to their knees in
worship of a Great and Mighty Savior, Jesus, who loved us and paid
such an awesome price for us to be redeemed.
Next time we will
see how we may receive the promise of the Spirit through faith, so
read ahead, and let us join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look for
the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation
to Generation” in all major
bookstore
sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to
e-books, and find it
locally
at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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