Galatians 3:13-14
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree; That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith," Galatians 3:13-14. We are born under the divine curse of God. We are born headed to a devil's hell. This is what we deserve, and this is what we have earned. We also learned that there is nothing we can do to deliver ourselves from this curse. Our good will never outweigh our bad; we cannot keep the law to be saved; so what do we do? We look to the only One who can save us. His name is Jesus Christ.
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. "Hath redeemed" in this verse means to purchase out, to buy up from the possession or power of someone. In the NT, to redeem, to set free from service or bondage. It is Christ that is doing the redeeming; it is Christ that is doing the purchasing; Christ does this by becoming a curse for us. Christ lived a sinless life. He kept the law perfectly. He was truly the sinless Lamb of God. Christ never sinned in thought, word, or deed. Yet, Christ living a sinless life alone could not redeem us. He had to be made a curse for us to redeem us. The sinless One was made a curse for us. If Christ was not sinless, then He could not have redeemed us by becoming a curse because He would have been under the same curse we are under. Yet Christ was sinless. When Christ left heaven, He became what He had never been before, flesh (John 1:14). He lived a sinless life, and before going back to heaven, He again became what He had never been before, a curse.
In becoming a curse Christ redeemed us. Who are the us Christ redeemed, and who received the payment for our redemption? These are very important questions. When Christ was on the cross, He actually became a curse. When Christ became a curse, He actually paid a redemptive price. We can term this an actual atonement. Christ redeemed all that the Father hath given to Him. "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou has given him," John 17:2. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," John 6:37. Christ redeemed all those and only those whom the Father hath given to Him. See, if Christ paid the whole world's sin debt on the cross, then everyone would be going to heaven. But, according to the bible, there are more people in hell than in heaven. Christ paid the sin debt of all who have and who will believe. He paid this debt in full. "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Hebrews 10:14. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," II Corinthians 5:21. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed," I Peter 2:22-24. He took upon Himself our sins. How many of our sins? All of them. Past, present, and future sins. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross," Colossians 2:13-14.
When we see a cross, we are reminded of the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We are reminded of His redeeming of us, and all that comes with redemption. Christ paid our sin debt, and He paid it in full. Who did He pay it too? Because of sin our relationship with our heavenly Father had been severed. God is the offended party. A sin debt is now owed to Him. This sin debt is a debt that we are not able to pay. To pay the sin debt God requires perfection. No one born of the seed of Adam has ever been perfect. We thank the Lord for His plan to send His eternal Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem all who have and will believe. Christ paid this debt to the Father (Isaiah 53).
This was the plan of God from before the foundation of the world. "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain," Acts 2:23. "But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled," Acts 3:18. "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done," Acts 4:26-28. Turn to John 12:23-33.
Christ came to set the captives free (Isaiah 42:1-9; 61:1). He did this by becoming a curse for us. All of our sins are forgiven. This means we can serve Christ with full assurance that He has saved us and purged us from our sins. We can live life, and face death, knowing we are secure in the work that Christ accomplished on the cross. We can live life knowing Christ ever lives to intercede for us.
Christ became a curse for us, that we might receive the blessing of Abraham and the promise of the Spirit through faith. "Faith" in this verse is of faith in Christ's death, as the ground of justification before God, saving faith. All whom the Lord saves receives the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us, covers us, gives us understanding, and gives us the power to live and die for Christ. He is also the earnest of our inheritance. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory," Ephesians 1:13-14.
Christ became a curse for us; the Just for the unjust. Without the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ, we would have no hope in this world, or the world to come. How thankful are we for God's plan of redemption? Do our lives show it? Look to Jesus alone for salvation. Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria
