But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14 NLT)
I’ve been revisiting the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, aka the Old Testament). There are so many lessons to learn from these precious Scriptures, more so from the vantage point of the New Covenant. Although I’m usually tempted to skip the sections detailing various social, hygienic, customary, property, ritual and other laws, this time around I didn’t skip anything. As a result, I managed to pick up some profound lessons. Here are three of them .
First, GOD knows, cares and understands human existence in the minutest detail. That’s why the Mosaic law made provision for all sorts of issues, situations and cases. So let’s stop thinking God is standing aloof and unconcerned about our affairs here on earth. He’s more concerned than we all know!
Secondly, although we’re no longer under the law as such, we can certainly appreciate God’s mind about our earthly existence therefrom. God’s standards of holiness haven’t changed. God’s attitude to sin hasn’t changed. What changed is the sacrificial system. Jesus fulfilled it all. He is the perfect, complete and final propitiation for all our transgressions.
Thirdly, sin has consequences. Paul called them the “curse of the law”. Read through Deuteronomy 27 to get an overview of the curse pronounced by the Mosaic Law. You’ll notice that you and I were seriously guilty, blameworthy and culpable. We stood no chance of acceptance before God. We were all destined for the Judgment of God.
I’m so glad Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. I’m so glad that Jesus took upon Himself every curse that I deserved to receive. I’m so glad that He paid the spiritual debt I could not pay. I’m so glad every trace of every sin, iniquity and transgression I ever committed-known or unknown-has been wiped away by the precious blood of the Lamb! How about you?
Pastor Josh