Rescued from the Curse
GALATIANS 3:10-22
(September 17)
Have you ever rescued anyone from anything? Maybe you kept someone from saying something harmful or making a wrong choice that would've affected them negatively. Or perhaps you showed up just in the nick of time to keep someone from doing something harmful.
Or maybe you have actually saved a life? Twice in my life I have done CPR on a child. Once, it was on a teenager who had been hit by a vehicle and was literally not breathing, eyes open, staring into nothing. I will never forget that face. Another person and I continued CPR until the ambulance arrived and took over. They told us we saved his life.
Another time, it was a baby who had stopped breathing. Apparently, she had a seizure. I was so glad to hear that cry come out of her. Such relief!
The thing about both of those circumstances is that I did it automatically, without thinking about it. It was the natural thing to do. It was what was right in the situation.
Paul is sharing with the Galatians that they need to do the right thing and stop relying on the law. Relying on the law is going to condemn them because the law states that breaking even one commandment brings the curse of condemnation. Once condemned, there is no turning back. There is no forgiveness of sin, no grace, no compassion.
He leads them to the Scripture that says, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life." To believe that the law is the way to righteousness is a curse they must get out from under.
Christ rescued us from the curse of the law when he hung on that cross, for your sins, for Paul's sins, for the sins of the Galatians, and for mine. He did this to take the punishment for our sins from us onto himself. Why? What is the catch?
The only "catch" to this act was that accept this death on our behalf as the means to our salvation. Paul reminds them of Habakkuk's declaration (Hab. 2:4), that by putting our trust in God, that he has forgiveness for our sins, and living in his power each day, we can break the curse of the old law.
So why did they have the law in the first place? On the good side, it showed the people the nature and will of God and how they should be living their lives. On the bad side, it pointed out their sins, showing them that it is impossible to live without sin, thereby impossible to obey every law. They would not be able to please God with their obedience.
When God made the promise to Abraham, it was centered around Abraham's faith. The promise focused on faith, whereas the law focused on actions. Faith is the only way to be saved. It doesn't wipe out the law, but as we realize more and more how sinful we are, we are driven to depend on our faith in Christ for our salvation.
That salvation is lifesaving. It is crucial. It is even more crucial than breathing air into someone else's lungs until they are able to breath on their own. It is its very own form of CPR ... Crucial, Powerful, Real.