Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the entire human race has been living in exile – far away from God and our true home. In the ancient world, a conquered people would be exiled from their homeland to be made slaves in the land of the conqueror. This brought with it a special kind of sorrow, and the people of Israel experienced this as a result of God’s judgment on them for their continued idolatry and disobedience. But when we read through both the Old and New Testaments, we should read all of it as an “end-of-exile” story that finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
When Jesus shows up in our lives, we begin our long journey home – not by our own efforts, but rather by His. You see, the journey is too long; the road is too rough; and the travel is too exhausting. Only in His strength can we make our way back into our Promised Land. When Jesus left heaven, took on flesh, and dwelt among us, He was on a divine rescue mission. He came to redeem us from our exile, and He did it by way of the cross. Jesus willingly laid down His life for all those who would trust in Him alone for eternal life.
Remember, through His sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection from the grave, Jesus heralded the end of our exile by inaugurating His eternal kingdom. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus, and all the curses of the covenant were fulfilled because of His faithfulness. Jesus is the True Israel, and through His total obedience to His Father, He set the captives free, and that includes you and me. So today we are simply pilgrims passing through this temporal world as we make our way to our eternal home in the new heavens and earth. May this be the confession of our lives.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 