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 God knew this first hand as God’s judgment upon them for their continued disobedience. When we read through both the Old and New Testaments, we are to read all of it in light of it being an “end-of-exile” story, that finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
But when Jesus shows up, 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 way too tiring. Only in His strength can we make our way back into our Promised Land. When Jesus left heaven and took on flesh and dwelt among us, He was on His rescue mission. He came to rescue 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 became the End of our exile by inaugurating His eternal kingdom. He ended it through His suffering on behalf of us sinners. 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 came to set the captives free, and that includes you and me. We are pilgrims passing through as we make our way to our eternal home in the new heavens and earth. Let 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 