Curses - Laura

God said some hard words to his first children, Adam and Eve, he said, "Cursed are you..." (Gen. 2:14) Then God gave the law to Moses, adding additional curses, including, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." (Gal. 3:10, Deut. 27:26). Oh, good, more curses, as if I wasn't already feeling cursed enough! I don't think about this much, it's heavy. I don't know how I feel about being cursed by God! Because of this curse, God promises that I will live a cursed life and then I will die. Anyone who has ever stubbed his toe on the corner of the sofa knows, as he hops on one foot cursing everything in sight, knows that life is messed up, painful, frustrating...cursed!

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." (Gal. 3:13)

Or, read the same verse from The Message:

"Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself...He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse."

Christ became a curse, absorbing and dissolving the curse. Christ, who walked around, drank wine with his friends, had conversations, laughed, joked...became a curse. Only God is big enough to absorb his own curse. And, thanks be to God, he is willing. God has done it already. On a cross. Once for all!

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal. 6:14)

Peace,

Laura

Image: The Yellow Christ, Paul Gauguin 1889

Galatians – some highlights for me - Lee

I guess I haven’t fully processed all of these ideas, but sometimes the Bible jumps out and grabs me. In this letter, Paul talks quite a bit about the concept of the Law. His basic point is this: the Law cannot save us; Christ sets us free from the Law.

2:16 – yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Wow.

5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Wow. Living under the Law is a yoke of slavery… that doesn’t sound too good to me. Even though this concept is roughly 1900 years old, I feel like nobody gets it. I get the feeling that everybody in the church is actually trying to keep the Law. “We gotta do the right thing, or we’ll be screwed! God’s gonna be pissed if we don’t behave!” Here in this letter, Paul makes it pretty clear that relationship with God doesn’t work that way. For one thing, nobody can keep the whole Law. Keeping most of the Law doesn’t mean jack, and nobody can be perfect. Not only that, but Christ has set us free from needing to strive and strive at the law. I don’t need to spend my life striving to keep the Law; I am free to be in relationship with God as his beloved son and heir. Here’s the problem: If I don’t spend my life striving with the law… what shall I do with myself? How shall I choose my behaviors? I think this is why most Christians actually submit themselves again to Legalism (the Law). It’s because we don’t have any idea what to do with Freedom. It’s because God never intended to give us a formula for exactly how to live and behave with our Freedom. He says you are my son, I love you, you are completely free, and have fun exploring; I’ll be with you. That’s dangerous! What am I now going to do?

That's all for now,

Lee