Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”
These are some of the most astonishing words in all the Bible. They can sound blasphemous even. Galatians 3:13 rivals 2 Corinthians 5:21 for its audacity.
For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
If Paul were to simply say that Jesus took our curse or that he took the punishment for our sin, those are words we can easily embrace. But Paul uses the “to be” verb. Christ became the curse. He was made to be sin. Martin Luther called this the Great Exchange, an exchange in natures. Jesus became as we are so that we might become as He is. We are cursed. We are sin. Through our union with Christ, our curse and sin were imputed to Christ on the cross, and His righteousness was imputed to us by His resurrection. Hallelujah!
How do we know that Jesus went to this length for us – becoming the curse? First, as Paul points out, by the very fact that He was hung on a tree. Quoting Deuteronomy again, Paul reminds us that those who were lawbreakers could be cursed by God, stoned to death, and then hung on a pole for all to see. The “tree” is not the curse; the tree reveals the curse. We also see the cursed nature of Christ in His “cry of dereliction” from the cross – My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? This divine rejection came crashing down on Jesus because of what He was for those six hours on Good Friday – the curse.
It’s no wonder that the Jews struggled to accept Christ in the first place. How could the Messiah of God be cursed? And if God’s Messiah IS God Himself? A cursed God is unfathomable. Trust a cursed savior? A savior who is sin itself? For us. Yes, a cursed savior is a ridiculous message, unless His curse was “for us.” Then it is the greatest story ever told.
Now there is a far better way to overcome the curse of the law. Not by the futile attempts of our flesh to fulfill the law’s demands, but by faith in Christ who both fulfilled the law perfectly and became its curse all for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.
You: In what ways are you still living under the curse of the law?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ both impute our curse to Him while imputing His righteousness to us?
Christ in you: Christ became the curse for us, now He lives the blessing through us? Where can you see the blessed life of Christ at work in you lately?
Pray: Father, to curse Your Son on the cross was to bless us for all eternity. I can never thank or trust You enough. But please help me try. Amen.
