|
Christ Has Redeemed Us From The Curse Of The Law
by Bro. Peter Rahme
 Are you walking in the fullness of your inheritance in Christ Jesus and your redemptive power He provided for you?
"Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Gal 3:13-14
When we study the law in the Old Testament (the Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Bible), we find that people could not keep the law. Therefore breaking God’s law brought a curse upon them.
The consequences for breaking God’s law were basically threefold:
- Poverty
- Sickness
- The second death – eternal separation from God
Let’s look at poverty first.
The definition of the word Poverty is: The state of being poor; want of the necessities of life or scarcity or lack (Oxford English Dictionary).
"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9
I have heard several men preach that Christ did not become physically poor. They say he had His own house - one man even went as far to say Jesus was a carpenter and He built Himself a mansion. It has also been said that He had a treasurer who was pocketing thousands. This is all speculation and not in accordance with the Word of God. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity and He is the creator of everything (Hebrews 1:2, John 1:3, Ephesians 3:9). He left all of this and His position as the second person of the trinity, to become a man and take on the heart of a servant. Even if He had a mansion and millions in the bank, it could never compare with what He gave up to be part of the human race.
Jesus became poor physically, because the spiritually poor could not heal the sick, could not feed the five thousand with two loaves of bread and five fish. The spiritually poor could not raise the dead. No, Jesus became poor physically. He lived in a city called Nazareth, by no means a prosperous city, but rather one to be frowned upon. Nathanael even asked the question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46)
It’s important to note here that Christ has, past tense, redeemed us from the curse of the law. We are no longer under the curse of poverty. God wants His children to prosper and use their finances to  extend the kingdom of God. God reigns on the just and the unjust so if the unsaved are prospering, surely we, as children of the most high God should prosper. We need to know what our inheritance is and act upon it to receive the benefits. The moment we accepted Christ into our lives, we became heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). It is important to remember that the reason it is good to prosper (not lack anything we need) is that we can be fruitful and use it to further the Kingdom of God. It is simply a matter of logic that we can do more for the kingdom of God with more resources. It is important of course, to be sure the resources never get a hold on us and become a priority.
"For physical training is of some value (useful for a little), but godliness (spiritual training) is useful and of value in everything and in every way, for it holds promise for the present life and also for the life which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 AMP
Over twenty eight years ago I received this great revelation that Christ redeemed me from the curse of the law. I was bound in poverty and hadn’t worked for about seven months; I was riddled with arthritis and there was many a morning that I could not even get out of bed. I couldn’t run or jog like I used to. To top it all off, I had been a slave to alcohol and drugs for many years. But, on the 27th of May 1980 I cried out to the Lord and He instantly delivered me and set me free! It was the greatest day of my life but my life was only just beginning - I had to stay free and walk in the redemptive power Christ provided for me.
Sickness is a curse
Sickness is a curse but healing was in the original plan of God’s redemption. Before Adam committed sin in the Garden of Eden, he and Eve knew no sickness, sin, poverty, and probably didn’t fully understand the concept of death. Sin entered the human race through Adam but Jesus bore the penalty for us at the Cross of Calvary. God didn’t send an angel or use a prophet in the Old Testament to take away the curse that hung over us. No, He (Jesus) Himself bore our sins and carried our sorrows in His holy body on the tree, so that you and I can receive healing by the stripes that were laid upon His precious body. (Amplified says in Isa 53:4 - “He has borne our grief’s (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment]”)
"Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24
Death is a curse
Lastly, death - spiritual or physical, is a curse. The Word of God calls death in 1 Corinthians 15:26 the last enemy that will be destroyed. The only way to avoid the second death is to choose life while you are here on the earth. Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” We have to make the choice here otherwise it will be too late once we leave the earth.
God gave every person a free will. We choose our own destiny. In Deuteronomy 30:19 God says, “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing  and cursing;…” Then He directs us to the best choice - He says “Choose life that both you and your descendants will live.” We have to receive this redemptive power that Christ provided for us, and live it out in our daily lives.
"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Romans 6:5-6
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Bro. Peter Rahme
|