All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” . . . Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

Devotion based on Galatians 3:10,13

The plot of many fairy tales focuses on trying to end a curse, to break the spell cast by the story’s villain. In the end, you know that the hero will eventually appear, end the curse, and save the princess or even the entire land.

That plot is more true-to-life than we might like to admit. The Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Who can claim to have done everything required by God’s Law? We can’t even rightly claim to have kept a single one of God’s laws.

God’s Law demands actions that always step up to help and never cause hurt. His Law demands words that only build up with truth and love and never tear down. His Law demands hearts and minds that are perfectly pure and never polluted with hatred, greed, envy, or lust. And anyone who doesn’t live up to everything written in God’s Law is under a curse. Because of our sins against God’s law, we deserve death. We earn an eternity of God’s wrath in hell. “Cursed” hardly seems to be a strong enough word.

But what happened on a dark Friday afternoon nearly two thousand years ago changed all of that. Christ redeemed us from that curse by becoming a curse for us. He accepted our guilt—all of it. And he received the curse that it deserved—all of it.

Jesus was hung on the cross not only to suffer man’s wrath but the wrath of God and to pay the price demanded for our souls. With his life, he redeemed us. He paid the price to set us free from sin and guilt, from death and hell. Nothing less could have ended sin’s curse. Jesus paid that price in full. The curse is ended forever! And that’s why we call this Friday “good.”

Prayer:

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.