Our hope, a bright future

By the time you read this the election will have happened. And win or lose, there are certain among us who will not let go of their hope of bringing about change. Either way, we have hope and the ultimate future is bright. Here’s why:

Those of us who have been redeemed from the curse have a wonderful future. Without writing it all down, we can look at Deuteronomy 28. The first 14 verses are the blessings we have inherited, and the next 53 verses are the curses unbelievers will endure. Galatians 3:13-14 put it this way; “Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the Cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. 14 And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham’s blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God’s life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing—just the way Abraham received it.”

The Law brought a “blessing” if obeyed or a “curse” if disobeyed. Any failure to obey the Law brought on the curse (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Therefore, everyone was under the curse for all have slimed. But, praise God, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by taking our curse for us. Now, through Christ, we will never receive any curse from God even though we all still disobey the Law in some way.

Paul cited Deuteronomy 21:23 to show that justice was satisfied when Jesus died for the Law we broke, thus paying the prescribed penalty and bearing the curse. There is no condemnation awaiting us from the Law, for we died in Him.

There are three meanings for “redeem”: (1) to buy in the slave market” (we were slaves to the Law); (2) to buy out of the slave market” (it would remove us out from under the principle of the Law); and (3) to set free or release by a payment.” Christ’s death paid in full the justice the Law demanded. We are now free from the Law to be in union with another, Jesus Christ (Romans 7:4). What the Law was to the Jew (they thought it was eternal life), Jesus is to the believer. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). Jesus Christ has replaced the Law by becoming the full manifestation of the will of God (Hebrews 1:1-3).