You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose
WEEK 27
CONTEMPLATING THE CROSS AND
FINDING CONTENTMENT
GALATIANS 3:1-14
You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain —if indeed it was in vain? So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you." So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.
For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them." Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith." However,
the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, "He who practices them shall live by them." Christ 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"—in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
GRACIOUS FATHER, our pride is utterly extinguished
by the sheer perfection of Your law. We confess that the law is holy, just, and good.1
It is an expression of Your own divine perfection. It reveals to us in an unmistakable way
what authentic righteousness requires of us. Its moral standard is authoritative. Its principles are distilled goodness. Its precepts show us how to walk uprightly. Its prohibitions are perfectly just. The law is honorable in every way.
And yet we must confess that we have sinned,
and sinned repeatedly, against the holy standard of Your law. We humbly acknowledge that the law condemns us. It cuts us off without any remedy. When the law is finished speaking,
it leaves us with no hope of redemption— only the fear of judgment.
That is why we are inexpressibly thankful
for the good news of the gospel. The gospel announces that through Christ,
You have done for us what the law could never do:
You judged our sin and forever put it away
without condemning us.2
Christ has thus opened the way of life
(even for the very worst of sinners) by furnishing us with full and free justification— not through any works of our own; not by putting us back under slavish obedience to the law; but by Christ's sacrifice on the cross,
together with His already complete, already perfect obedience to the law.
He stood in our place as a perfect Substitute,
not only fulfilling every jot and tittle
of what the law demands of us, but also paying—in full—the due penalty of our sins. By faith we are united with Him
and thus we have been made full beneficiaries
of His spotless perfection. His death has fully reconciled us to You;
and His life supplies all that we need
to complete our salvation by elevating us to a position of unimaginable privilege.3
The law had left us destitute and desperate. One of the most staggering lessons we learn from the law
is the impossibility of earning salvation for ourselves
by moral acts or religious rites. Instead, the law compels us to confess
that sin has brought us to ruin. By our own wickedness we forfeited Your favor. We brought on our own heads the law's righteous curse. We can only acknowledge our guilt with sorrow;
we cannot remove it or atone for it.
But then the gospel wonderfully answered our dilemma,
supplying in Christ all that we have ever lacked or longed for. Christ saves us, although we bring to the table
no merit, no worthiness, no achievement— no goodness of our own. How could we ever adequately express our gratitude for so great salvation? The good news of everlasting redemption is so wonderful
that even angels long to understand it better.4
Now when we ponder the cross,
we are reminded of how much Christ has done for us. There we also learn the need to separate ourselves from worldly vanities. There we see the extent of true humility. There we find assurance of our salvation,
motivation for self-denial, hope to cheer our troubled hearts, love to energize our obedience, a grand example to guide our footsteps, and a powerful reminder that our only reasonable service
is to become living sacrifices of praise.5
So we stand now in prayer under the shadow of the cross,
realizing that this is the only place we could ever find true contentment
amid the difficulties of life's trials and heartaches. Here is where all our needs are met—and more.
We can only plead, dear Lord,
that even though we are fully committed by faith
to these high and lofty truths, we are still sinners in need
of Your daily forgiveness and mercy.
We have begun our walk of faith in the Spirit
and we know that we will never be perfected
through the energies of our own flesh. O Spirit of God, make us like Christ, in whose name we pray,
for we depend on You! Amen.
1. Romans 7:12 2. Romans 8:3 3. Romans 5:10 4. 1 Peter 1:8-12 5. Romans 12:1-2