Taking the Fall

By Danny Saavedra

“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’—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”—Galatians 3:13–14 (ESV)

Have you ever taken the fall for someone? Have you ever paid for someone else’s mistake? Maybe your kid broke something at a store that you then had to buy. Maybe you took the blame for something to protect someone from the punishment they deserved. Today we’re going to see how God did that for us!

Yesterday, we discovered that “all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse” (Galatians 3:10 NIV). Why? Because as Romans 3:23 (NIV) tells us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” As sons and daughters of Adam, we are under the curse of sin and death. We have no ability to overcome this curse on our own; we have no ability to keep the law in its entirety. 

As sinners, we have missed the mark of a good and perfect God and thus live under a curse with no power to save ourselves. But there’s good news. There is hope, because “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” 

Being perfect and sinless, 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) declares that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” He did this by putting the sins of the entire world upon His shoulders and carrying the cursed tree that was meant for us. He bore the shame and pain of a criminal’s death so we wouldn’t have to endure the shame and pain of eternal death. He wore the wrath of God so we could wear His robes of righteousness. 

And now, because of His sacrifice and His triumph over the grave, by faith we can be saved. Because Jesus fulfilled the promise made to Abraham (Genesis 22:18), we can now experience the blessings of the promise and “receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

So always remember, believer, the best thing about you has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with Jesus, who took your curse when He hung on the cross. You didn’t earn it, you don’t deserve it, God loves you so deeply and completely that He offered this gift to you freely, and you received it by the faith He birthed in you by the power of the Spirit. Let’s celebrate this today; let’s honor Jesus and what He did for us, enabling us into His kingdom.

DIG: What curse is Paul referring to that Christ took for us?

DISCOVER: How does Jesus’ sacrifice impact the way you view God, yourself, and the world?

DO: Spend time in reflection today about what your life would be like if not for Jesus taking your curse upon Him and redeeming you.