Today's Passage - Galatians 3:11-14

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Galatians 3:11-14    ...The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, "The person who does these things will live by them." 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." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.     The gospel of Christ is a gospel of substitution. Originally we were cursed, but Jesus was nailed to the cross to bear all our curses so we can receive God's blessings. What an amazing substitution this is! God made the sinless one substitute for the ones with sin. Jesus is the sinless Savior, yet he is willing to come into the world as a man to be the substitute for us. He bore all the penalty of our sins, letting our sins be put upon him, and giving us his purity so we can be righteous before God.      God used the wounds of Jesus to substitute for our sickness and disease. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Indeed, we have various sickness and wounds, yet Jesus was wounded for us. He was lashed 39 times. Some people say each of these 39 lashes symbolizes a type of sickness. When we are in Christ, his wounds become our healing.    God lets Jesus the righteous lamb be the substitute for our unrighteousness, so that by the precious blood of Jesus we can be righteous before God. We can be justified by faith and declare the victory to the enemy. God calls the rich one to substitute for the poor. The poor is not just being materially poor, but more so it is being poor in spirit. No matter how much money we have, we should acknowledge before God our spiritual poverty. Jesus on the cross has substituted for our poverty so that we can become rich in Christ.      God used life to substitute for our death. Because of sin we originally faced an eternal death. Yet Jesus tasted death for us. Because Jesus is the sinless Savior, risen from the dead on the third day, therefore we have resurrection life in Christ. The Bible tells us God's life is the light of man. When God's life is in us, it becomes the guide post and the radiance of our life. Let us receive from God release and freedom in the midst of doubts and darkness. In Jesus Christ, there is a glorious substitution, a spiritual transaction, where we can bring all that we lack before God and let all the riches of God fill us. This is the grace and gospel in Christ.                                                                      Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you for the glorious substitution in Christ: Your sinlessness substituted for my sinfulness, your wounds substituted for my sickness, and your righteousness substituted for my unrighteousness. May you receive all the glory!  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!