“For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’” (Gal. 3:10)
We are under a curse because we have not kept God’s holy Law. This essentially sums up the first half of the gospel–the bad news before the good news. Without it, Christ would not have had to die, nor would we need to place our faith in His substitutionary work.
We know this and yet our enemy, the devil, works tirelessly to undermine our faith in Christ’s work. How? Not by diminishing or discrediting what Jesus has done (at least, not overtly) but primarily by redirecting our attention to what we have done–either to puff us up (like the Pharisees, “See how holy I am?”) or to tear us down (“I have failed, I am not good enough, and God is disappointed with me”).
The devil is “the father of lies” and “the great accuser” (Jn. 8:44; Rev. 12:9-11). For millennia, he has perfected the art of leading God’s people astray. When we are tempted, he comes to us not as an angry, foul beast with horns, a red cape, and a trident. Neither are his lies blatantly anti-Christian. If it were so, we might quickly sniff it out and reject it as a lie. Instead, he comes to us with empty promises and partial truths.
The devil sings over us, “Cursed are the ones who can’t abide!” But he leaves out the second half of the gospel: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Gal. 3:13) Everything bitter about the Law, which had rightly condemned us to hell, has been borne by Jesus and, in exchange, He has covered us in His perfect righteousness.
My favorite worship duo, Shane & Shane, wrote a song more than 15 years ago called “Embracing Accusation.” To this day, I still think it’s one of their best. But the lyrics may be off-putting at first, so if you listen to it, be sure to listen all the way to the end. It is practically a musical version Galatians 3… with some poetic license.
Your brother,
Ryan