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.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭I Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬-‭21‬
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

REDEMPTION IS SO SWEET! It is so sweet if we receive it and use it in the right way.

I grew up in a church that, though it had many nice people in it, did not, at the top, seem to understand the purpose of redemption. I state this because of some of the decisions that were made and the teaching they focused on. In our church, a typical Sunday message would focus on the “don’ts” of the Bible. What I mean by this is they would either preach about the sin we needed to remove from our lives, or focus on the perfection standard the Bible set (this can be a don’t, because it infers that if you aren’t perfect, you aren’t doing all of the right things). It was not big on applying grace, but focused more on judgment.

While I was in high school, one of the volunteer leaders in the group was engaged. We had become good friends, seeking after God. One day, he called me aside and told me he had something very important to say. He had sinned and had premarital sex with his fiancé. He went to the Elders and repented of it and was going to get married quickly. But they told him they were going to excommunicate him for this sin. They cast him out of the church. The couple’s repentant hearts could have been a huge testimony to the grace of Christ in our church, but sadly, instead of using the redemption they themselves received, the elders chose to judge.

Jesus tells the story in Matthew 18 of a servant who owed the king 10,000 talents (a talent was 20 years wages for a day laborer, like 20 years earnings for someone paid minimum wage today). If he could not repay the debt, the law required that he and his wife and children be sold as slaves to repay it. He pleaded and the master had pity on him and forgave his debt.

So what does this servant do? He turns around and demands instant payment of 100 denarii (a day’s wages for a day laborer) from another servant. The man begged for patience, but none was granted and he was thrown in prison until the debt was repaid.

This servant was redeemed from his debt, in grace. His debt was forgiven as if it was paid. And yet he chose judgment instead of grace for one who owed far less.

And I must say in the case of my old church, they did the same thing. The leaders forgot how much grace they had been given, and instead used their redemption to judge another repentant soul.

Our faith and hope are not in our ability to judge others and look “good enough” in comparison. NO! Our faith and hope are in God and in the Spirit of God and his work. We are to model our behavior and relationships after his. And he showed grace in place of judgment for repentant hearts.

Lord, thank you for your redeeming work in me. Help me never to forget the massive amount of sin, the huge debt of death I owed to you by sinning. May I always be gracious as you were to me. I can never “out-grace” you, oh God.