Day 21: The blessing of Abraham is yours

In this series so far, you have seen the manifold blessings that Jesus Christ obtained for us. In the following days we will be exploring the practical principles that are the key to claiming all these blessings, and thus entering into our full inheritance.

Our key Scripture that speaks about redemption and deliverance from the curse of the Law; the curse of disobedience to God, is Galatians 3:13-14:

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us - for it is written, ‘Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree’ - in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (NAS)

When Jesus hung on the cross He was visibly, demonstrably presented as bearing a curse because in the Old Covenant in the book of Deuteronomy it was written, "Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree."

But that Jesus bore the curse not for Himself, but for us. He was our substitute! Kinsman-redeemer! The one who took our nature that He might take our place!

And so, the curses due to our disobedience came upon Jesus, the positive purpose being that in return, through our faith in Him, the blessings due to His obedience might be made available to us.

You have to understand the exchange. Jesus took the curse that you might have the blessing. Jesus took the evil due to us, that you and I might receive the good due to Him. That is the key to understanding the cross and the cross is the key to understanding the whole message of the gospel.

Now, in Galatians 3:14, Paul says:

“…in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles.”

Elsewhere in the epistle to the Galatians, he explains that through our faith in Jesus, the seed of Abraham, we can be reckoned as the descendants of Abraham, although, for those of us who are Gentiles and non-Jews, we are not the descendants of Abraham by natural descent. Through our faith in Jesus, the promised seed of Abraham, we enter into the inheritance of Abraham, and we become heir to the blessings that God promised to Abraham and to his descendants.

Jesus, through His death on the cross, has made redemption from the curse of the broken law possible for both the Jewish people and also for us, who are Gentiles, in the inheritance of Abraham. Through your faith in Christ, God now makes available to you, too, the blessing of Abraham.