We were helplessly bound by the law, unable to completely fulfill it, and therefore under its eternal curse. No amount of our good works, of our striving for acceptance, of our religious acumens and practices had any value in themselves to free us from rightful judgment. Bound by the law, enslaved in sin, and sentenced without bail, we were hopelessly lost, both now and for eternity. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4.4). Jesus Christ is our hope; He is our joy; He is our freedom; He is our new beginning, new life; He is our salvation; He is our redemption.
Just at the right time when all the economic, historical, and religious activities were perfectly prepared by our Sovereign Lord, Jesus came; when the fulfillment of prophecies had taken place and the hearts of people had been prepared, Jesus came. God the Father sent His eternal Son to be fully man. He who was fully God, the second person of the Trinity, was born of a virgin, to live upon the earth He made. Perfectly fulfilling the requirements of the law and living completely free from all sin, He alone was able to die the substitutionary death on the altar of the cross as a perfect and complete sacrifice for our sins; He alone was able to redeem us by His shed blood, never to be lost, never to be under the bondage of the law, never to be snatched from His powerful hand of protection. Having redeemed us, He adopted us as His own, making us a child of His eternal and heavenly family; He took full responsibility for us in providing everything we need, and in protecting us and enabling us to live as His righteous children. Rescued from bondage, the Lord has given us new life with the breath of His Spirit, a new purpose, a new hope, a new name written in His Book of Life, and a new future.
Alive in Christ – we have much to be thankful for –
Terry Burlingame
My Morning Desk 