“CURSES! FOILED AGAIN!”

Reading: Galatians 3: 6-14

These words were famously stated by Snidely Whiplash, the cartoon villain of the 1960s, as he was yet again thwarted in his wrongful deeds by Dudley Do-Right, hero extraordinaire of the Royal Canadian Mounties. It was Dudley‘s mission every week to defeat Snidely in order to rid the world of evildoers.

In Galatians 3, we are reminded that when we depend on our ability to keep the law, we are under God’s curse. “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law (vs 10).” We are foiled in our plan to perform perfectly, because no matter how much effort we put into it, we can’t do it. And may I say, our plans need to be foiled, our efforts need to be frustrated – why? Because we need to be rid of the evil notion that we can get free from the curse of the law and earn our own righteousness before God.

Just as Dudley’s mission was to defeat Snidely (evil), Jesus’ mission was to defeat “the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (vs 13).” At the moment the curse of our sin was laid on Him, His righteousness clothed us. We need to have this truth indelibly imprinted in our memory: “The righteous shall live by faith” (vs 11)…in what Christ did for us on the cross – what we couldn’t do for ourselves through the law.

Dear Jesus, how can I possibly thank you enough for your inexpressible gift, so undeserved, so easily taken for granted, many times forgotten as I once again begin to rely on performance to give me right standing with God. Remind me often that depending on you is my only hope to be declared righteous in my Father’s eyes. Amen.