- “The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth.” (Isaiah 24:5-6a)
- “None is righteous, no, not one. No one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. For all have sinned. The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 3:10b-12, 23, 6:23)
- “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written,“Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)
- “But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Our grateful response to Christ’s love in sacrificing Himself to save us is minimized without remembering that it is our sins that required it. We aren’t simply being held captive against our will like the princess locked in a tower waiting to be rescued by her hero. True, we are cursed and held captive, but we have chosen it. Scripture leaves no room to think that we are innocent or could escape on our own. We rebel and continually choose to rebel. We are wretched sinners. (See 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, or Ephesians 4:17-31 if you are unsure.) God’s holiness cannot allow any sin to go unpunished, it will not be overlooked. Our hero didn’t just ride in and shoot the enemy from a distance. He traded places with us in our captivity, submitting Himself to the weight and punishment of each and every evil act, sinful thought, harsh word, and selfish motive that we have. The brutality of crucifixion shows us the exorbitant cost of our sin, and the extravagant love of our Savior.
Kept From Stumbling 