Footsteps #47

Many years ago, in the days of my youth, I learned a dramatic lesson that illustrates Gal.3:10-13. I was stripping wheat. The weather was typical outback January; searing hot. Because I was “the Lad” I had to drive the old machine. This was a pulled from behind tractor driven ‘header.’ In the monotony of work my inattention failed to notice straw that had accumulated in the comb cutter and the friction had ignited a fire in the crop in a line behind me. I and others worked on the fire front that was ever-increasing. At one stage I had to move my tractor to keep it from going up in flames, and the only safe place, due to changing wind directions, was to drive it onto the patch that was now burnt. The fire was eventually contained when a neighbour seeing the smoke hooked up his plough, drove straight over the boundary fence, and proceeded to plough around the fire.  

Later, as I reflected on that incident, I realized that spiritually, the only safety in the time of God’s final wrath against sin is to be where His wrath has already burnt; at the cross, on Jesus, who took the wrath of God against sin for all who believe. This is God’s only way of escape from this planet in rebellion. 

V10 must have stunned Paul’s opponents, who expected to be blessed for obedience not cursed. Paul is contrasting two completely different alternatives: salvation by faith and salvation by works. The covenant blessings and curses (Deut.27&28) were straightforward. Those who obeyed were blessed, and those who disobeyed were cursed. That means, if we want to rely on obedience to the law for acceptance with God, then the whole law needs to be kept. We do not have the liberty to pick and choose what we want to follow; we also should not assume that God is willing to overlook a few mistakes here and there. It is all or nothing. This is bad news for everyone for, “all have sinned,” (Rom.3:23). No matter how hard we try to be good, the law can only condemn us as lawbreakers.