Galatians 3:13-14 (NKJV) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
God has placed a conscience in the hearts of all men. The conscience is the moral bearing in people regardless of whether they are atheists or religious persons. There will be a conviction and condemnation in their hearts whenever they commit something wrong until their conscience is seared or burnt due to repeated sinning (1 Timothy 4:2). However, there will still be a nagging reminder that they are sinners, imperfect, and unworthy. Whether they acknowledge that there is a God or have been taught that there is no God, they won’t be able to escape from the knowledge that something is held against them because they will be reminded of their wrong through the voice of their conscience no matter how faint it has become.
God did not wait for us to process whether we were sinners, self-righteous, or in need of God. He loves us so much that He established the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) to rightfully deal with the sin issue that separated us from Him. The Jews are God’s chosen people through the Abrahamic covenant to reconcile mankind to Himself. Through the Abrahamic covenant, God was able to rightfully, justly, and righteously send Jesus to take the place of mankind. God placed the sin of mankind on His only Son who was without sin to be sin for us.
We are reconciled to God through the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. The whole of mankind can be saved through faith in the complete work of Jesus Christ even though the covenant was with the Jews because we have the absolute forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. It is the abundant grace of God through His plan of salvation to restore sinners to Himself. Jesus came to die for the ungodly. All of us are ungodly and have no part to play in this plan of salvation except to receive all that Jesus Christ has done for us by faith. Salvation = Grace + Nothing on man’s part.
It is through the cleansed work of God in our hearts that the conscience that used to prick us can be put to rest. We are appeased with God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. You and I are the beneficiaries of God’s compelling love shown through the atonement work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we need to respond to His cry to reach the lost because we are running out of time.
Sermon Series: God’s Compelling Love
上帝激励我们的爱
加拉太书 3:13-14 基督既为我们受了咒诅（“受”原文作“成”），就赎出我们脱离律法的咒诅，因为经上记着：“凡挂在木头上都是被咒诅的。”这便叫亚伯拉罕的福，因基督耶稣可以临到外邦人，使我们因信得着所应许的圣灵。
上帝将良知置于所有人的心中，无神论者也好，虔诚的教徒也罢，良知是人心中的道德底线。每当犯错，心中就会有一种定罪和谴责，直到屡次犯罪后，良心如同被热铁烙惯了一般（提摩太前书 4:2）。然而，良知还是会耿耿于怀地提醒他们是罪人、不完美和不配。无论他们是承认有上帝的还是被教导说没有上帝的，人不能从对自己不利的事情中逃离，因为有来自良心的声音提醒人的错误，尽管这声音可能极其微弱。
上帝并没有等待我们来处理自己是否是罪人、是否自义、是否需要上帝。祂如此爱我们，以至于立下了亚伯拉罕之约（创世纪 12:1-3），公平地解决了让我们与神隔绝的罪的问题。犹太人是上帝的选民，是通过亚伯拉罕之约使人类与上帝和好。通过亚伯拉罕之约，上帝得以公平、公正、公义地派遣耶稣代替人类。上帝让祂的独生子担当了人类的罪，使祂无罪的独生子为了我们成为那有罪的。
耶稣基督所流的宝血让我们与上帝和好。尽管圣约是与犹太人立的，但全人类都可以通过对耶稣基督所做成的工的信心而得救, 因为耶稣基督的宝血让我们的罪得到了绝对的赦免。这是神通过衪的救赎计划使罪人归回衪自己的丰盛恩典。耶稣来是为不敬虔的人而死。我们所有人都是不敬虔的，除了凭信心接受耶稣基督为我们所做的一切，在救赎计划中我们别无他解。救赎 = 恩典+ 人什么也做不了。
正是透过上帝在我们心中所做的洁净的工作，曾经刺痛的良心才得以安息；透过耶稣基督所流的宝血，在上帝这儿里我们得到了抚慰。 你和我都是上帝激励之爱的受益人，这个爱是透过耶稣基督的赎罪工作所彰显的。我们需要回应祂的呼声，向失丧的人传福音，因为时间不多了。
讲章系列：上帝激励我们的爱
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