But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law, so he could set us free from the Law, and we could become God's children. ” Anciently, God revealed His "Law" through the prophet Moses. By that Law, the ancients sought salvation through rites, sacrifices, dietary restrictions, and other observances and performances. Of course, the great challenge of the Law of Moses was the inability of humans to be completely obedient to all of God's commandments in addition to the various other requirements laid out in the Law. Thus, salvation through the Law was imperfect because we are imperfect. The Law of Moses on its own did not have the power to save.
In his epistle to the Saints in Galatia, the Apostle Paul wrote of the "Law" as something which enslaves us; again, because we cannot perfectly keep it. However, says the Apostle, when the time was right, Jesus was sent by the Father to "set us free from the Law," thereby allowing us to be "adopted" as God's "children."
And how exactly did Christ "free" us "from the Law" if we were unable to keep the Law perfectly ourselves? Well, Paul tells us that Jesus did what we could not. He "obeyed the Law" in every regard, thereby making Himself capable of paying for our shortcomings. By analogy, if I am in debt, I cannot pay off the debt of another. However, since Christ was not in debt to sin, because He had no sin, He was able to pay the debt we each owed for failing to fully keep the Law.
Additionally, Jesus fulfilled the Law, which foreshadowed His ransom sacrifice. By fulfilling it, he made the Law of no effect. A new Law, a higher, holier Law had now come. Thus, we were "freed" of the need to obey the Law of Moses by trusting in Christ's perfection rather than our own. Accordingly, in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul explained that "Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so Christ could make us acceptable to God." Jesus is the Son of God who wishes to make us (by "adoption") the sons and daughters of God. Jesus was perfect in doing the Father's will and, thus, has the ability to pay for and fully address all of our spiritual shortcomings.
When Paul says, "when the time was right," Jesus did all of these salvific and sacred things, Paul can't just mean when the New Testament era began, the "time was right." Rather, Paul's comment about the time "being right" also suggests that while Jesus has already "paid the price" (making it possible for each of us to become God's sons and daughters), the "time" has to be "right" in our own lives to realize we need Him, and to get our hearts to a place of humility so that we will accept Him. So, yes, Jesus has already "paid the price"; but have you gotten to the point in your life where "the time is right" for you to come unto Christ, accept Him, and embrace Him as your Savior? Because only then will you be "set free" from that Law which enslaves you and prevents you from achieving the redemption we all so desperately hope for.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. ” In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah is speaking to the Israelites at a time of great despair. They were exiled, living in Babylon, far from their homeland. Jeremiah's words were meant to offer hope and assurance during this period of upheaval. His message was not just for their immediate comfort but also to give them a perspective of a hopeful future planned by God.
This passage in Jeremiah speaks directly to the heart of encouragement, especially in the face of uncertainty and difficulty. It's a reminder that even when our current circumstances seem bleak or disheartening, there is a broader plan for good, for hope, and for a future. This can be particularly resonant for us when we face our own periods of doubt or when our path seems unclear. It's a call to trust in a greater plan that we might not fully understand yet.
