A Cursed Sinner

A Cursed Sinner

Comments on Galatians with an ear to Luther’s commentary

Scripture Text: Galatians 3:13 and Romans 8:3

Series: Comments on Galatians

Today's Scripture Jigsaw

We do not like to consider our Lord as filled with sin for to do so is to call him a sinner. Already, reading these few words, you begin to quibble. You might insist: Perhaps he bore our sins but he was no sinner! We want Jesus to be so completely pure, innocent, and separate from sin, that we would remove our sin from him. This would mean he was never condemned, or at least, that he did not carry our sins to the cross. Yet, he did die, and he did so because he had to carry our sin to the cross, a cursed sinner. If he were not a cursed sinner, he would not have died, and a whole world would be lost in sin and death.

This is more easily swallowed if we think of our sin being imputed, or assigned, to Christ. Nevertheless, Luther taught that Jesus became a cursed sinner. We want him to be only a perfect model of holiness. Indeed, Jesus was personally innocent but our sins became his sins as though he had committed them himself. Our sins had to become Jesus’ sins; otherwise, we would all perish eternally.

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