Grace in Galatians (Part 86): Why You're Already Blessed
Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.
Key scriptures for this year:
(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)
"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."
(Galatians 5:4 TPT)
"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"
(Romans 6:14 ERV)
"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."
(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)
"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."
Scripture we will study today:
(Galatians 3:13 MSG)
“Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse.”
(Galatians 3:14 NIV)
“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
(Isaiah 53:5 TPT)
“But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our crimes, punishment that made us whole was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24 NIV)
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”
Setting the Stage:
Friday, we looked at how Christ became a curse for us. Today, I want to go deeper into this divine exchange. The cross wasn’t just about removal; it was about replacement.
Think about a prisoner exchange between nations. One person is released in exchange for another. But what happened at the cross was infinitely more powerful: The innocent One took the place of the guilty, and the guilty received the place of the innocent! Jesus didn’t negotiate your release; He became your release by taking your place!
This is what I call “The Great Exchange.” And once you understand the fullness of this exchange, you’ll never see yourself the same way again. You’ll stop living like you’re still under the curse, and you will start walking in THE BLESSING!
So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Jesus Didn’t Just Take Your Curse; He Gave You His Blessing!
Paul connects verse 13 to verse 14 (that we will look at tomorrow) for a reason. The curse removal wasn’t the end goal; it was the pathway to blessing transfer! Jesus absorbed your curse SO THAT Abraham’s blessing could become yours!
How this applies to you:
— The exchange was completed, and it is comprehensive! Jesus didn’t just take your bad and leave you neutral. He took your bad and gave you His good! You weren’t left empty; you were filled with His fullness!
— Abraham’s blessing is now YOUR inheritance through Christ! The blessing that was limited to Abraham’s natural seed is now available to anyone who has faith in Christ. You’ve been ingrafted into a blessed family tree!
— The curse created a barrier, but the cross created a bridge! The curse kept you FROM blessing. The cross brought you INTO blessing. You’re not trying to get blessed; you ARE blessed [now] because of the exchange!
— What was exclusive became inclusive through the cross! The Jewish blessing became a human blessing. The chosen few became the whosoever wills. God’s grace made the blessing available to ALL who believe!
— You’re already richer than you realize! You lost a curse but gained a blessing. You lost condemnation but gained righteousness. You lost separation but gained union. It was not a fair exchange; it was overwhelmingly weighted in your favor!
— The promise of the Spirit came through this exchange! You didn’t just get your sins forgiven; you got the Holy Spirit living inside you! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in YOU!
— This isn’t just GOOD NEWS, this is GREAT NEWS! It’s the gospel and it must be preached throughout all the world, before the end will come.
2. The Exchange Happened In Your Place, but Not With Your Help!
Isaiah 53:5 reveals that the punishment that brought us peace was UPON HIM. You weren’t there helping. You weren’t assisting. You were the beneficiary, not the participant!
How this applies to you:
— Your participation would have ruined the exchange! If you had contributed even 1%, it wouldn’t be grace. Jesus had to do it all so you could receive it all. Your help would have been harmful!
— The exchange was substitutionary, not supplementary! Jesus didn’t add to what you were doing; He did it INSTEAD of you. He wasn’t your assistant; He was your substitute!
— Stop trying to earn what you already own! Some believers are still trying to contribute to what Jesus completed. That’s like trying to pay for a gift after it’s been given. The exchange is done; now just receive it!
— BY HIS WOUNDS you were healed, not by your works! Peter makes this clear in 1 Peter 2:24. The healing, the wholeness, the restoration, all came through HIS suffering, not your striving, stressing, or pressing. His pain became your gain!
— The exchange happened TO you, not BY you! You were acted upon by grace. You were the recipient of divine action. You didn’t make the exchange, but your job is to receive the benefits of it!
— God doesn’t need your help completing what He already completed! The exchange is a historical fact, not an ongoing action. It’s as finished as Jesus said it was: “IT IS FINISHED!”
— Your job now is to receive by faith, not to perform by works! Faith receives; it doesn’t achieve, because Jesus already achieved FOR us! Religion puts the spotlight on you and what you do for God. Grace puts the spotlight on God and what He has already done for us!
3. The Exchange Changed Your Identity, Not Just Your Activity!
The cross didn’t upgrade your identity as a sinner; it changed your identity to a child of the Most High God. Furthermore, you didn’t receive a new set of rules to follow; you were given a new nature that naturally follows God. This wasn’t behavior modification; this was a spiritual DNA transformation. You ARE blessed because of WHO you are now, not WHAT you do!
How this applies to you:
— You have a new passport! Your citizenship transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. You’re not visiting the Kingdom (with a travel visa); you’re a permanent resident with full rights!
— Your DNA changed in the exchange! You were literally Born-Again. So this is far greater than just focusing on better behavior. You became a new creation, not just a reformed sinner.
— You now carry Christ’s identity, not your past! When the Father looks at you, He sees the One who took your place. Let me say it this way: your credit score in heaven is based on Jesus’ perfect record! His righteousness is your identity!
— The exchange gave you a new family name! You’re not trying to earn the family name; you received it in the exchange. You’re a joint-heir with Christ! What’s His is yours because of the exchange!
— You’re already who God says you are; now start living like it! If you keep calling yourself cursed, or “just an old sinner saved by grace,” you’re denying the exchange. Live from your new identity!
— The exchange included a wardrobe change! You’ve been clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:27). You’re wearing His righteousness, not your rags. Walk into every day feeling like ‘a million bucks’ because of who you are, not who you were!
— Here’s some great news: the exchange can’t be reversed. The adoption can’t be revoked. You’re as secure as the cross is permanent!
4. The Exchange Was So Complete That Even Death Lost Its Power!
The ultimate curse was death, but through the exchange, even death became a doorway, not a destination! Jesus absorbed death itself and gave you eternal life!
(Hebrews 2:14-15 ERV)
“These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death.”
How this applies to you:
— Death is no longer your master; it’s your servant! Paul said, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Death doesn’t defeat you; it graduates you! The great exchange turned your greatest enemy into your greatest promotion (the day you transition from earth to glory, from time to eternity, from mortal to immortality).
— You have eternal life NOW, and God’s blessing is your CURRENT reality! You don’t have to wait to get to heaven SOME DAY. You can experience heaven on earth EVERY DAY!
— The fear of death lost its grip in the exchange! Hebrews 2:15 confirms that Jesus freed those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. You’re free from the intimidation of death!
— Physical death is just a change of address, not a change of identity! You’ll leave your earth suit, but you won’t leave your identity as God’s child.
— Jesus didn’t just delay death; He defeated it! The exchange wasn’t a postponement; it was a permanent victory. Death has no legal claim on you! If you are Born-Again, you are dead in Christ, and you have done all the dying you are going to do!
— Live like someone who’s already passed from death to life! Because you have! John 5:24 confirms three things that have already happened to you:
(1) You HAVE eternal life right now,
(2) You will NOT be condemned, and
(3) You have CROSSED OVER from death to life.
The exchange already happened!
That's enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for the Great Exchange that happened at the cross!
Jesus took my curse and gave me His blessing!
He took my place so I could take His place!
I am not cursed, trying to get blessed; I AM already blessed!
I was filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit!
I was translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of Your Dear Son!
I was raised to heavenly places and seated at Your right hand with Christ Jesus!
And I was delivered from the bondage of the fear of death!
I am Living the Grace Life and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
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