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Freedom in Christ Pt. 2:

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.” Galatians 2:19

Bowser’s Inside Story is a spin-off game to the Mario and Luigi RPG series on handhelds. The Italian brothers must get sucked up by Bowser to control him from the inside. For reasons that only make sense in a video game, Mario and Luigi work through Bowser’s guts to coerce him to help save the Mushroom Kingdom from a tyrant named Fawful. The story may seem nonsensical to you, but it illustrates how Mario and Luigi work through their greatest nemesis to save the world they love.

Only through the law is Paul able to overcome the impossible barrier created by it. That line of thinking may be confusing, but it holds enormous significance. The law required Paul to be a perfect and holy follower of God with no exceptions. Before Paul realized this, he was content with being “mostly perfect” in his adherence to the law. However, when Christ revealed to him that there was no way to accomplish this, Paul had to devise a new plan.

He realized that Christ was the only person in history to perfectly follow it. Not only did Jesus master it, but he also claimed to be the beginning and the end of the law. Therefore, the only way to beat the law was to follow Christ through it. That is why Paul is now more confident that he is following God than he was before (it also helped that he stopped sentencing Christians to death).

Realizing Jesus is the beginning and the end of the “divine to-do list” should be a relief. Not because we get to shirk our duties, but because Jesus created a laser-focused path for realizing our goal. We no longer need to use guilt-ridden phrases like, “Did I help enough?”, “Did I give enough?”, “Was I nice enough?” That weight was taken off our shoulders. Instead, we follow Christ’s example as he conquers every requirement to obey God. The neat part is that when we follow Christ (instead of our guilt), we end up doing way more than we initially thought.

Figure it Out:

19“For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21“I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

  1. Circle any words or phrases that stood out to you. Why are they important to you?
  2. What is Christ’s death trying to accomplish in this passage?
  3. What is Paul’s goal in this passage?
  4. How does this passage aid or change your thinking?

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