When man sinned, God said to Adam, ‘From this point on, you will

labor for bread,
live by the sweat of your brow,
and work through thorns and thistles.'

Then came Jesus, the Last Adam.

In the Upper Room,
His broken body became our bread.

In the Garden of Gethsemane
His sweat mingled with blood.

On Calvary,
The thorns of the earth were embedded in His brow.

‘I’ve absorbed it all,’ Jesus said, as He Who knew no sin became sin for us, as He Himself became the curse. This is what Paul is driving home.

What Jesus did is so incredible, so wonderful, how could we think that, through our efforts, we could add anything to His work on our behalf?