This week's Truth Keepers for Truth Seekers column brings the message that 'You are blessed, not cursed'
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What would be the most glorious message for most people to hear? Hearing those assuring words: “You are blessed, not cursed!”
This is a heads up for those of you who thought they were cursed or under a curse.
Stop! Right there. Are you a believer? And confessed Jesus as your Lord and Saviour? Can you acknowledge that there was a real person, Jesus Christ who was the Son of God but known then as the Son of man, that lived, died, was buried and rose again? For you? Did that fact make you turn around and out of gratitude you now have chosen to follow what His message, and life teaches you for today?
The curse people might have told you are under was nailed to the cross. You seriously think that when Jesus took those curses to hell personally, He took them back with Him when He rose out of that grave?
The one that will try to convince you will be the one that is your enemy, AKA Satan. He is a cursed creature and would want everyone to be cursed. And so, tries all his tricks to make people think so. You will not want to join parties with that fellow. Those who have, will be at his mercy if they serve or follow him.
Call yourself blessed! Here a few thoughts taken from https://www.equipindianchurches.com/.
In Christian theology, a person cannot be cursed if they are in Christ. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross broke the curse of sin for all believers, and therefore, no curse can have power over them.
• The Power of the Cross:
Jesus' death on the cross atoned for the sins of humanity, including the curse that came with sin.
• New Creation:
By accepting Jesus, Christians become "new creations" in Christ, meaning they are freed from the power of sin and the curse that comes with it.
• Not Under the Law:
Christians are not under the law of Moses, which includes the concept of curses for disobedience.
• Consequences of Sin:
While Christians are not cursed, they can still face the natural consequences of their actions, including spiritual discipline from God for disobedience.
• Avoiding Cursing:
Christians are also instructed to avoid cursing or swearing.
But then: have you heard someone tell you that your suffering, sickness or financial struggle is a result of a “generational curse” or a sin you committed which opened the door to the curse? They say, “Maybe you were part of a ritual or an offering to a god as a child, and therefore you are facing the consequences now.” According to them, that curse needs to be found and then broken if you are to be free from its consequences. When such things are put before believers, they are often confused or start to think there could be some truth in this kind of reasoning. As always, a good question to ask as a thumb rule is: What does the Bible say about this?
A Christian- meaning one not in name only but a follower of the Holy Scriptures, the teachings of God the Father, Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit-in the Old and New Testament- A Christian is one whom God has rescued from sin and death through the suffering and death that Christ endured on the cross.
1. The Curse of Sin.
Man was commanded not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and was told that the consequence of disobedience would be that he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). However, Satan lied and convinced Eve (and Adam) to eat the fruit anyway (Gen. 3:4). When the first man Adam sinned and fell into sin, it brought the curse of sin over all humanity. Everyone has been plagued with sin since the fall. Not only was man under the curse of sin, but the whole creation is also groaning under this curse (Rom. 8:19-21). Sin brought in suffering, sickness and death. All suffering today either directly or indirectly exists therefore because of the fall of man into sin. Therefore, all of creation waits and longs to be rescued from sin (Rom. 8:19-21). This means it is not incorrect to say that we are all affected by the curse which was brought about by sin.
But the question is, do Christians face certain sufferings because of curses incurred by past indiscretions (either of themselves or of their ancestors)?
2. A New Creation.
As we seek to think this through, let’s start with a foundational question: Who is a Christian? A Christian is one who has put their trust in Christ, who has repented of their sins and has understood that apart from Christ there is no other way to be saved, that Christ is the only way. A Christian is one whom God has rescued from sin and death through the suffering and death that Christ endured on the cross.
Paul, writing to Christians in Rome, says “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1-4).
The first Adam brought sin into the world, while the Second and last Adam (Christ) overcame sin and death at the cross. In doing so he also destroyed the curse of sin on the cross. Therefore, if someone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). He is no longer under a curse and the power of any curse while in sin has been broken. A Christian is now under the Lordship of Christ, therefore, the curse of the enemy has no power over him. So it does not go generations back. It only goes back to Christ. That is only generation.
Earlier, sin’s curse had blinded man into thinking he could save himself by his works or through other means. But this was in vain. We see this with the Israelites, who constantly failed to keep God’s law perfectly. Now through the Holy Spirit, a Christian’s eyes are open to recognise that only Christ can save him.
Further, Paul tells the church in Galatia in Galatians 3:10 -13 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”
If Christ has redeemed us from the curse, then how is it possible for a Christian to continue to be under a curse? Such teaching downplays God’s great work of salvation because it totally disregards the work of the cross and how Christ has redeemed sinners.
Although Satan is real, and his schemes are real (which we see repeatedly in the ministry of Jesus), Christians should know that once we are redeemed, once we are in Christ, the enemy has no power over us. He is a defeated foe. We once were under his power because of our sin, but now we are under the Lordship of Christ.
We once were under his power because of our sin, but now we are under the Lordship of Christ.
So dear readers: You are blessed if you know Him! You are free! Live in that freedom
Now tell others and set them free too!
Blessings
Akhrienuo