Ever since the fall of man, the earth is cursed and men are born in a fallen state. Despite the fall of man, man was not originally cursed. The first man to be cursed was Cain who murdered his brother in cold blood. The next man to be cursed was Canaan, the son of Ham, during the drunken episode of Noah after the flood. When Balak hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, he was prevented from doing so.
Deuteronomy 23:5: Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee.
While every man is born dead in trespasses and sins after the fall, not everyone is cursed. So being cursed is a serious matter. Here is an interesting event where the issue of who are living under the curse should be examined.
John 7:45: Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him?
John 7:46: The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
John 7:47: Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived?
John 7:48: Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him?
John 7:49: But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
During the earthly ministry of Christ, the religious elites had become unnerved with the success of the Lord’s ministry attracting huge crowds performing miracles showing signs and wonders these people in the high society of the religious realm couldn’t do. So they ordered the religious police to arrest Christ. Unfortunately, the religious police failed to do so and couldn’t give a proper account to those high minded elites.
The rebuke from these religious elites came quick and swift. They questioned the religious police whether they had been likewise deceived. They demanded these poor officers who failed in their duty to apprehend Christ whether they knew any of those elites believed Jesus was their Messiah. The most audacious judgment they passed on those lesser mortals were words of condemnation: But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
By inference, these religious fundamentalist elites were those who knew the law and they were not cursed. However, the poor peasants who ought to listen to them and obey them were cursed. So being custodians of the law had benefits and one could be promoted to a status free from the curse. Is it the case where one could be educated out of the curse by knowing the law?
The scriptures make it abundantly clear that this is not the case. In fact, contrary to knowing the law as an advantage, this has turned out to be a curse instead.
Romans 5:13: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Sin is not imputed in the absence of the law so how can knowing the law alone becomes a blessing and be curse free? It is so much better with the absence of the law as far as accountability is concerned. Knowing the law adds burden where man is held accountable for such knowledge and that leads to being cursed for non compliance of the law.
Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Galatians 3:10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Galatians 3:11: But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
While it is true salvation is of the Jews as the Lord Jesus Christ also affirmed, the God of creation is not the exclusive possession of the Jews.
John 4:22: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Didn’t these religious elites remember Jehovah God sent Jonah to preach to the Gentiles in Nineveh? Didn’t they know it was God who commanded the Gentile kings to release and instruct the Jews to return to Israel to rebuild their Temple and reside in their own homeland after their captivity in Babylon?
How arrogant of them to pronounce judgment on those who knew not the law are cursed? The Lord has words for these self-conceited fools.
Matthew 23:1: Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
Matthew 23:2: Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Matthew 23:3: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Just because they occupied the seat of Moses they could dispense curses on the lesser mortals? Even Balaam failed in his endeavour to curse Israel and these religious elites were behaving like religious thugs. Thus it turned out that they were those who were actually living under the curse according to scriptures.
Galatians 3:10: For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
These religious thugs were talkers and not doers. Hence, they rightly deserved to be cursed for their pride and obstinacy. The psalmist aptly described these people who err from the commandments of the Lord.
Psalms 119:21: Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
Unfortunately in Christendom, there are those who are so enameled with the law of Moses that they seek to bring Christians under bondage again by adding the law of Moses to the grace of God during this Church Age. The apostle Paul had to deal with those who seduced Christians to follow their errors who preached another gospel.
Galatians 5:4: Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Acts 13:39: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Those who corrupt the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and fail to repent are consigned to the accursed category, a fate worse than ordinary fallen man since not every man born into this world is cursed.
Galatians 1:8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:9: As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
These modern day religious authoritative figures have now replaced the Pharisees of old to become the new accursed category forming a new alliance of the fellowship of the accursed.
Meanwhile fallen man continues to be born into this world dead in trespasses and sins. Only the pure gospel of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, without the law of Moses can save such an one to a future world of the blessed where the curse will be a thing of the past.
Revelation 22:3: And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
