Have You Been Cursed?

We often focus on the blessings in Christ and the benefits the New Testament teaches for those
who are obedient to the truth of God’s word but did you know the New Testament also teaches you
can call curses down upon yourself?  The Word of God is powerful, it has the power of life and death,
blessings and curses. It is a wise person who studies carefully the whole Gospel, not just the fuzzy,
feel-good parts. The following are three New Testament examples of actions that lead to curses from
God, two of which specifically describe the curse that will befall the disobedient.

 

Galatians 1:8  But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what
we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

1. Preaching a contrary Gospel

The context here is Paul is condemning those who were perverting the Gospel he had preached by adding works
and conditions of salvation to the gift of God’s grace.  Today how many apostate denominations and pastors are
preaching a contrary gospel? A contrary gospel message is often either blatantly heretical and false or so watered
down and full of “conventional” wisdom that in effect, man and man’s wisdom is glorified and preached as the source
of salvation instead of Jesus.  

Here’s a perfect example of a watered down message, devoid of the power and man-focused, that I read just this week
from a Facebook post:

Today's lesson at church is EXACTLY what I needed.

Life is not meant to hard. Focus on the positive and practice gratitude. LIVE life to its fullest by:

Let go.

I go Inward.

Value who I am.

Express it.

Lord help us!

1 Corinthians 11:28-30  But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  

29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.  30 For this reason
many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

 2.  Partaking of communion in an unworthy manner

Here the Apostle Paul clearly says that there were many who were “weak and sick, and a number sleep” (sleep is a nice way of
saying died, like we say “passed away” instead of died) because their attitudes and actions towards partaking of communion were
wrong.  Let that soak awhile, I wonder how much sickness and death today within the Body of Christ is due to eating and drinking
judgment upon themselves.

Revelation 22:18  And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything
to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.

3.  Adding to Scripture what is not there.

This verse can be argued to be specific to the Book of Revelation but in my opinion, the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the
inspired Word of God and to add to any book what is not there comes with a curse.  We all would do well to treat the Scriptures with the
respect and fear they deserve.

Why would I write a blog and focus on the curses of the New Testament?  Consider it a reading of the fine print of a prescription drug.
Here are the warnings and instructions for properly taking the medicine.  Follow them carefully and you will be healed, abuse and neglect
and suffer the side effects--some of which could be fatal.