Blessings and Curses

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8-9)

One of the oft repeated lines of the Phineas and Ferb is “Curse you, Perry the Platypus!” The phrase is repeated twice an episode to a roar of young laughter. However, the laughter hides the gravity of the phrase. Cursing in Scripture is a serious matter. Cursing is not simply the lack of blessing; cursing is to have God Almighty actively engaged in your destruction (Dt. 28:15-68). Was this not the case with Balaam? When Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel, it was for their destruction. However, God did not turn this curse into indifference; God turned the curse into a blessing.

To be “accursed” is to have the Almighty God as your foe, to have Him pierce you with the arrows of divine fury, to have Him unsheathe His sword of divine wrath. This response typically occurs when either angels or men have set themselves against Him and His gospel (Rev. 2:20-23). Our God is jealous for His own glory, and His jealousy will send Him to great lengths for the upholding of said glory (Ex. 34:14).

Now, one may be tempted to think, “Well, I’m not changing much of the gospel. A little here, a little there.” One may find that some tenets of the Gospel are not that integral to the message of the Gospel. (They call that “contextualizing” the gospel.) However, a different gospel reveals a different God. We have all had a similar experience, haven’t we? A friend tells you of someone, slightly skewing the truth for whatever reason. When you spend some time with them, you say, “You are nothing like what I expected!” None of us should ever want that to be the experience of any other soul when they come face-to-face with the living God.

Reader, I ask a simple question. Do you want to be blessed? Share the gospel truthfully. When you speak to someone of Christ, speak in such a way that magnifies His glory to the utmost. When you live your life, let your joy, your contentment, your patient endurance, your humility communicate to the world the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to be cursed, do the opposite.