Why does God Allow
Evil? Click here: /Apologeticshtml/Why Does God Allow Evil 0908.htm
Should God’s existence be
proven? /Apologeticshtml/Should the Bible and God Be Proven
Fideism vs WCG.htm
Does the Bible teach blind faith? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Gospel of John Theory of Knowledge.htm
What Are Curses and How Do
They Happen?
What is a “curse” and how
does one occur? These questions deserve
to be examined in some detail. Let’s first start by defining the word “curse,”
as per Webster’s: “A prayer or
invocation for harm or injury to come upon one . . . evil or misfortune that
comes as if in response to imprecation or as retribution.” So then, can anyone put a “curse” on anyone else, by the power of God or by the
power of Satan (i.e., like from a witch)? Well, a “curse” could be
described as a type of periodically recurring punishment or evil. If a
curse is believed to be the result of someone’s calling on the power of Satan,
Scripture clearly reveals that God is far more powerful than Satan, so then
Christians can ask for and claim protection against such attacks (cf. Mark
16:17-18; Matt. 4:1-11). Now Jesus specifically tells Christians to wish
well for their enemies, not evil (Matt. 5:44-45): “Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the sons of your Father in
heaven.” So the main weight of Scripture in this dispensation is against
the idea that someone could pray and “curse” someone else on a recurring
basis. True, in the Old Testament, when Hiel rebuilt Jericho, it cost him
both his first and last born (I Kings 16:34), which was after Joshua cursed the
would-be rebuilder centuries earlier (Joshua 6:26). And the slain souls
symbolically portrayed as being under altar in Revelation do ask God for
vengeance against their persecutors (Rev. 6:9-11).
So a series of bad events in
someone’s life could be called a “curse,” but that doesn’t prove that God or
even Satan is the cause of them. A lot
of trouble in life is caused by overly emotional and/or irrational decisions
and random chance events that God doesn’t directly cause, at least in most
cases. Indeed, we inflict a lot of
“curses” on ourselves if we choose to live the wrong way of life, whether
morally or by making bad financial decisions.
If we define “curse” this way, we can avoid or reduce them by living
wiser and more spiritual lives. John F.
Kennedy once famously said that a rising tide lifts all boats, but obviously a
lot of poorer people have been drilling holes into their own boats through
what’s politely called “family instability” and other decisions of their own
making.
Now the word “curse” can be a synonym for “punishment.” For example, as Paul explains while citing
the Old Testament in support, we're cursed when we disobey the
law (Gal. 3:10): "For as many as are of the works of the law
are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who goes not abide by
all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.'" A
person only avoids being punished by the law by obeying it (v. 12):
"However, the law is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them
shall live by them.'" Hence, this is the reason why Christians need
faith in Jesus' sacrifice to be saved, since no one is going to obey the law
all the time, (Romans 3:23) "for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God."
So
a “curse” could be because of God’s punishments on us, because we just made bad
decisions by our own freely made choices, and/or because of the evil or unwise
decisions of other people in our lives, including our government’s officials
and politicians.
Eric
Snow
Click here to access
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Why does God Allow Evil?
Click here: /Apologeticshtml/Why
Does God Allow Evil 0908.htm
May Christians work on
Saturdays? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Protestant
Rhetoric vs Sabbath Refuted.htm
Should Christians obey
the Old Testament law? /doctrinalhtml/Does
the New Covenant Abolish the OT Law.htm
Do you have an immortal
soul? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Here
and Hereafter.htm
Does the ministry have
authority? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is
There an Ordained Ministry vs Edwards.html
Is the United States the
Beast? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Are
We the Beast vs Collins.htm
Should you give 10% of
your income to your church? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Does
the Argument from Silence Abolish the Old Testament Law of Tithing 0205 Mokarow
rebuttal.htm
Is Jesus God? Click
here: /doctrinalhtml/Is
Jesus God.htm
Will there be a third
resurrection? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Will
There Be a Third Resurrection.htm
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