Ephesians 1:3; Galatians 3:13
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…
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”.
The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. This statement, as often used by Biblical scholars, is meant to show that there is a sort of continuity between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In other words, the New Testament message does not necessarily contradict the Old Testament message, but rather, it reveals the full meaning of the message. This, therefore, means that the idea of blessings and curses found in the OT is fully explained and realised in the NT. Through the person of Christ, the fullness of the blessings of God are revealed and received, and the curse severely broken.
This is the message that is conveyed by our two passages today. That in Christ Jesus, the believer has received ALL spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. Also, in Christ Jesus, the believer has been freed from the fatal curse of the law from whence all other forms of curses flow. This is the good news of the Gospel – that we have not only been spared from the consequences of the curse, but we have also been raised high. Unfortunately, not many Christians get to revel in this truth because our eyes are fixed more on the present and the material. We place far too much weight on what can be seen forgetting what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:18:
…as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
It is possible to be truly blessed yet despise the blessing because you place more value on the temporal. This was the case with Esau, who despised the blessing that came with his birthright because he was hungry. The Bible describes His actions as godlessness (Hebrews 12:16) and warns us against going the same route. We who have received Christ have been given the right to be called children of God. As a result, we have equally received a birthright, an inheritance. And guess what? We have become co-heirs with Christ!
If only we truly believed in this truth.
Reflections
1. Why, in your opinion, do we place more value on the temporal and the material as opposed to the eternal and spiritual?
2. If the curse has been broken in Christ, does the believer need to be continually breaking curses?
