Living under the Curse (#336 of 365+)

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)


Isaiah used the past and present tenses, but he wrote those words more than 700 years before Jesus Christ died on the cross! Although his original writings don’t exist anymore, God preserved his Word through scribes who carefully copied every jot and tittle over hundreds of years until the Bible could be made available to everyone. The world discovered the accuracy of the book of Isaiah when all sixty-six chapters were found in the Dead Sea caves, written on scrolls that dated back thousands of years—they were newer than the previous ones we had access to but they were also written before Christ—and not a single word had been changed in all that time!

So now that we know that Isaiah did indeed write those prophetic words about Christ before the events happened, let’s take a closer look at what he said: “By his wounds we are healed.”

We’re healed? Really? What about muscular dystrophy, AIDS, and all the cancers out there? What about birth defects, alcoholism, my son’s Type I Diabetes, my sister’s autism, and Joni’s quadriplegia?

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

That’s another tense can drive some people crazy. We “are being saved.” I once thought people could only be under one of three categories: already saved, will be saved, or never will be saved. So what was Paul talking about when he said Christians “are being saved” and what was Isaiah talking about when he said “we are healed”?

“No longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:3)

The key to understanding both concepts is to remember that God exists simultaneously in the past, the present, and the future. It’s all happening at once—or already happened—as far as he’s concerned but we are finite creatures who can grasp only one area of time… at a time. However, that doesn’t prevent us from benefiting and marveling from the wonder of it all.

“We are healed.” We can take God’s word at face value. It’s as good as done. Also, we “are being saved.” It’s going to be a delayed process because God wants every single soul possible to come into his kingdom before he finally closes the door for good. Even though as a Christian I’ve already RSVP’d for heaven, my present physical reality is that I have to wait a little longer for that glorious day while I continue to live under Adam’s curse. I’m in this fleshly body that’s subject to disease and decay—and I still sin all the time. I’m in a fallen world where everything is coming apart at the seams and hardly anything is as God meant for it to be. Whether I’m aware of it or not, I’m battling evil forces all the time. Yes, God saved my soul over twenty years ago and if I had dropped dead right then I would have gone straight to heaven. And, yes, God will save me when my life is over and/or this world has ceased. But the best part is I’m also “being saved.” I may physically be under the curse of Sin and Death but my entire person is being protected by God’s promises. Every moment of every day I’m clothed in Christ and filled by the Spirit.

I’m not cursed. I’m blessed!

“So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45)

Come soon, Lord Jesus. Yet as I wait for your return, help me to make the most of every day. Help me and show me how to live the best life of praise, gratitude, and love that I possibly can. Thank you for all you’ve done for me. Amen.