Can A Christian Be Cursed Series

The war between the states ended as it did in large measure

because of Stonewall Jackson's defeat by his own men. Jackson was

fighting brilliantly, and he had the entire Eleventh Union Corps on

the run. He then planned his strategy for the final blow. He was

within half a mile of the one road over which Hooker's whole army

must retreat. He was in a position to destroy the main Federal

Army, and it looked like nothing could stand in his way.

Riding forward with a few officers, his own men mistook the

party for enemy cavalry, and they fired. Jackson was hit and

carried back to a field hospital where he lay unconscious. He was

unable to share his plans for a glorious victory, and so the chance

for it passed and never returned. It has been true time and time

again through history that men have been their own worst enemies.

This has been true for the church as well. Very seldom has the

church been injured or stopped by outside forces. Usually outside

opposition has helped the church to grow. The real enemy of the

church has always been division within.

Religious wars have been the most fierce, and more Christians

have died at the hands of other professing Christians than by any

other group. All of God's prophets were killed by God's own people,

and finally they even killed His Son. The majority of the great

martyrs in Christian history were killed, not by atheists or

unbelievers, but by those who professed to believe in the God of the

Bible. It is a paradox, but the fact is, Christians have suffered their

greatest defeats at the hands of other Christians.

Quite often it has been the case that powerful unbelievers, or

hypocritical believers, have been able to stir up Christians against

one another. Hitler was able to get many thousands of Christians to

fight against other Christians. The point of this is to introduce us to

the perplexing issue of just who the Judaizers were who were

disturbing the Galatians, and just what did Paul mean when he

called a curse down upon them? Paul uses the strongest language he

ever used in this passage, and we need to ask some questions about

it. We need to ask if Paul is consigning the Judaizers to eternal

damnation by this curse. He says, "Let them be anathema. What is

the meaning of anathema?

Paul used it of himself in Rom. 9:3 where he expresses deep

emotion. "For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off

from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsman by race."

Obviously Paul had no real desire to be accursed, but he expressed

just how deeply he loved his own people and longed for their

salvation. If Paul was willing to be accursed for the sake of

unbelieving Jews, then it is likely that his curse upon the Judaizers is

not a wish for their damnation. If it is so interpreted, then Paul is so

mad that he is not being consistent with his own teaching. He wrote

in Rom. 12:14, "Blest those who persecute you; bless and do not curse

them." Paul goes on just a few verses later and tells of how he

persecuted Christians and tried to destroy the church. It was only

by the grace of God that he was not accursed, for no one deserved it

more than him. But God forgave him, and we cannot doubt that

Paul would rejoice in other Jews repenting of their folly and trusting

in Christ for their salvation.

It must be possible to be accursed and yet still repent and be free

of the curse. If not one could make one mistake and be in a hopeless

state. In Gal. 2:11 we see that Peter stood condemned, and even

Barnabas. Paul's great friend and companion were persuaded by

the Judaizers to compromise the Gospel of grace. We know these

two were true believers, and yet they were persuaded to become

enemies of themselves and of the Gospel. It is likely they were

persuaded because the Judaizers were very godly Christian men

who had compelling arguments. It is hard to believe they would be

willing to listen to non-believers.

They would argue that Jesus was circumcised, and if we follow

the Lord in baptism, why not in circumcision? Lets be consistent

they would argue, and they were able to get even these strong

believers to waver and be confused. The point is, these Judaizers

were not godless men with no interest in the church. They were

believers who were out to save the church from Paul's Gospel, which

abandoned the law and let the Gentiles into the kingdom of God all

too freely by grace. The battle was an internal one among believers,