Compare Deuteronomy 28:45 with New Testament teachings on obedience and consequences. The Old Covenant Warning: Deuteronomy 28:45 “ ‘All these curses will come upon you. They will pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God and keep the commandments and statutes He gave you.’ ” • This verse caps a solemn list of covenant curses. • Disobedience is pictured as a magnet for calamity—inescapable and relentless. • The ground of the judgment is clear: “you did not obey … and keep.” Continuity—God Still Expects Obedience • Malachi 3:6 reminds us, “I, the LORD, do not change.” • The same holy character that judged Israel under Moses judges sin today. • Grace never nullifies God’s moral standards; it provides the power to meet them. New-Testament Echoes of Obedience and Consequence • Jesus: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15) – Love proves itself in obedience, not sentiment. • Jesus: “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46) – Empty confession faces eventual exposure (cf. Matthew 7:21-23). • Paul: “All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse …” (Galatians 3:10) – The standard has not relaxed; Christ must bear the curse for us (Galatians 3:13). • Paul: “The wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:23) – Consequence remains death, whether under Moses or after Pentecost. • Paul: God will appear “in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not … obey the gospel” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). – Rejection of the gospel brings eternal destruction, the ultimate curse. • Writer of Hebrews: “Every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment” (Hebrews 2:2-3). – Neglecting “so great a salvation” carries heavier penalties, not lighter. • James: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22) – Self-deception about obedience is still possible; Scripture exposes it. Blessings Attached to Obedience in the New Covenant • “We will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments.” (1 John 3:22) • “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love.” (John 15:10) • “The Lord disciplines the one He loves.” (Hebrews 12:6) – even corrective hardship is a covenant blessing, shaping holiness rather than destroying. Christ Removes the Curse, Not the Call • “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13) – At Calvary the relentless pursuit of Deuteronomy 28:45 overtook Him instead of us. – Redemption is substitutionary, not permissive; the moral order stands. • Freed from condemnation, believers receive the Spirit (Romans 8:1-4) who empowers obedience “so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.” Practical Takeaways • Obedience remains the visible fruit of genuine faith; consequences—blessing or judgment—still flow from our response to God’s word. • Under grace, disobedience invites discipline; persistent rebellion proves an unregenerate heart (1 John 2:3-4). • The surest safeguard is abiding in Christ, daily listening and promptly acting on His commands. |
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