Redeemed From the Curse of Poverty

//Kenneth E. Hagin

Paul says in Galatians 3:13, "Christ hath REDEEMED us . . ." If you ask Christians "What did Christ redeem us from?" they usually say, "From sin." That's partly true, but it's not nearly the whole story.

The rest of this verse tells us in no uncertain terms what Christ redeemed us from: "Christ hath redeemed us FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW."

In the New Testament, "the Law" can mean either the 10 Commandments, the first five books of the Bible, or the entire Old Testament. In Deuteronomy chapter 28, Moses stated the blessings and curses of the Law. The curse for breaking God's commandments was threefold: poverty, sickness, and spiritual death. Christ has redeemed us from all of these. But here I want to focus on the blessing of being redeemed from the curse of poverty.

The curse of poverty should come upon all of us, because we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). But Galatians 3:13 tells us that Jesus was made to be a curse for us. Jesus became our substitute. He paid the debt for our sins through His death on the cross. And God wrote it down as though we had paid the debt for sin ourselves! Now because of Jesus, we are free from the curse of the Law—and that includes poverty.

The Blessing of Abraham

Let's look in Galatians chapter 3 again: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law . . . that THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM MIGHT COME ON THE GENTILES though Jesus Christ" (vv. 13–14).

Under the New Covenant, Abraham's blessing belongs to us! The blessing of Abraham is threefold in nature: spiritual, physical, and material. In Deuteronomy we see the material and financial blessings we now have in Christ.

DEUTERONOMY 28:3–6, 8
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. [You'll be blessed wherever you are!]
4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. . . .
8 The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee IN THY STOREHOUSES, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto: and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

Some Christians say you shouldn't desire material possessions in this life. But God says He will bless what you have stored up! He promises an abundant supply!

It's unscriptural to believe that God wants us to live in lack in this life. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus promised us that if we'll seek first God's Kingdom, we will be taken care of. He talks about the material things of life, such as food to eat and clothes to wear, being added unto us (Matt. 6:31–32).

Enjoying the Blessings!

We have to believe God's promises and exercise faith by walking in the light of His Word in order to receive His blessings. And it's important to know that we have a part to play in activating these blessings.

For example, God promised to bless the work of our hands (Deut. 28:12), the fruit of our ground (Deut. 28:4), and our storehouses (Deut. 28:8). He expects us to work (2 Thess. 3:10). But as we put our hands to something, we can trust Him to prosper what we do.

So don't settle for living under the curse of poverty. God wants you to live an abundant, prosperous life. You've been redeemed from the curse of the Law by the blood of Jesus Christ. Stand on God's Word and claim the blessing of Abraham that is yours in Christ. Believe God for a full supply in every area of your life!
_____________
[Editor's Note: This article was adapted from Kenneth E. Hagin's book Classic Sermons.]