The Doctrine of the Curse
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, December 17, 2025 (Donate)
With over 50 movies with “curse” in the title, like the popular
The Curse of the Black Pearl (Pirates of Caribbean movie series)
our culture is inundated and fascinated by the concept of a curse. And sadly,
our culture is also addicted to “curse” words too! They fill media, books, and
film, many workplaces, and public events.
Where did the idea of “a curse” come from? Do people really
know the extent of God’s curse? Let’s take a few moments to explore the doctrine
of the curse and its ramifications.
The Doctrine Of The Curse In Scripture
The doctrine of the curse refers to God’s righteous and judicial response
to man's sin, first introduced in Genesis 3 after Adam’s disobedience. When God
completed creation, He declared it “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The world
was originally free from “The Seven D’s”:
·
Death
·
Despair
·
Discomfort
·
Distress
·
Decay
·
Disease
·
Disorder
Adam and Eve lived in direct fellowship with God, creation
functioned perfectly and harmoniously, and there was no moral or physical
corruption. God upheld all things in a perfect state.
This changed when Adam, acting as mankind’s federal head of
the human race, rebelled against God’s clear command (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:6). As
a result, God pronounced specific curses (collectively call the "curse". The serpent—which was party to Satan’s
influence—was cursed above other animals (Genesis 3:14). The ground itself was
cursed (Genesis 3:17–19)—which extended to all of creation according Romans 8.
As parallel to the curse, the woman (Eve) was given
increased pain (from the new pain they were now already experiencing with their
sin and shame) in childbirth and sorrows (e.g., relational conflict; Genesis
3:16). The man was condemned to painful toil, frustration, sweat, and both were
to have eventual physical death by returning dust. Thus, death entered the
world through sin (Romans 5:12).
The curse did not mean creation became evil in substance,
but it became broken, frustrated, and subjected to decay. God now longer upheld
everything in a perfect state, but the way He now upholds it gives us a taste
of what life is like with His full blessing and perfection.
Scripture later explains that creation was “subjected to
futility” and now groans under bondage to corruption (Romans 8:20–22). Thorns,
thistles, disease, natural disasters, and predation are all consequences of
this curse, not features of God’s original design.
The Curse And The Flood Of Noah’s Day
The Flood recorded in Genesis 6–9 is directly connected to
the curse and humanity’s worsening sin. After the Fall, sin rapidly increased,
culminating in a world described as filled with violence and corruption
(Genesis 6:5, 11–12). The Flood was not a random global catastrophe but a world-covering
judgment on those who had become unrepentant and ripe for judgment like twigs
waiting to be thrown into a fire.
The curse set the stage for the Flood by introducing death,
corruption, and separation from God. Man’s hearts, already inclined toward sin
since the Fall, became continually evil (Genesis 6:5). The Flood showed the
curse’s effects in action against a sinful world. God used the Flood to judge
wickedness. He also preserved life through Noah, a descendant of the tenth generation
of Adam, by grace (Genesis 6:8).
After the Flood, God reaffirmed the curse was in effect.
Though the world was cleansed of rampant violence, human sin remained. God said,
And the LORD smelled a soothing
aroma. Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground
for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his
youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. (Genesis
8:21, NKJV)
The curse was not removed by the Flood; rather, the Flood
was a severe judgment within a cursed system. The Seven D’s continued
afterward, confirming that the curse remained in effect.
Living In A Sin-Cursed And Broken World Today
Scripture reveals that we are still living under the effects
of the curse. Though, Christ has done the work through His death, burial and
resurrection to solve the issue from an eternal perspective, we endure until
the end at Judgment Day.
Physical death remains (e.g., Hebrews 9:27). The earth
continues to produce natural disasters, disease, famine, and environmental
decay. Human relationships are marked by conflict, injustice, and violence.
Even believers experience The Seven D’s (e.g., 2 Corinthians 4:16–18).
The curse affects all of creation, not just humanity.
Animals suffer and die, ecosystems collapse, natural disasters wreak havoc and
the natural world resists man’s dominion. Romans 8 teaches that creation itself
longs for redemption, awaiting the new heavens and new earth that will
accompany Christ’s return. This explains why the world does not function as God
originally declared it in Genesis, even though He remains sovereign and good.
The Curse In Our Daily Lives
Because man is a fallen creature, the curse of sin in this world
affects us body and spirit. We suffer and we die (thus, the need for a Savior
in Jesus Christ). But it also affects our minds in our fallen nature. When we
hear curse words, cuss words, bad words and the Lord’s name in vain, it reflects
the sin nature of man’s heart.
Scripture teaches that man should keep his tongue tame
because words flow from the heart and reveal one’s broken spiritual condition.
Jesus said,
“Out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NKJV)
Speech is not morally neutral—there is no neutrality
as one is either for Christ or against Him (e.g., Luke 11;23)! Speech often
reflects whether the heart is governed by wisdom from God and His forgiveness or
still in our sinful nature. Because man is made in the image of God, our words
carry moral weight and are meant to honor God, edify others, and speak
truth. Foul language goes against each of these like the stench of rotting
flesh.
Idle speech is bad because it is wasteful before God. Jesus
warned,
“But I say to you that for every
idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” (Matthew
12:36, NKJV)
Idle words include careless, frivolous, deceptive, or
harmful speech that serves no righteous purpose. Scripture consistently calls
believers to speak with good intention, wisdom, and restraint (e.g., Proverbs
10:19).
Unrighteous cursing, including corrupt or profane language,
is forbidden in the Bible because it contradicts God’s righteous holiness. Man,
being fallen beings, don’t do it righteously and thus, it defiles us when we use
foul cursing language. God says,
Let no corrupt word proceed out of
your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart
grace to the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29, NKJV)
Believers in Christ Jesus should have their speech be “with
grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6), reflecting God’s character
rather than the world’s sinful corruption due to sin and the curse. Profanity
cheapens speech and reverence for God. It often is associate with the sinful
heart of anger and unrighteousness. Onlookers also lose respect for those who speak
in such ways—whether the speaker realizes it or not.
Cursing others is especially evil because it misuses the
tongue (and thus our sinful souls) against those made in God’s image. James
rebukes this inconsistency, saying,
But no man can tame the tongue. It
is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and
Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things
ought not to be so. (James 3:8–10, NKJV)
Scripture commands blessing instead of cursing, even toward
enemies (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). Ultimately, taming the tongue is an act
of submission to God and is the fruit of sanctification (growing in holiness).
A controlled tongue shows spiritual maturity, humility, growing in holiness (i.e.,
sanctification), and obedience (James 3:2). God is glorified when speech
reflects godly material.
The Removal Of The Curse
While the curse is real and ongoing, it is not permanent.
Scripture points forward to its ultimate removal. The infinitely-powerful Christ
bore the curse on the cross, becoming “a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13),
addressing the spiritual root of the problem: sin and more specifically, the infinite
punishment our sin deserved from the infinite Father.
The final chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21–22, God promises
the reversal of the curse. In the new heaven and new earth, “there shall be no
more curse” (Revelation 22:3). Death, pain, sorrow, and decay will be
eliminated (Revelation 21:4).
There will be a “new heavens and a new earth”, exceeding the
former glory or the original creation. We will have direct fellowship with
Christ eternally.
Conclusion
Cursing, if done properly in pure righteousness, would be
acceptable. But with man in our fallen and sinful state, we fail to live up to proper
righteous cursing—thus, that remains the prerogative of God and His provision
only.
The doctrine of God’s curse in Genesis 3 explains why a
world created “very good” now experiences The Seven D’s: Death, Despair, Discomfort,
Distress, Decay, Disease, and Disorder.
Due to Adam’s sin, the curse affected all of creation.
The taste of the curse was swallowed at the divine judgment such as the Flood.
It also continues to shape life today until the final judgment.
Yet God, in His perfect wisdom, also promises that the curse
is temporary by the grace of God through Jesus Christ His Son. Through Christ work,
God will fully undo the curse (Revelation 22:3) and restore a new creation to
its intended eternal glory.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
