As Far as the Curse is Found

“No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make his blessings flow

Far as the curse is found.”

-Joy to the World

If you want to understand my worldview, I could simply point you to the Christmas carol Joy to the World by Isaac Watts. Through beautiful lyrics and soaring melodies, Watts captures both the ruin of our race, and the joyful hope of our redemption. Ultimately, all societal decay and personal corruption stems from a universal rejection of the benevolent rule of the True King. 

Sin begins with a desire for autonomous rule. That is, a desire to determine for oneself what is wrong or right. This might sound desirable, but careful consideration reveals that our futile attempts to fulfill this desire actually causes our misery.

It is not possible for everyone to live by their own moral code; we are a communal people, and our lives and decisions impact others. 

So what happens when what I consider ‘good’ is considered ‘evil’ by another? Who is the arbiter of good and evil? If we alone are the judge, then we cannot appeal to an objective, transcendent standard. And we must therefore resort to the bare exercise of power. 

Human power is then used, necessarily, to coerce and enforce arbitrary standards of right and wrong, rather than to uphold objective standards. 

Rather than exercising righteous dominion which produces human flourishing, we descend to domination. Rather than bringing all things under the benevolent rule of God, we attempt to subject reality to our rule. 

This misguided and ruinous desire is the impulse of every authoritarian and tyrant. And if we are honest, this desire resides in us as well. 

The result is chaos and sorrow, as we have all experienced.

In order to make the world right again, we must begin by being made right ourselves. We cannot simply protest the tyrants in the seats of power, while nurturing the tyrant within.

The good news of great joy is that the King has come to reestablish His rule. He is not only the righteous King, but the Saviour for rebels. 

And the blessing of His rule will one day be as extensive as the rebellion against it. He will rule ‘from sea to sea’ (Ps 72:8), as our Canadian Crest states. 

In other words, He will make His blessings flow ‘far as the curse is found’. 

Alex