Have you ever felt like your relationship with God was broken? I have. Sin destroys the close relationship that God intends for us to have with Him.

The day sin entered the world, Adam’s relationship with God died. God cursed the ground with thorns as a result of his disobedience. 

This ancient curse still affects us to this day. Sin is like a thorn stuck deep in our flesh. 

Recently I was studying the theme of thorns in the Bible. I was surprised to find how extensive the topic is. In fact, thorns play a major role in telling the story of our salvation. 

The overarching theme of thorns begins with a curse and ends with a promise, but throughout the entire Bible thorns give us a clear picture of our redemption from sin. 

Today let’s explore the picture of thrones and what it means for our relationship with God. This is a two part article. Part One focuses on The Curse of Thorns and the Crown of Thorns, and Part Two will focus on The Thorns in the Life of a Rose.

The Curse

We are introduced to thorns in the third chapter of the Bible,

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;

    through painful toil you will eat food from it

    all the days of your life.

 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

    and you will eat the plants of the field… Genesis 3:17-18

The bad news is that sin spread to all of us.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—Romans 5:12

Each of our hearts is like the thorny ground described in Hebrews 13:8 “But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.” 

What happens to cursed, thorny ground? It is cursed to hell.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41

The only way to break free is to live a perfectly righteous life on God’s terms. We can’t just be “pretty good people”. 

We must be spotless.

But humans can’t be perfectly holy like God. Sin invades our hearts like a thistle plant. 

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Galatians 3:10

The Cure

Do you believe in hope, dear girl? I do. 

Sin curses us to hell and kills our intimacy with Christ, and we cannot rescue ourselves.

But Christ can deliver us—He longs to heal and restore us. 

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus lived and died without sin. He met every requirement of a perfect spotless life.

And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Because He was cursed, we can be free. 

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— Galatians 3:13

The Crown

Christ not only became a curse for us, He wore the Crown of Thorns to display how He bore our sin.

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!” When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” John 19:5-6

Christ wore the Crown of Thorns to display His power over sin. 

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. Colossians 1:13

The King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s took on the curse of sin and death and defeated its power over us. 

We are delivered! Doesn’t that make your heart want to sing?

The Promise

Despite trials, we have confidence that one day, Christ will dispel the curse of sin and suffering once and for all. Christ will bring us to Himself and we will be eternally free from this land of thorns. 

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. Revelation 22:3

What a day of rejoicing that will be. One thing is certain, Roses: there won’t be thistles in heaven!