"Ouch!" Often while working among our rosebushes I've felt the instant pain inflicted by their hard, pointed spines known as thorns. These sharp protrusions from the canes of roses and branches of many other plants had their origin when sin entered the world, and serve as a reminder to gardeners and all men of the painful consequences of sin.

Ruin's Curse

The mere mention of a thorn brings unpleasant thoughts to one's mind, and has even been defined as anything that causes sharp pain, irritation or discomfort. The Bible explains the reason for the bad connotation attached to thorns, "Unto Adam [the Lord God] said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee" (Genesis 3:17,18).

Disobedience to God not only brought a curse upon the earth but also upon man himself. When Adam sinned, death entered the world and has been the portion of mankind ever since (Genesis 3:19; Romans 5:12). "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them" (Galatians 3:10).

Every person that ever lived shares in ruin's curse. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "The wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). I've often wondered why the rose, being so beautiful, elegant and fragrant that it is named the "Queen of Flowers," has thorns. Perhaps it is God's way of reminding us that even the best of men are sinners and subject to sin's curse. There is no escaping the painful pricks of sin and its eventual end until one looks at redemption's crown.

Redemption's Crown

Just prior to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, we read that the soldiers "platted a crown of thorns [and] put it upon His head" (Matthew 27:29). Little did they realize the significance of their cruelty as they pressed the sharp thorns into the head of the promised Redeemer (Genesis 3:15). Thus we see that Jesus was made a curse for sinful man at Calvary so that He might redeem them from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13).

Not only did Christ suffer the pain of this cruel crown woven by the hands of wicked men, but He also endured the wrath and judgment of a holy God against sin. During those three hours of darkness that completely overpowered the light of day, God laid upon His Son the dark iniquity of man (Isaiah 53:5,6), and "made Him to be sin for us" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, the One who wore redemption's crown made provision for man to "have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Ephesians 1:7).

Regeneration's Cleansing

Will the earth ever be rid of thorns? Can man ever be free from the terrible results of the curse? Speaking of the future day when Christ will reign over this earth, the prophet Isaiah declares, "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree" (Isaiah 55:13). The earth itself will then enter into the blessings of sin's removal through judgment, and of the presence of the Lord and His people. At this coming day "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose" (Isaiah 35:1). The dry and barren land will no longer be desolate and overrun by the thorns of ruin's curse.

Man also may experience regeneration's cleansing through personal faith in the Saviour who was made a curse for sin. To trust the Lord Jesus is to own one's need as a sinner under God's judgment against sin, and then to believe that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). All who thus believe on Christ are cleansed "from all sin" (1 John 1:7), and made a new creation in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17). "But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).

The child of God is likened to the "rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys … among thorns" (Song of Solomon 2:1,2). The beauties of Christ can now be seen and admired by God in the man who has known regeneration's cleansing. The believer is seen as "among" thorns, but no longer himself under sin's curse.

—Tim Johnson