Blotting Out Grace with a Black Magic Marker
Written on 19 September 2025.
Blotting Out Grace with a Black Magic Marker
Blotting Out Grace with a Black Magic Marker is a sermon by Jacksmack77 that focuses on the impossibility of justification through the Mosaic law and the necessity of grace through Jesus Christ. The title comes from a rhetorical illustration: if a person rejects grace, it is as though they took a black magic marker and blotted the word grace out of the Bible.[1]
Overview
The sermon begins with the preacher explaining the provocative title, stating that many professing Christians reject grace by seeking justification under the law. He then turns to the Old Testament, particularly the book of Deuteronomy, to demonstrate the demands and curses of the law.[1]
Jacksmack77 stresses that the blessings of obedience in Deuteronomy 28 (vv.1–14) are paired with severe curses for disobedience (vv.15–68). He reads extended portions of the chapter to show the absolute impossibility of keeping the law perfectly. According to him, the only outcome of trying to live under the law is fear, curse, and condemnation.[1]
Scripture Readings
Deuteronomy 28 (read in the sermon)
Blessings for obedience (vv.1–14)
1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 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. 7 The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. 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. 9 The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. 10 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. 11 And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. 12 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Curses for disobedience (vv.15–24)
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 19 Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. 21 The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it. 22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. 23 And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron. 24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
Additional curses (vv.58–68)
58 If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD; 59 Then the LORD will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. 60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee. 61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed. 62 And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God. 63 And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it. 64 And the LORD shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. 65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: 66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life: 67 In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see. 68 And the LORD shall bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee, Thou shalt see it no more again: and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man shall buy you.
Galatians 3:10–13 (quoted in the sermon)
10 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. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
New Testament Contrast
After expounding on Deuteronomy 28, Jacksmack77 turns to the New Testament to demonstrate that born-again Christians are not under the law. Key passages include Galatians 3:10–13, Hebrews 7:11–19, Romans 3:20–24, John 1:17, and Ephesians 2:5–9.[1]
Criticism of Legalism
Jacksmack77 criticizes various theological positions that mix law with grace. He mentions “lordship salvationists,” Judaizers, and covenant theologians such as John MacArthur, accusing them of trying to put Christians back under Mosaic obligations.[1]
Conclusion
The sermon closes by reaffirming that salvation is by grace through faith alone. While the law reveals sin and demonstrates God’s holiness, it cannot justify anyone. For believers, Deuteronomy 28 does not apply as a covenantal framework; instead, they are justified freely by the grace of Christ.[1]
Deuteronomy 28 and Physical Salvation in the New Testament
Deuteronomy 28 outlines blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience under the Mosaic covenant. For Israel, these consequences were physical and national: prosperity in the land for obedience, and disease, famine, exile, and destruction for disobedience.
In the New Testament, Jacksmack77 argues that these covenant curses do not apply to the believer’s eternal salvation, since Christ has redeemed the born-again from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). However, the principle of physical salvation and destruction continues under grace. The believer’s eternal standing is secure, but sin can still bring severe consequences in this life.
Examples include:
- 1 Corinthians 3:17 – “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:30 – “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” (physical judgment for abuse of the Lord’s Supper)
- Romans 8:13 – “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”
- Galatians 6:7–8 – “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
In this way, the pattern of Deuteronomy 28 is echoed in the New Testament: not as a covenant of eternal salvation, but as a principle of God’s discipline and physical consequences. Eternal salvation is secured by grace through faith, yet disobedience can still bring destruction in the present life.
References
AI Disclosure: Parts of this page may have been created, edited, or assisted by artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT or other language models). All AI-assisted content is reviewed by a human before publication. For questions, contact the site administrator.