The Consequences of Sin

Have we become lackadaisical towards sin?
Knowing that our sins are paid, we have been redeemed and are now under grace and no longer under the law.
Have we allowed ourselves to become watered down and non-effectual Christians?

Romans 6:1-2

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Our sins are forgiven, as Christians we are no longer under the penalty of spiritual death because of our sin.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin still has consequence, shown through out the Bible. Though we are free from the horror of everlasting separation from God. Sin has a consequence on our lives, both physically and spiritually.

Genesis 3:16-19

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he 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 to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

Genesis 3:23-24

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Sin caused Adam and Eve to be cast out of the Garden of Eden, pain and suffering for all mankind, pain and suffering in procreation, hardship, and work for food. The very ground was cursed against us.

Genesis 9:2-6

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.  

God destroyed the world because of mankind's sin, saving only Noah and family, and the animals in the ark. After which God cursed mankind by causing animals to fear, dread, and cause to kill man. Animals now became a source of food for man, up to this point man only ate the green herb. Man killing man and requiring life for life. Sin is removing peace.

Genesis 16:11-12

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Genesis 21:18

Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

Because of Abraham and Sarah's sin we have Ishmael, the father of the Arab nations. Setting into motion more strife and discord.

Numbers 20:12

And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. 

Deuteronomy 34:4-5

And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Because of sin Moses was kept out of the promised land. Because of sin David, a man after God's own heart was not allowed to build the Temple.

Acts 13:22

And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 

1 Chronicles 28:2-3

Then David the king stood up upon his feet, and said, Hear me, my brethren, and my people: As for me, I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building:
But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed blood.

We have numerous examples how sin and its consequences have scarred mankind from the beginning through to today. Satan and his evil, tempting and plying the world and the saved with a season of pleasure, worldly, fleshly desires, causing man to put himself before God.

As Christians we have a commitment to keep...
We have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, we are new creatures, we are not bound by sin, God promises to provide a way out of temptation. God commands us to be holy as He is holy.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Romans 6:11-14

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

1 peter 1:14-16

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

God provides all the tools for us to resist sin, for us to be holy as He is holy. God chastens us, corrects us, forgives our sins. God wants us to have fellowship with Him and other believers so that the scars of sin can be reduced, so that we don't limit our ministry by the consequence of sin. Sin by members of the Body of Christ cause the discourse we see today, the ineffectual witness and reconciliation of the world to God.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Hebrews 12:5-7

And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

2 Corinthians 6:14-16

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  

This is the consequence of a Christian's lackadaisical attitude towards sin, loosing fellowship with God and the Body of Christ.
Causing the unsaved to harden their hearts, sending potential converts to hell instead of Salvation.
Causing our Brothers and Sisters in Christ to stumble and fail.
Weakening our Churches.
Harming the Body of Christ.

Galatians 5:9

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 

We can not have fellowship with sin, we must be separate from the world while living in the world, a beacon of light for the world.

If not, at best we are of no effect, at worst we become satan's helper.

We must revive our commitment to God, understand that we should be in His Word, sanctifying ourselves daily, striving to lead a sinless and holy life so that we can be the ambassadors of God.

God is so gracious and loving, he sent his Son, who died on the cross for our sins, made us new again, redeemed us, providing everything we need to be holy as He is holy.
We only need to be in His Word, allow the Holy Ghost to work in our lives. Then we can be healthy, effectual members of the Body of Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 

1 John 2:27

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

God has given us his all.

Let's not be lackadaisical, let's be committed, earnestly seeking His righteousness, striving to live every moment for Him.

Divorce - but from the beginning it was not so.

Matthew 19:3-8

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?
He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

God says that from the beginning it was not so, that a man and a woman should join as one flesh and that what God as joined let no man separate, and because of man's sinful nature Moses provided a writing of divorcement.

That is a pretty strong indictment of divorce, God never meant for man and woman to divorce after their union, their commitment to each other, their joining as one. Period!!!

I believe that the reason for this and why it is so important for the Christian is it models our relationship with God. Our Salvation depends on it.

Ezekiel 16:22-42

And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord God;)
That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied therewith.
How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord God, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the Lord:
Thus saith the Lord God; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.

Ezekiel 16:59:63

For thus saith the Lord God; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord:
That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God.

God is talking about his chosen people Israel, sinning against him as fornicators, whores, adulterers, and idolaters. Showing his judgement, correction, and that God is keeping Israel as his people, establishing an everlasting covenant.

For Christians, children of God, we are baptized into one body, we are one with Christ, one body, one spirit. We can not be separated!

1 Corinthians 12:13-14

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many.

Ephesians 5:30-32

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Think of it this way. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are joining Christ as one flesh and one spirit, we have become part of the Body of Christ, we are the bride of Christ, we have married Jesus. This is a commitment from us to God. You have seen God's commitment to his people, and now we are his people as well.
So...
If because of all our sin, our faults, our adulterous, whorish, and idolatrous behavior God decided to "divorce" us. We would lose our salvation. We would be doomed to spend eternity without God, an eternity in hell!
But, because from the beginning it was not so. We have the promise of eternal life!

Ephesians 5:25-33

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

We are to love our wives like Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it.
That means that we should NEVER divorce our wives, our partners, our own committed flesh for any reason. If Christ can go to the cross and die for us, what right do we have to divorce our spouse for anything?
We must treat and love our wives as we love ourselves. This is Christ's model and as Christians it is our model!

God provided from the beginning for us, his unyielding love and commitment to us through His Son, our Savior. As Christians God will never forsake us, he will never divorce us, we are eternally his.

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

How wonderful is that?

I thank my Savior and Lord everyday for these truths and blessings.