Tag: Consequence

The Way Out has Been Paid

Our way out of the consequences of sin has been paid. Yes, prepaid. We no longer have the payment for sin due. We only need accept the payment has been made and be grateful.

Notice what I wrote above, accept and be grateful. There is no repayment that can be made. I cannot make up the debt. God provided the payment for our sin and there is nothing we can do but accept that the payment has been made and be grateful for it.

“10In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10 (ESV)

“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” – Romans 3:23 (ESV)

I am a sinner and will always be a sinner in this world. But, the escape from the consequences has been provided. Christ came to this world to walk as I do and take on the sin that I commit and then He died so I do not have to. Not that I will not die, but Christ died in my place as the consequence for my sin.

“23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 (ESV)

I was destined to die for my sin, and Jesus came, or rather was sent, to die in my place. It is the only way out and it was made so by God. God’s grace (getting what we don’t deserve) and mercy (not getting what we do deserve) is demonstrated in His offering of forgiveness for the sin that we are born with and will always have in this world. This offering of forgiveness is made possible only by payment and that payment was made by Jesus’ death.

Our role in all of this is to believe and choose the gift of salvation provided thanks to the payment for our sin. That payment was extreme and I will say, Thank you God for providing and Thank you Jesus for paying and Thank you Holy Spirit for walking with me daily. I believe and choose to escape the consequence of my sin through acceptance and gratefulness in you and your grace and mercy.

What is your understanding of the consequence for sin? Are you able to get out of it on you own? What if you accept that the payment has already been made and you should believe and choose to accept and be grateful for the grace and mercy of God?

Sin Leads to Perish

“16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ESV)

See in the verse above, “should not perish”. Perishing is the consequence related to sin. There is no varying degrees of sin, sin is just sin. Whether you tell a little white lie, or swipe a pack of gum, or rob a bank, or engage in immoral acts. All sin is in the same bucket of working against God and for that His wrath is the result of that working against Him.

Perish: “1: to become destroyed or ruined: cease to exist 2: deteriorate, spoil” – Merriam-Webster Online

Let’s talk about that perishing for a moment. Notice the definition above from Merriam-Webster Online. The one that gets me and is most like the Biblical review is to “deteriorate, spoil” and then there is “ruined”. Yes, there is the destruction and ceasing that comes with perishing but from the Biblical review, we will be cast into the lake of fire, Hell, and will be tormented, bonded, will have our memory, will fully experience lake of satisfaction, and will be separated from God. There is not full destruction of us, only that we will be miserable for eternity. I have written about Heaven based on my study and it is going to be wonderful, beautiful, and frankly a place of immense joy and glory. As lovely as it will be, think of the exact opposite as it come to Hell.

Look back at John 3:16 above. There is a way to avoid the consequence of Hell.

James MacDonald writes, “The key word that unlocks the door to John 3:16 is believe. And believe always includes choice.”

So the choice is to perish or celebrate eternally. God gives a way to avoid the consequence of sin. Make no mistake, we are still and will always be sinners in this world, but as we believe in the salvation provided by Christ taking our sin upon Himself and dying for us, we have an escape from eternal anguish.

It is important to understand sin and the consequence of it so that we are able to make an informed choice. When we gloss over the perishing part, we are not taking into account the long term impact of our choice and only work with the now in which the evil one is working hard to deceive us as to the consequences.

MacDonald writes, “Hell will go on forever because no amount of punishment for sin can justify the choice to reject the forgiveness God so freely offers.”

“9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)

Even as we continue to sin in this world, God is not giving up on us. He is waiting patiently for our choosing of Him. We have until that time when we cease to exist in this world to choose to believe. But, we have to get on the ball as we do not know when that time comes. And I don’t know about you, but I do not want to perish.

What is your thoughts on the consequences of sin? Are you of the varying degrees and consequences camp? How do things change for you when with the understanding that all sin is sin and the consequence of that sin is perishing eternally?