Consequences. It is defined as a result or effect of an action or condition. What is the role of consequences? In psychology they break it down into two areas: reinforcement and punishment. Reinforcement is any consequence that increases and/or strengthens the future rate of a given behavior. Punishment is any consequence of a specific behavior that decreases the future rate of that behavior. Example: your child keeps their room clean, so you praise them and take them out for an ice cream. Or your child has some chores they are responsible for and fail to do them, so you express your disappointment to them while affirming your love for them, then tell them they cannot go and play with their friends until the chores are done. The objective remains the same with each; you are trying to help them to be responsible in what they do.
Our whole Sunday morning bible class on the minor prophets is a story filled with consequences. We have seen repeatedly God working with His “special treasure” (Deuteronomy 7:6) Israel. How they have wandered from Him, and how He has used consequences to help draw them back. Just this past week I was reading in Nehemiah in preparation for Sunday morning bible class and read of this very thing. God had miraculously brought them out of Egypt and yet scripture says of and to them, “they and your fathers acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments” (Nehemiah 9:16). Their consequence, forty years of wondering in the wilderness (Nehemiah 9:20) and all the while their God graciously sustained them. I say this because it is important for us to remember, sin has consequences! The cross, which Jesus took upon Himself, is the consequence of our sin. This is the sobering, serious subject of this article.
“The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)
The ETRV is bold in its translation, “When people sin, they earn what sin pays-death.” Simply put, sin has consequences and that is death! This is not physical death; but rather, spiritual death. The challenge with most people today is convincing them they are spiritually dead because of their sins. Paul reminded the church in Ephesus, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world…” (Ephesians 2:1-2). He wrote to the church in Colossae concerning their previous state outside of Christ, “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh…” (Colossians 2:13). NO ONE is exempt from this spiritual condition outside of Christ. NO ONE! Paul wrote, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to ALL MEN, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). He said this earlier in Romans 3:23, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So how do we understand death, the consequence of sin? Remember God’s people of old and how sin made this life so difficult. It is no different today, yet it is not just about today.
“These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord and from the glory of His power…” (2nd Thessalonians 1:9)
Before I speak to the above verse, it is important to know that sin has present day consequences. Isaiah 59:1-2, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.” Here is a question to consider, is God not answering my prayers because there is willful sin in my life? Sin has consequences in this life! The greatest and most tragic consequence is spoken by Paul in the above verse. Judgment day is coming and when it does, droves of people will face “everlasting destruction.” Never to be freed! Jesus speaks of a place where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50). This is hell, sinful man’s final destination. It is a place where “everlasting destruction” is deserved because of sin and where the created will never be in “the presence of the Lord” and will never know the “glory of His power.” Everyone outside of Christ will go there (John 14:3). EVERYONE! It is the reason Jesus needs to be proclaimed.
The question for us is simple and challenging, do I believe sin is a problem with eternal consequences? If we do, then we wrestle with the task of talking to others about the only solution, Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). As I have said so many times, there can truly be no real good news if we are not convinced of the real bad news. Renew within us Lord the true tragedy of sin and as the early church prayed, give us boldness to proclaim the only solution God has given sinful man.
Biddeford Church of Christ 