The Consequences Of Sin

C H U R C H   R E F O R M   S E R I E S

By Biblicism Institute

“Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

Sin is disobedience to God’s commandments, a cancer that destroys body and soul.

Yet, everybody sins. The consequences are many.

1. Death of Body and Soul

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In the Garden of Eden, Adam disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. That simple sin of disobedience caused his soul, or spirit man, to become foul and corrupted, dead to God. From that point on, he was also scheduled to physically die, even though originally God did not intend such a fate for mankind.

“From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2: 16,17

“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption…” Galatians 6:7

“The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20

2. Separation from God

Sin causes us to be separated from God.

“But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” Isaiah 59:2

A Holy God wants nothing to do with spoiled, unholy sinners.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23

3. Sickness and Accident

a) Sin worms its way through our body and homes in to destroy it with various sicknesses.

“There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.” Psalm 38:3

“She does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness…” Revelation 2:21,22

“There is none to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you.” Jeremiah 30:13

b) Sin triggers God to remove His protection from accidents.

“Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse sinners than all the men who live in Jerusalem?” Luke 13:4

4. Lawlessness

Sin turns us into rebellious workers of iniquities who fight against God’s laws. See Of Legalism and Christians

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4

“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ” Matthew 7:23

“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Isaiah 66:24

5. Hardship

Sin engenders asperity and adversity.

“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food…” Genesis 3:19

“…the years the locusts have eaten…” Joel 2:25

6. Lack of Understanding and Wisdom

Sin clouds our judgment and spoils our understanding.

“…fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7

“Hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” Matthew 13:13

7. Demon Possession

Sin opens the door for demons to dwell in our spirits.

“And someone from the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.’ ” Mark 9: 17,18

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”Matthew 12: 43-45

8. Perversion

Sin spurs our minds to rottenness; thus our speech and actions reflect perversity such as strife, ungodly talk, crushing of the spirit/soul, greed, and unbelief.

“Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil, Who spreads strife.” Proverbs 6:14

“A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

“Jesus answered and said, ‘You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you?’ ” Matthew 17:17

9. Depravation

Sin hatches debased impulses which then produce depravement such as drunkenness, drug addiction, fornication, adultery, and homosexuality, thereby polluting our bodies.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” Romans 1: 26-28

10. Undermining The Family

Sin cooks up dire consequences for ourselves and our immediate families.

“He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:7

That’s why parents, especially fathers, need to be quite circumspect about the way they live and act, because any deviation from God’s expectations will boomerang not only on them but on their children as well.

11. Eternal Fire

Sin destines us to Hell and Eternal Fire.

“And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.” Mark 9:45

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ” Matthew 25:41

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:46

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might…” 2 Thessalonians 1:9

THE SOLUTION

God wishes for no one to perish in the everlasting fire.

“God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4

We can be saved by receiving Christ in our life. See How to Become a Christian

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“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ ” John 14:6

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

When we receive Christ, it is not a license to go on sinning.

“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” Psalm 66:18

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Galatians 6: 7,8

If anyone thinks himself cunning by accepting Christ and yet refuses to do His will, just keep this verse in mind:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ” Matthew 7: 21-23

Therefore, we must keep Christ’s commandments in our hearts and apply them to our lives.

“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected…”John 2: 1-29

TEMPORAL CONSEQUENCES

Though salvation in Christ purges sins from our souls in order to spare us the eternal fire, it does not however relieve us of their temporal or earthly outcomes such as hardship, sickness, and physical death.

We Christians must accept the consequences of our actions, even the aftermath of those that took place prior to becoming saved. In so doing, we deny ourselves and carry our cross for the Lord.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 6:24

For example:

i. If a single, non-Christian woman fornicates, ends up pregnant, and then turns to the Lord, she must accept the fact that her condition is a consequence of her action, and therefore must care for the baby and not abort or kill her child. See Of Fornication, Divorce and Adultery

“Children are a heritage from the Lord…” Psalm 127:3

ii. If a murderer turns Christian, he must grasp the severity of his actions. Consequently, when the legal system throws the book at him, he must yield.

” ‘You shall not murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ ” Matthew 5:21

iii. If a divorcé/divorcée was not a Christian when he/she got divorced, once he/she becomes a Christian, he/she must come to terms with the fact that he/she cannot remarry – unless said divorce occurred because of the wife’s fornication, then the divorcé (not the divorcée) can remarry. Otherwise, he/she will commit adultery. See Of Fornication, Divorce and Adultery

God kicks Adam & Eve out of the Garden

“And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except [it be] for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” Matthew 19:9

The temporal consequences of sins cannot be avoided – just like Adam and Eve could not avoid being thrown out of the Garden following their disobedience.

However, though they can’t be warded off, the consequences can be overcome.

a) Christians are commanded to endure hardship because in enduring we conquer it.

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all… All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. Make every effort to… be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:7,8,12-14

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:35,36

b) Concerning sicknesses, the prayer that heals usually follows a confession of sins. For more details see Of Healing and Miracles.

“Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.” James 5:14-15

c) As for accidents, Christ Himself becomes our protector. Ultimately, as with any other temporal consequence, whatever God decides we must submit to His will.

“He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3

“For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” 1 Peter 3:17

d) Lack of wisdom and understanding can be surmounted when we become part of Christ’s family.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” James 1:5

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalms 119:130

“Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15

e) Demon Possession, separation from God, lawlessness, perversion, depravation, and sinful compromising of our family are now subdued in Christ.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils…” Mark 16:17

“If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Romans 8:10

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” 1 John 3:9

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5: 16-21

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Acts 16:13

The only consequence that is full proof and cannot be remedied is death, the final end of all men. Our physical bodies will someday die whether we want to or not. It’s the ultimate consequence of our sins. But even in death we Christians have hope.

“…the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” 2 Timothy 1:10

The temporal consequences of our sins will catch up with us even after becoming Christians. Nevertheless, our obedience to God’s commands will cause our lives to become new.

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

How do new things come when we are born again?

“Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” Ephesians 4:28

Things become new by living a life that is totally different than the one prior to salvation. Therefore, our actions as Christians (i.e., following God’s laws) prove our salvation. See Of Legalism and Christians

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26

“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.” 1 John 2:4

However, when we as Christians end up sinning because of weaknesses of the flesh, those sins will unfortunately generate more consequences even when we wholeheartedly repent and sincerely ask God for forgiveness, and said forgiveness is granted.

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John: 1,2

“Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.‘ ” John 5:14

“If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment…” Hebrews 10:26,27

Therefore, beware!

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Philippians 2:12

ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES

Christianity is the only faith on earth that brings into sharp focus not only the temporal consequences of sin, but the eternal ones as well. That alone should tell the doubters that it is the only true faith.

Why?

Think about it.

Do we teach our children that actions have consequences? Yes. Do we ourselves follow that same rule? Absolutely, we call it accountability – an understanding that is also the foundation of every judicial system on earth. And where do we get that from? God.

As a result, if we can recognize that our actions here in this life have consequences, how much more should we ponder on the consequences of our sins in the next life? After all, we are spiritual beings.

Fortunately, there is a solution that cancels out the eternal consequences of our sins. In fact, it’s the only solution. It is Jesus.

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

Hell’s Eternal Fire

With Christ, instead of eternal fire, eternal bliss in the Father’s house awaits.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ” John 14:2

But there are those who say that other religions beside Christianity provide solutions as well.

No, they don’t.

First, they don’t define sin like Christianity does. In the Christian Bible there’s not one sin that is discarded as innocuous. The Word of God zooms in on every single one of them starting from the first sin of disobedience to the very last one of rejecting Jesus the Christ.

Second, for sins to be forgiven there needs to be a propitiation. Sins have consequences and the sinner must pay. In other words, in the spiritual realm as in the physical realm the consequences will not go away. Just like the physical body ultimately dies because of sin, the soul that controls the body must also die.

“The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20

Our sins have to be accounted and atoned for. And that atonement can either be we sinners in the eternal fire or Christ on the cross.

“He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” 1 Peter 2:24

No other faith or religion offers a propitiating solution for the eternal consequences of sin, and most of them do not stress the aftermath for rejecting the watered down solutions they offer. Those flaws are inherent in every religion except Christianity.

Why do you think that is?

Because the satanic forces are master deceivers and the authors of all false doctrines and religions. They want to drag as many people with them as they can when they burn.

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…’ ” Matthew 25:41

CONCLUSION