THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN

 

By Gary Ray Branscome

 

          Because Adam disobeyed God, his sin brought with it guilt and condemnation. The words, “But you may not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die,” tell us that the immediate consequence of Adam’s sin was death (Genesis 2:17). However, there are three aspects to death. The first aspect is spiritual death, and that is the death spoken of in the words, “He has given you life, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). The second aspect is physical death, and that is the death spoken of in the words, “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return unto the ground; for out of it you were taken: for you are dust, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). And, the third aspect is eternal death, and that is the death spoken of in the words, “Who will be punished with unending destruction away from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His might” (2Thessalonians 1:9).

          The words, “To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you will bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he will rule over you. And to Adam He said, Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow you will eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field,” tell us that another consequence of Adam’s sin was the loss of God’s blessing, the curse on creation, suffering and toil (Genesis 3:16-18).

          The words, “Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image,” tell us that as a result of sin,  Adam’s descendants do not bear the image of God, but the image of sinful Adam (Genesis 5:3). And, the words, “Just as sin entered the world by one man, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, because all have sinned,” tell us that as a result of Adam’s sin all of his descendants are sinners (Romans 5:12). In fact, if they were not sinners they would never die of natural causes. As it is written, “I was formed in iniquity; and sinful when my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5).

          However, God’s words, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it will bruise your head, and you will bruise His heel,” gave Adam and Eve the same promise of savor (a “seed”) that was later given to Abraham (Genesis 3:15). The Apostle Paul tells us that God’s promise of a “seed” was the promise of a savior, saying, “God did not say, And to your seeds, as referring to many; but, And to your seed, referring to one which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). As it is written, “If death reigned through one man’s sin; how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore as through the sin of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so through the righteousness of one the free gift abounds to all men bringing justification and life, for as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:17-19).

 

          Because sinful men continually make up excuses for their sins, deceive themselves, create false gods, and even deny that God exists rather than repent, Christian theologians need to constantly emphasize the importance of repentance. As it is written, “God now commands all men every where to repent,” and “Repentance and remission of sins should be preachedamong all nations” (Acts 17:30, Luke 24:47).

          The words, “Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another,” simply describe what we see in everyday life (Romans 2:15). People are quick to accuse others, while excusing themselves. And, the words, “Who knowing the judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in those who do them,” describe the stubborn refusal to admit wrongdoing (Romans 1:32). The words, “Knowing the judgment of God,” apply to those millions who refuse to give up their immoral lifestyle. And, the words, “Have pleasure in those who do them,” apply to the pulpit traitors who condone such wickedness, including those who perform “homosexual marriages”.

          All who refuse to repent need to know that Jesus will say, “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels(Matthew 25:41). Nevertheless, warnings of God’s judgement need to be tempered with His promise of forgiveness, for without God’s assurance of mercy, the terrified sinner may well just try to find a false peace by shutting God out of his mind. The Bible tells us that, “the goodness of God” is what leads “to repentance,” but there must be repentance (Romans 2:4).

 

          While every Christian believer needs to take God’s warning of eternal punishment seriously, and should never toy with sin, the words, “But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, so that we will not be condemned with the world,” tell us that any chastening a believer receives is not an expression of God’s wrath, but of His mercy (1Corinthians 11:32). As it is written, “Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O LORD, and teach from your word” (Psalm 94:12). “For the Lord disciplines those He loves” (Hebrews 12:6). And, the words, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: therefore be zealous, and repent,” tell us that the reason for God’s chastening is to bring us to repentance (Revelations 3:19). Not the false repentance of works righteousness, but the true repentance that leads one to stop rationalizing sin, stop thinking that God is pleased because of works, and know that it is the forgiveness that is ours in Christ, and that forgiveness alone that cleanses us of all sin, making us righteousness in the sight of God. As it is written, “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace,” and “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us of all sin” (Ephesians 1:7 and 1John 1:7)

 

Because of what is going on in our society, let me add this thought. If anyone has sinful desires for someone of the opposite sex, or the same sex, those sinful desires need to be suppressed and repented of. A quick prayer might be, "Lord forgive me for wrong thoughts and get them out of my mind". Since God did not create anyone homosexual or bisexual, the claim that some people are born that way is an attempt to excuse sinful thoughts and desires instead of repenting. To all who experience such temptation God says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord at all times: but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14).