We are saved by grace, not by our works. I am so glad, and grateful to the Lord for that. I could never be good enough to pay for the wrongs I have done by good deeds. Any sin is falling short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23)! But once we trust in Jesus for our salvation does it really make any difference if we continue in sin? Are there consequences for a believer who sins, or does the forgiveness of Jesus exempt us from them?
The Apostle Paul addressed this question in Romans 6:2 “Shall we who died to sin, continue to live in it?” And, Romans 6:16 – “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?” Shall we who have been brought out of darkness, continue to walk in it?
Sin is bondage. Whether it is trying in our own ability to reform ourselves (which is pride and self-righteousness) or being drawn back into our old sins, 2 Peter 2:22, “Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” Sin is independence from God. Doing things our own way. It can form habits of mind that are hard to break, the more we indulge this. We can’t blame our circumstances for our behavior. The apostle Paul went through beatings, false accusations, prison, shipwreck, sickness, loneliness, and martyrdom, yet he called himself an “overcomer”. He focused on Christ and the goal of Heavenly reward, not on the present hardships. No matter what our circumstances are in this world, we can have free hearts (“…if the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36) or enslaved hearts (…“slaves to sin, which leads to death “). Once we have been saved, we have the power of God to make a choice for sin or God. It’s up to us.
There are consequences we will face if we sin, and we need to be aware of them. There are even more dire ones if we deliberately continue to practice them without repentance.
Mentioned in the Scriptures above is sin leading to death. Do we know for certain that it only speaks of physical death? One interpretation would be a shortened physical life. Eph. 6:2-3 says, “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise, “that it may go well with you and that you may live a long time on the earth.” Paul refers to judgment of disregard for the Body of Christ, shown through selfishness and indulgence, leading to death (spoken of as sleep) in 1 Corinthians 11. A most severe warning is for those who destroy the Temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the Body of Christ. Unless they repent, they will be destroyed by God (1 Cor. 4:17). Paul the apostle was guilty of this sin, but he repented wholeheartedly once he realized his fault. God is the judge, and we should examine our own hearts with the help of His Spirit and His Word. “Search me Oh God, and know my heart!” Ps. 51
We often speak of the glorious blessings we have in Christ, and we should. To revel in His grace and remember what He did, it is right to worship and praise Him. But we must not be hypocrites. Jesus had no tolerance for that. We also need to honor our Lord by our words and our life. God will not be mocked.
Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
“But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 2 Cor. 9:6
A wise father will teach his child to fear doing wrong. A wise child will fear displeasing his father. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. In the Ten Commandments, clear warnings are given. One reason we need to be careful not to be disobedient to God is because of the influence on our households.
“I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me”.
Our children are watching and will imitate us. Even if they don’t see what we do, the tendencies of consecutive generations are statistically evident. If a father abuses a child, that child is much more likely to abuse his children. The same is true of alcoholism, etc. The sins of the fathers (and mothers) are passed down to their children and children’s children. This chain can be broken through the power of Christ and our repentance, but it’s best never to forge this chain in the first place.
Another consequence of our sin is, that innocent people suffer as a result. A child of an alcoholic will have fear, loneliness, insecurity and possibly injury. They are likely to make unwise choices as adults because of a wrong view of themselves. A drunk who gets behind the wheel of a car can injure or kill people who were obeying the laws. A gambler robs his family, an adulterer destroys the trust of his wife and may bring disease into the marriage. An angry person blurts out words that wound for a lifetime. These are real consequences. Real pain is caused and the innocent do suffer. Abortion kills the innocent. God hates this. We should also not support those in office who would call such evil, a right.
“Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law, have fellowship with You? They gather together against the life of the righteous, and condemn innocent blood.” Ps. 94:20-21
If we turn from the poor, the widow and the fatherless (and are selfish) God will not hear us when we cry for help. Prov. 21:13 “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”
1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
And, Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart,The Lord will not hear.”
We can have great confidence to come to the mercy seat of God when we have needs. What a terrible thing to sabotage that privilege! We desperately need God to be there for us. This is a very serious consequence to sin.
We could also irretrievably suffer a loss of our good name and testimony.
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
This could also cause the unsaved have reason to mock God.
Romans 2:21-24 “…you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
Our sin can give boldness to other believers to sin.
Romans 14:21 “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.”
Matthew 18: 6-7 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” By the apostle Peter’s bad example in Galatians 2 – “… And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.”
We could receive discipline from God: Hebrews 12:7 “ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?”
A life of difficulty –
The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. Prov. 14:19
A seared conscience, becoming misled and deluded. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Romans 1:21-22 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools…”
That brings insensitivity to God’s presence Judges 16:20 “And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him.”
Loss of fellowship with other believers “…if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Matt. 18:17
An open door to the Devil to cause trouble: Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the Devil an opportunity. The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:27-28
Opening any door of opportunity to this enemy (Satan) gives him a foothold, and as he gets more entrance, he has a stronghold. What began as a tendency becomes a habit. What was a habit becomes a spiritual stronghold. Satan knows your weak points and can wrestle you down to defeat if you give him the room. He’s had years of experience and knows how to make you powerless. The key to overcoming him is only total reliance on Jesus Christ. In Christ alone, we are “more than conquerors”. While it is possible, in Christ – to not only be forgiven, but to be free from the power of sin, if we have given “legal ground” for the enemy to mess with us, it will be a struggle to get back to the point of freedom again.
Inability to understand the meat of God’s word. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
Expectation – loss of treasure in Heaven. “Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
2 John 1:8 “Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.”
& Shame when we stand before God. 1 John 2:28 “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
However, we do not have to walk in sin. We can be forgiven when we repent (1 John 1:9). We can be obedient and walk in the Spirit (Romans 8). If we stumble, Christ will lift us up. We do not have to walk in darkness (practicing sin) when Jesus died and rose again to give us power to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. We can be, and are in Him, “more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. Knowledge of His word and what is available to us in this warfare is essential! Therefore, “Study to show yourself approved, a workman who doesn’t need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 1 Timothy 2:15
“But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you, yes, things that accompany salvation.” Hebrews 6:9
So, what then, is our motivation to live a righteous life? We know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps. 111:10). But do we live our Christian lives out of fear?
Actually, putting ourselves under the law, in order to be good enough doesn’t work. It never has. Jesus has provided a better way. We have received God’s grace and forgiveness based on the work Jesus did. Our love for him is our motivating factor. Perfect love will drive out our fears of not being good enough. He has accepted us because of the merits of Christ, and he loves us deeply. He proved this by His sacrifice. When we know how we are loved, we want to please our Lord. This is the motivation that keeps us in His will, and in the Spirit. This is the overcoming power. The power of the love of God in us. His command afterward is to remain in Christ (John 15) since there is no other way, no other name, no other hope for our salvation. As we remain in Him, we are secure.
Just as an earthly father wants his son’s obedience but would prefer devotion with occasional slip-ups to a pragmatic servitude – so our Heavenly father desires relationship with us. He longs to give us the best. When He disciplines us, it is for our good. So our question shouldn’t be, how close can I get to the edge of the pit without falling in, but instead, how close can I get to God?
We are known by our works to the world. We are representatives of Christ here. Works show our testimony and do give glory to God. But it is the heart that God is looking for. If you love the Lord, good works will follow. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” On these, rest all the other commandments.” Mark 12:30 -31.
J. Clark
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