CONSEQUENCES OF SIN
By Timothy Glover
As we noticed last month, sin is quite real. It involves serious consequences --- it destroys personal relationships and causes chaos. James writes, "What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members..."(Js. 4:1-3). As a result of the fall of man in the garden of Eden, God cursed the earth and death came upon all men. God said, "Cursed is the ground because of you...By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, til you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:17,19). Paul describes it, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
The nature of the universe is subject to disaster, pain and distress because of the curse. Rather than prove the nonexistence of God as some propose, these conditions confirm the seriousness of God’s righteousness and the reality of sin. "For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it.... For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now (Rom. 8:20,22).
The most serious consequence of sin is enmity with God. God will not tolerate the rebellion of his law forever. There is a limit to his patience (Rom.1:18; 2:5-6,8-9). The dilemma of sin is that, being unrighteous, we cannot stand before a righteous God but are subject to his wrath. Paul speaks of the inner frustration, anxiety and fear which result from the guilt of sin in Rom. 7:21-24 where he exclaims, "Wretched man that I am!" We cannot live free of sin by our own power. We are lawbreakers even if we only broke one. The punishment is still the same—death (Rom. 6:23).
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