What the Bible says about Sin, Consequences of
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Genesis 3:1-5 Earlier, God had informed Adam and Eve that sin exacts a penalty, death - the cessation of life - and, if a person will not repent of sin, this means total death - no chance for eternal life. This threat God has held over mankind's head from the beginning. Notice, however, how the Devil replies: Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (verses 4-5) Here is the lie: "Look, Adam and Eve, you have an immortal soul. God cannot enforce His threat." In its various forms through the centuries, this doctrine of man having eternal life already has appeared time and again. In theological terms, this belief is the basis of the "Doctrine of Eternal Security." What is worse, this heretical doctrine has resurfaced in the church, having been part of the latest apostasy. It cannot stand, however, before the light of God's Word. God has a far superior way of dealing with humanity - both righteous and incorrigible. Richard T. Ritenbaugh Do We Have 'Eternal Security'? Related Topics: Apostasy | Apostasy, Process of | Death | Death Penalty | Eternal Security, Doctrine of | Immortality of the Soul | Sin | Sin Produces Death | Sin, Consequences of | Soul | Soul, 'Immortality of'

Genesis 3:7-8 Adam and Eve knew that they were naked. A change in their thinking—in their perspective, in the way they looked at things—occurred. As long as they were united to God (before they sinned), as long as they were at one with Him, they looked at God, at things, and at the processes of life in a way that was not offensive to Him. Yet, as soon as they sinned, their minds changed. Their formerly innocent and pure perspective changed; they began to see evil in things. They felt shame in their nakedness. In addition, "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden" (verse 8). This encapsulates the effect of sin. It separates from God. Adam and Eve wanted to hide themselves from Him. Their perspective on life had changed. John W. Ritenbaugh Reconciliation and the Day of Atonement Related Topics: At-One-Ment | Atonement | Nakedness | Sin | Sin Destroys Innocence | Sin Produces Separation | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Defilement of | Sin, Process of | Spiritual Nakedness

Genesis 3:16 The curse is in two parts, each composed of two parallel clauses. The first part deals with childbearing and the second with marital relations. With two quick strokes God illustrates the bane of women throughout the ages. On the surface, this verse seems fairly straightforward. However, the word-for-word translation obscures a great deal of its meaning. Because the Hebrew wording includes so much more than the words' literal meanings, both curses give translators fits. They do not want to stray too far from God's exact words, nor do they wish to leave out underlying ideas expounded by Paul in the New Testament. In the end, most choose to translate the passage word for word. God's pronouncement on Eve stands in stark contrast to the positive tone He had given to childbearing and marriage in earlier chapters. He expresses His command in Genesis 1:28 in glowing terms: "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.'" Likewise, Genesis 2:18, 24 paints a positive picture of a woman's role in marriage: And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." . . . Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. When sin becomes a factor, however, childbearing and marriage lose their God-intended luster, and if human nature takes its course, pain, suffering, and bitter subjection are inevitable. Richard T. Ritenbaugh The First Prophecy (Part Two) Related Topics: Consequences of sin | Curse | Curse on Eve | Eve's Curse | Marital Relations | Sin | Sin Produces Slavery | Sin, Consequences of | Subjugation of Women | Woman's Curse | Women's Role | Women, Subjugation of

Genesis 3:19 The last part of God's curse on Adam involves the brevity of physical life. To this point, death had been mentioned only as a threatened punishment for sin (Genesis 2:17), so it must be assumed that, as long as Adam and Eve remained sinless, they would not die. Paul writes in Romans 5:12, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." God designed His wording of Adam's punishment to link mankind with the earth: He was created out of it, and when he died, he would return to it. His sin had removed him from the environs of the heavenly and forced him to dwell, labor, and die in the earthly. Yet even this has a silver lining: And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. (I Corinthians 15:45-49) The benefit of a physical body is that it can die! This may sound strange, but it is exactly this fact that makes man able to become immortal sons of God! Men can die and be resurrected, following the pattern set by Christ, receiving eternal life and the rewards of His Kingdom. It is our righteous living in the flesh through the grace of God that qualifies us for this glorious potential. On the flip side, our physical nature also makes it possible for God to rid the universe of anyone unwilling to submit to Him. Unlike angels, men can be completely consumed in the Lake of Fire—totally destroyed for all eternity and unable to defile the holiness of God's Kingdom. Though God desires "all [to] come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9) and "all men to be saved" (I Timothy 2:4), He has this option should it be needed. Revelation 19:20 shows that it will indeed. Richard T. Ritenbaugh The First Prophecy (Part Three) Related Topics: Children of God | Curse on Adam | Curse on Ground | Curse on Mankind | Curse upon Generations | Curse, First | Death | Death as Permanent Cessation of Life | Death Penalty | Eternal Life | Eternal Life as Quality of Life | Eternal Life, Conditions for | First Adam | God's Children | God's Family | Heavenly Host | Image of Adam | Image of Christ | Image of the Heavenly | Image of this World | Lake of Fire | Physical Life Temporariness of | Second Adam | Sin Produces Death | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Universality of | Spiritual Body | Spiritual Life, Permanence of

Genesis 3:24 Not only were Adam and Eve and their progeny separated from God and removed from dwelling with Him in the Garden of Eden, they were also separated from the source of life, the Tree of Life! The tragic results are evident for anyone to see! Throughout the Bible, God simply and clearly expounds upon the results of sin. John W. Ritenbaugh Division, Satan, Humility Related Topics: Adam and Eve's Sin | Consequences of sin | Garden of Eden | Separation from God | Set Apart | Sin Produces Separation | Sin's Effect | Sin's Influence | Sin, Consequences of | Tree of Life

Genesis 11:6-9 The people were uniting themselves in disagreement against God, led by the arch-criminal and mastermind of this project, Nimrod. This time, instead of wiping them out in death as He had done through the Flood, God permitted them to live, but He segregated them by confusing their means of communication. In the end, they are separated from one another. All their glorious plans of building a great city and tower had to be abandoned because they could not communicate with each other. Another tragic resulted from what happened in Genesis 11. All of these people who were scattered over the face of the earth were also separated from the holy line—a family through which God almost exclusively worked, that began with Shem. Actually, the line began after the death of Abel with Seth, the son of Adam, and came down through Enoch to Noah and from Noah to Shem. From Shem the descent finally produced Abraham. After Babel, the scattered people were, in fact, not only separated from that holy line, but also from God's Word, which this family preserved and passed down. This was another tragic result of their sin! John W. Ritenbaugh Division, Satan, Humility Related Topics: Babel | Babel, Tower of | Confusion | Confusion of Language | Division | Nimrod | Separation | Separation from God | Sin, Consequences of | Tower of Babel

Psalm 19:11 Warned means "illuminated": "by them we are illuminated." Today, we might say that God's Word—His law—throws light on the subject. It keeps us informed so that we can see our duties plainly and the consequences of disobedience. The act of keeping them will produce good things. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Fourteen) Related Topics: Disobedience, Consequences of | Illumination | Law Illuminating Sin | Sin's Consequences | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Warning against | Warning | Warning against sin

Proverbs 6:27-29 If we tolerate sin, there will be consequences. Society as a whole will certainly decline, and as individuals, we and our children will "be burned." In America these days, we are checking ourselves unnecessarily and dangerously to tolerate—even facilitate—others' immoral or unethical behaviors. We are too eager to display our permissiveness in face of all we know to be against it, from traditional, biblical morality to plain old common sense. Perhaps the most easily seen example is this nation's tolerance of homosexuality, a practice thoroughly condemned both by Scripture and—not long ago—by American churches and society in general. Most Americans, though, have chosen to support supposed Constitutional rights and freedoms over real biblical standards, ignoring historical societal decay after the acceptance of homosexuality, as well as obvious public health consequences. They have, in effect, given sodomy a pass despite everything to the contrary. We also tolerate public theft of the citizenry by our very own government, and many vote to accelerate it every few years! Politicians make long careers out of promising largesse from the local, state, or national treasury, bribing the people with the heavily taxed earnings of their fellow citizens. This national sin—ever-growing entitlements and pork-barrel spending—has landed the United States in a precarious financial position, one that can only grow worse. Counting future guaranteed outlays from Social Security and Medicare, total indebtedness in America is now upwards of $60 trillion! Most Americans are willing to tolerate such fiscal incompetence and indiscretion as long as it works in their favor. The Western world has made a god out of the concept of tolerance. If nothing else, it has become a chief virtue of modern man, but how is it virtuous to accept destructive behaviors? Would we tolerate sharks in our swimming pools? A little arsenic in our drinking water? Dynamite among our firewood? Do we allow automobile manufacturers to sell us unsafe vehicles? Are we happy to let unlicensed doctors and dentists ply their trades on our bodies? Why, then, are we so eager to tolerate moral and ethical dangers in our society? Richard T. Ritenbaugh Facilitating Lawlessness Related Topics: Consequences of sin | Downfall of Society | Facilitating Lawlessness | Homosexuality | National Sin | Permissive Culture | Sin, Consequences of | Sodomy | Tolerating Sin

Matthew 18:23-24 "The kingdom of heaven" represents God's government, including His church, so God deals with church members as this king with his servants. The debt of the king's servant was an enormous sum. A talent was a denomination of money, or weight of silver or gold, equaling three thousand shekels. By Roman calculation, if this talent were of silver, then ten thousand talents would be equivalent to several million of today's dollars. By Jewish calculation, ten thousand talents would equal three times more, probably over ten million dollars. If this talent were of gold, ten thousand talents would amount to about fifty times more than the silver talent! Nevertheless, Jesus uses this amount to show that the debt—sin—was immense and humanly unpayable. To us, and those we touch, the impact of our sins is immeasurable, but Jesus' sacrifice is greater, covering all sins. Martin G. Collins Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Related Topics: Christ's Sacrifice | Christ's Sacrifice, Cost of | Debt, Our Unpayable | Indebtedness | Indebtedness to Christ | Indebtedness to God | Jesus Christ's Sacrifice | Parable of the Unforgiving Servant | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Impact of

Luke 13:1-5 The problem of human suffering and sin raises serious questions, and in His reply to such a question, Jesus' speaks of repentance and judgment (Luke 13:1-5). He continues with the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree (verses 6-9), which refers to tragedy among the Galileans (verse 1). History fails to record the exact incident, but the revolutionary activities of that time made anything possible. Galileans, says Josephus, were especially susceptible to revolt. In His discussion, Jesus does not attribute tragedy or accident directly to any person's sin as the Jews did—instead, He affirms the sinfulness of everyone. A person who flagrantly sins can expect judgment to come eventually, though it may be long delayed (Ecclesiastes 8:11-13). Victims of calamity die physically, but anyone who does not repent faces spiritual death. Martin G. Collins Parable of the Barren Fig Tree Related Topics: Human Suffering | Judgment | Parable of the Barren Fig Tree | Repentance | Revolutionary | Sin | Sin leading to Death | Sin Produces Death | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Deliberate | Sin, Habitual | Sin, Willful | Suffering

Luke 15:17-20 The young man was forced to accept a demeaning job, feeding and caring for swine, in order to survive. He had sinned against his father and was beginning to pay the price. However, verses 17-19 indicate he had begun awakening to the reality of his sinful actions and their rightful consequences. In short, he is ready to repent. It is important to note that the prodigal son did not escape the consequences of his actions—he had sinned against God—but God humbled him and opened his eyes. Then verse 20 indicates how willing his father—representing God—was to forgive and show compassion even before the son had the chance to utter the words that he had prepared to tell him. God, we learn, looks upon the heart. Ted E. Bowling The Elder Brother Related Topics: Forgiveness | Humility | Parable of Prodigal Son | Parable of the Prodigal Son | Prodigal Son | Repentance | Sin's Consequences | Sin, Consequences of

Romans 3:23 Every human being who has ever lived - except Christ - has broken God's laws. Therefore, everyone needs to be saved from sin's consequences. Earl L. Henn Basic Doctrines: Salvation Related Topics: All Have Sinned | God's Law | Law Breaking | Lawlessness | Sin | Sin Produces Death | Sin's Consequences | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Universality of | Wages of Sin

Romans 5:12 Sin was introduced and death spread. Adam and Eve never thought that the episode in the garden would have such impact! But it was the crack in the dike that has led to the flood of sins in every facet of man's life. Our acts may not be as important as Christ's, Abraham's, or Adam and Eve's, but the principle is there and working. We do not live in a vacuum. As part of a body, our actions affect many others. John W. Ritenbaugh Little Things Count! Related Topics: Increase, Principle of | Little Things | Principle of Increase | Sin | Sin's Dominance | Sin's Dominion | Sin's Effect | Sin's Influence | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Malignant Power of

Romans 5:12 When Adam and Eve sinned, God judged them. Since they were the father and mother of all of mankind, and they were the only representatives of mankind at the time, all of mankind figuratively sinned in Adam and Eve. God's judgment was correct, because given the chance, every human has sinned. What then happened to Adam and Eve? They were ushered out of the Garden, and God put cherubim at its entrance to guard the Garden and the Tree of Life so that nobody could get back in. This is why at times the Bible bids people to return to God when they had never seemingly turned away from Him. Yet, all of mankind did turn away from God in Adam and Eve, and He invites us to return to the place, symbolically, where everything started, back to the environs He occupies, where the Tree of Life is. The relationship with God is everything to our salvation. Without what Christ did in dying for our sins, we would not be in the position to have one with Him. Christ's payment of our sins opens up the way for a relationship to be built and for us to grow in the Holy Spirit, because now we have access to the Tree of Life in a relationship with God. John W. Ritenbaugh The Holy Spirit and the Trinity (Part Seven) Related Topics: Adam and Eve | Adam and Eve's Sin | All Have Sinned | Christ's Sacrifice | God's Judgment | Jesus Christ's Sacrifice | Relationship with God | Sin Produces Separation | Sin, Consequences of | Tree of Life

Romans 6:23 One of the most basic truths in God's program involves the fact that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The death we are intended to understand is the second death. There are only two ways to satisfy this basic truth: First, all humans must be paid that wage because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Second, another, an innocent One on whom death has no claim because He never sinned, must pay that wage in our stead, substituting His death for ours. We find both aspects applied to practical Christian life in Romans. Paul writes in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is essential that we thoroughly understand that Christ died, not merely as a benefit, but for us, that is, in our place. His death substitutes for our well-deserved death, which we earned through sin. Earlier, the apostle had written in Romans 4:1-5: What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. When confronted by such scriptures that cannot be broken, our only possible conclusion is that the sin-debt that each person owes to God absolutely cannot be worked off. It is so huge and serious that an already sin-defiled person cannot pay it off. Once a person sins, his debt is absolutely irredeemable by anyone or any action except through death. Either each individual pays for himself, or Christ pays in his place. These are the only acceptable payments. John W. Ritenbaugh The Christian Fight (Part Four) Related Topics: Abraham's Faith | Christ's Death | Christ's Sacrifice | Christ's Sacrifice, Cost of | Death | Death as Wages of Sin | Death Penalty | Jesus Christ's Death | Jesus Christ's Sacrifice | Justification | Second Death | Sin as Debt | Sin's Consequences | Sin, Christ becoming | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Jesus Christ becomes | Substitute Sacrifice | Substitutionary Aspect of Christ's Death | Substitutionary Sacrifice | Wages of Sin

Romans 7:9 What Paul means by "I was alive once without the law" is that, at one time, he without the knowledge of what the law meant. It was "when the commandment came" that he understood. At this point, Paul knew that he was as good as dead because he had broken the law (Romans 6:23). John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Seven) Related Topics: Death as Wages of Sin | Death Penalty | Law as Spiritual Mirror | Law as Standard of Judgment | Law Defines Sin | Law Illuminating Sin | Sin Produces Death | Sin's Consequences | Sin's Effect | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Deceitfulness of | Sin, Malignant Power of

Romans 7:9-14 Notice that it was not the law that killed him but sin! Plain, simple truth—sin slew him. By contrast, Paul says that the law was ordained to life. It is holy, just, good, and spiritual. That is very clear. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Twenty-Nine) Related Topics: Death as Wages of Sin | Death Penalty | God's Law | Law as Spiritual Mirror | Law as Standard of Judgment | Law Defines Sin | Law Illuminating Sin | Law is Holy | Law is Spiritual | Sin Produces Death | Sin, Consequences of

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Adulterers will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But God will forgive an adulterer if he genuinely repents, and He can still give him eternal life ( II Samuel 12:13-14; John 8:10-11). However, the consequences of sin still have their harmful effect, as we see in the death of David and Bathsheba's child. Although forgiven, David and his household endured violence from that point forward because of his adultery and murder. Martin G. Collins The Seventh Commandment Related Topics: Adultery | Consequences of sin | David | David's Adultery | Seventh Commandment | Sin | Sin, Consequences of | The Seventh Commandment

Ephesians 2:2-3 These verses link together many things regarding sin: All have been involved in sin. Sin is the force that drives this world. This driving force emanates from Satan. It motivates conduct involving flesh and mind. Sin does negative things to us and others. If it were positive or even neutral, a loving God would be unconcerned about it. He would not lead us to repentance or demand that we repent of it. He would not command us to overcome it and come out of this world. Satan is at the crux of sin. His name means "Adversary." He is against God and anything godly. In Revelation 9:11, he is called "Abaddon" and "Apollyon," and both of these names, one Hebrew, the other Greek, mean "Destroyer." Satan is a destroyer, and the spirit that emanates from him, that drives this world and produces sin, is a destroying spirit. We can broadly say that sin does two bad things simultaneously: It produces negative results and destroys. John W. Ritenbaugh What Sin Is Related Topics: Abaddon | Adversary | Apollyon | Destroyer | Satan | Satan as Author of Human Sin | Satan as Cause of Human Sin | Sin | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Malignant Power of

Ephesians 4:26-27 Has Paul not said, "Do not give Satan an opportunity to get a bridgehead, a toehold, to induce us into sin"? Sin brings death, and that is Satan's aim—to bring about death. In this context, not giving place to the Devil is directly tied to a feeling—anger. Anger of and by itself is not sin. There is an anger that is godly, which we call "righteous indignation." But nursing an anger for the wrong reason—the selfish fulfillment of a desire—gives Satan the toehold that he needs. He can easily turn it into bitterness or a sinful conduct. Having a desire is not ungodly or a sin in itself. God gave us feelings, even ones we might consider to be somewhat negative. Even something like anger is not by itself sin. Life would be terrible and bland without feelings. What we have to understand is that these are areas that Satan, if we are not alert, vigilant, and on guard, can turn what is a blessing from God into a toehold or bridgehead to sin. We must be careful of this. When the emotions get worked up (even positive ones), we can be pushed in the wrong direction. John W. Ritenbaugh Satan (Part 5) Related Topics: Anger | Anger as a Bridgehead to Sin | Anger, Control of | Desire | Desire as a Bridgehead to Sin | Emotions | Emotions, dominated by | Giving Place to the Devil | Satan | Satan as Author of Human Sin | Satan as Cause of Human Sin | Satan, Resisting | Sin | Sin Produces Death | Sin Produces More Sin | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Cumulative Effects of

Hebrews 4:1-2 God willed that they possess the land of Canaan as He had promised the patriarchs. However, many of the people chose to die in the wilderness through disobedience. They did not have to die there. They chose to sin with the Golden Calf, to complain bitterly, to rebel with Korah, to commit fornication with the daughters of Moab, and so on. The Bible never indicates that God predestined they do these things and die before reaching the Promised Land. On the contrary, Numbers 14 shows that He wanted them to be in the Promised Land by the end of the second year. But because of their lack of faith and the resulting fear of the Canaanites, they chose not to enter it, so God switched to "Plan B." They condemned themselves to wander 40 years. An entire generation - those over 20 who left Egypt, the fearful and rebellious, those too deeply impressed with the nature of Egypt - left their bodies strewn across the wilderness. If God permits something, we should not automatically assume that He predestined it from the foundation of the world. The Bible does not support such a view. At best, it only indicates He decides to use such a circumstance for His purpose, perhaps to see what we will do with it. John W. Ritenbaugh The Sovereignty of God: Part Seven Related Topics: From the Foundation of the World | Predestination | Promised Land | Promised Land, Journey to | Promises to Patriarchs | Rebellion | Rebellion, Consequences of | Sin | Sin, Consequences of | Spiritual Fornication

James 1:12-16 James 1:12-16 lists the steps leading to sin, beginning with temptation. People rarely stop at just one sin, however, and it is often not long before they add another and another to the chain. Jeremiah describes this course of sin in his day—the same process that is likely to occur in anyone's life: "'And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for the truth on the earth. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not know Me,' says the LORD" (Jeremiah 9:3). This is a major reason why God uses leaven to symbolize sin. As leaven spreads and does its work in flour, so sin spreads and corrupts the lives of all it touches. For example, a tragic sequence of events begins in Genesis 37 with one sin whose impact reverberates to this day! Jacob's favoritism (respect of persons) for Joseph irritated his brothers. Their irritation grew to jealousy and flared into hatred. They conspired to commit murder, sold Joseph into slavery, and deceived Jacob to hide their complicity and guilt. What happened to their relationship with their father after this? Did they live in fear that one of the brothers would "squeal" on the others? Did they ever feel guilty for the pain they brought upon Jacob? Did their actions honor him? Did these events intensify his over-protectiveness of Benjamin and, in reality, make things worse for them than when Joseph was with them? Sin produces more sin unless someone stops it by repenting. John W. Ritenbaugh What Sin Is Related Topics: Sin | Sin , Addictive Quality | Sin as Cancer | Sin as Leaven | Sin Begets Sin | Sin Produces Death | Sin Produces More Sin | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Cumulative Effects of | Sin, Malignant Power of | Sin, Process of | Temptation

1 Peter 2:24-25 The most brutal example of divine justice is found in the New Testament, not the Old. We see the most violent expression of God's wrath and justice in the crucifixion of His own Son. If anybody had room to complain that He was not being treated fairly, it was Jesus Christ, who was not guilty of even one sin! He was the only innocent person who ever lived, yet He suffered a horrible, cruel death. If we were to become upset or offended at something that seems to be unjust, this would be it. The crucifixion, similar to the Flood, the casting out of the Amorites, and so forth, is simultaneously the most just and the most gracious act in history. It would have been absolutely diabolical of God to punish Jesus if His Son had not first voluntarily taken on Himself the sins of all the world. Even though He was innocent to that point, once He took upon Himself that concentrated load of sin, He became the most repugnant thing that ever existed on earth before God. He became an obscene and accursed thing, and God executed His wrath. He acted in total impartiality. God could not overlook sin, even when it touched His Son. Jesus Christ did this for us. Christ took the justice that was to fall on us, and He paid for it with His priceless life. It is the "for us" aspect that displays the majesty of the grace of God. We cringe at God's justice because it is so unusual, since most of the time He is so gracious. Human nature deceives us into taking it for granted, but we need to keep it in mind because it just as integral to His character. John W. Ritenbaugh Justice and Grace Related Topics: Christ's Death | Crucifixion | Divine Justice | God's Character | God's Justice | God's Wrath | Grace, Costliness of | Human Nature | Jesus Christ's Crucifixion | Justice | Sin | Sin, Christ becoming | Sin, Consequences of

2 Peter 2:4 God is unbending in regard to His law. Peter shows this by illustrating that it does not matter who sins or when he sins. Before God ever created man, angels broke the law of God. God, being just and holy, could do only one thing. Because He cannot permit sin to abide in His Kingdom, He had to follow through with the punishment. John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace, and Law (Part Sixteen) Related Topics: Consequences of sin | God's Law | Law | Law Breaking | Law Keeping | Lawkeeping | Sin | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, tolerating

1 John 2:10-17 Remember that John's epistle is written to church members. Therefore, he frames matters in absolute terms, offering no middle ground regarding sin and one's relationships with God and fellow man. It must be this way because this is our one and only opportunity for salvation, and sin was what cut us off from God in the first place, causing us to need salvation. We do not want to fall into that position again. Sin is serious business! Regarding our moral and spiritual conduct, we must recognize that there is no twilight zone, especially in our relationship with God. A Christian cannot muddle around morally or spiritually, thinking that sin is a rather minor affair. It cost Jesus His life! In this relationship, which is in reality preparation for a marriage, love and loyalty are extremely important. John spells matters out as either light or darkness, love or hatred, all absolutes. Where love is absent, hatred rules in darkness. Where love prevails, there is light. Through the word "darkness," John is disclosing that, because of the sin or hatred, a lack of love for a brother, the relationship with God declines. Notice in verse 11 that the sin John mentions is against a brother, meaning a fellow church member. Hatred is not a trifling matter! Later, in I John 3:15, John says that one who hates his brother is a murderer. What is the result? A relationship is broken, and communication with the brother ends. Even more serious, we find that the sin also involves one's relationship with God because the effect of that sin is a measure of spiritual blindness. The hater grows insensitive to or hardened against spiritual truth. Paul reinforces what John teaches, writing in Hebrews 3:12-13, "Beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." He warns that sin has a deceptive quality. It promises so much even before it actually becomes an act of conduct, but it delivers far short of its promise. Its truly sneaky aspect is its powerful tendency to lure us into further sin, enslaving us and hardening our minds against righteousness. In other words, it shares characteristics with drugs in that it is addictive or enslaving, destroying one's well-being. Herein lies the cause of the apostle John's concern in I John 2. God is the source of spiritual truth (light), and we are sanctified as His children and to His service by it because we believe it. However, under the sin of hating, communication with God begins to break down, and consequently, the sinner puts himself in peril of falling completely away. Notice in I John 2:13-14, John mentions that the fathers - those in the congregation older in the faith - have known the Father. He appeals to them to exercise their longstanding, mature leadership within the congregation in a right manner. The word "known" ties John's thoughts directly with Jesus' words in John 17:3. Knowing God, having an intimate relationship with Him, is the key to living a life - called "eternal life" - which will be acceptable for living in the Kingdom of God. Hating a brother actually cuts the sinner off from the Source of the gifts and strengths necessary to live that quality of life. In other words, the sinner is not properly using what God has already given him and is showing disloyalty both to God and to another member of the Family. Beginning in verse 15, John pens three of the more notable verses in his writings. When considered in context, they should be scary stuff for a Christian. Why does he command us not to love the world? Because the sinner's conduct exhibited in his hatred of his brother reveals the source of communication prompting his sin! John exposes the communication to which the hater is responding. Under no circumstance would God ever communicate the sin of hatred toward a brother. Besides, James confirms that God tempts no one (James 1:13). John is warning that the person's affections are drawing him away from God and toward the world, and he had better do something about it before he slips completely back into the world. This also connects to John 1:5. "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Darkness symbolizes the spiritual blindness of Satan's unconverted world. In the book of Revelation, this blindness is represented by Babylon the Great. Satan's world simply does not get it, that is, spiritual truth. Because it cannot grasp God's truths, the only spirituality the world can ultimately communicate is inducement to sin, which it does insistently and attractively. This leads us back to God's illustration regarding Adam, Eve, and Satan. Satan is the ruler of this world, and thus its spiritual leader and governing principle. He persuaded Adam and Eve to sin. So the only way we can come out of the world is to reverse the process that placed us in the world in the first place: to stop sinning. One can phrase it more positively as to yield to God's will rather than Satan's or to God's communication rather than this world's. We could never leave the world on our own. God must mercifully deliver us by calling us. We do not understand the mechanics of what He actually does in our minds, but in calling us, He miraculously does something to begin leading us to think of matters in relation to God with a clarity of understanding and intensity that we never before experienced. It is almost as if we suddenly understood a foreign language. John W. Ritenbaugh Communication and Leaving Babylon (Part Three) Related Topics: Darkness | Darkness and Light | Eternal Life | Eternal Life, Conditions for | Hatred | Light | Light as Metaphor of Truth | Relationship with God | Relationships | Relationships with Brethren | Relationships With People | Sin | Sin , Addictive Quality | Sin Produces Death | Sin Produces Separation | Sin Produces Slavery | Sin, Consequences of | Sin, Deceitfulness of | Sin, Hardening Effects of | Sin, Hating | Sin, tolerating | Spiritual Blindness

 

		The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. See what over 155,000 subscribers are already receiving each day. Email Address:     A Faithful VersionKing James VersionNew International VersionNew King James Version Leave this field empty
We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or in any way given out to a third party. We have nothing to sell. You may easily unsubscribe at any time.