Consequences and Attitudes Toward Sin

When God forgives us, that means we don't suffer the consequences for our sins, right? 

Yes and no. 

We don't suffer condemnation—eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23; Romans 8:1). 

But Scripture tells us three important things about earthly consequences: 

1. Sin, by its very nature, has consequences (Galatians 6:7-8).  

2. God, as a loving Father, also punishes, disciplines, and trains those He loves (Hebrews 12:5-11; Revelation 3:19).  

3. We suffer worse consequences when we sin with a full understanding of what we're doing (Luke 12:47-48). 

Scripture also tells us three important things about our response to sin:

1. When we truly love Jesus, we want to obey His commands (John 14:23-24).

2. When we fail, we regret our sins and repent (1 John 1:8-10).

3. Our repentance is more than words. We make deliberate efforts to change (Philippians 2:12-13). 

We may not be able to repair all the earthly damage we do when we ignore God's commands, but sincere repentance completely restores our relationship with God.

And we have great comfort knowing that one day we will live sin-free and consequence-free in eternity. Hallelujah!  

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For more insights, see Is Sin Its Own Punishment? and Why Christians Still Face a Final Judgment. 

If you'd like to do a Bite Size Bible Study on this devotion with an interesting look at King David, check it out HERE.

I also encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word: Wisdom for Life. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. Find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first four devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon.

 

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