The Nature
of Sin
Sunday, April 7, 2013
We who are Christians have come to see that the Bible contains some very
complex and important ideas. We know that it is not always easy to
understand what is written (II Peter 3:16), but require more in depth
study to present ourselves as workmen approved to use the tools given to
us.
Such is the study of the consequences and wages of sin. Let us consider
for a moment two passages, which represent teachings on the nature of
sin. In Ezekiel 18:20 God tells us that He does not hold accountable for
sin a father or son of a sinner, if they were innocent of the sins in
question. In Exodus 20:5 God says that He visits “the iniquity of the
fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who
hate Me”. On one hand it seems God says He does not punish sons for
their fathers’ sins; on the other, it seems to say just that. To
understand this idea, we need to understand the difference between the
wages of sin and the consequences of sin.
First, let us clearly show that Sin has wages (Romans 6:23) and that sin
has consequences (Romans 5:18). From these and other passages, we can
see that there is a difference in wages and consequences. From our own
vernacular we would call a wage: something deserved or earned; something
given at the end of the period in question; something only one person
receives; something set as being absolute. In the negative, we know that
we do not pay wages to one who has not earned them, nor do we pay them
early, nor are they arbitrarily set.
Consequence is the term we will use to describe a subsequent event that
is very different than a wage. A consequence is: something possibly
deserved or earned, but not necessarily; something that can happen
anytime; something that affects many people, or one person; something
that may not happen at all. We now have a picture of two sets of
results; one that is absolute and specific, one that is unspecified and
abstract.
Sin has both wages and consequences. The Bible says that the wages of
sin are death; this refers to the ultimately spiritual separation in
Hell. We do not receive this penalty until the end of time, and it is
reserved only for the one who sins. The Bible also tells us about the
consequences of sin. Many people suffer the consequences of the sins of
those around them, as well as their own sins. Sometimes those
consequences are great, sometimes they are non-existent. They can happen
at any time. They are NOT the punishment for sin.
One example is that of two men who drink at a bar one Saturday night.
They both get into their cars and drive home. One of the men hits a van
with a family in it, and all are lost. The other man arrives home
without incident. We see here the consequences of sin being the car
accident; it happened to more than one person, it was random, and it
happened the night of the incident. At the same time, both men have
broken God’s law (I Corinthians 6:10) and both will receive on judgment
that same wage, eternal damnation. Just because one of the men also lost
his life does not mitigate the wages of sin.
Why is this the case with sin? One point we might consider is that the
consequences of sin teach us the nature of sin, even if we are ignorant
of what the Word says (Romans 2:14-15). As well, it serves as a double
reminder and source of fear for the violation of sin.
We see this in Genesis and the expulsion from the Garden of Eden.
The Wage of the Sin of Adam and Even was that when they ate of the tree,
they were dead to God. The Consequence was that they and their
descendants were removed from the tree of life and the garden so that
they would not live indefinitely, and thereby nullify the wage of sin.
We also can use the events in the life of David recorded in II Samuel
12. There David sinned, and when he repented with a contrite heart, he
was forgiven, however, so that his sin was not seen as acceptable to
God, his son died. Here again we see the differences between the wages
of sin and the consequences of sin.
In application, we are often like Job and ask God why He is punishing us
with the events in our lives. We must understand that there is no
punishment spoken of in this life, but the next, which are the wages of
sin. Too, when we are successful in life, it may not be that God has
favored us, but we may still be in danger of the wages of sin.
The Wages of Sin are absolute UNLESS we repent. At that point Jesus’
payment on the cross pays the wages of sin. However, repentance may not
affect the consequences of sin. We
may have many such consequences to deal with in our lives, even after
the wages of sin have been removed. Where do you stand?