The Wages of Sin is Death.
What are the consequences in the here and now? We’ve all heard, whether one is a Christian or not “for the wages of sin is death.” If we’re a Christian, we’re assured that we will not pay the consequences of sin after we die but certainly we do pay the consequences here. For the non-Christian, they go on with their lives; many have good, happy and productive lives, without thoughts to the eternal consequences of that word from God. I realize that there are people that deny the existence of God. I also realize that people believe that because they are ‘good’ people, they will gain entrance into heaven. This blog post is not intended to convince anyone of His existence nor is to convince anyone that being ‘good’ not sufficient to enter into His presence for eternity. I was thinking about the world in which we live and the chaos that abounds in this world in which we live and it is from that viewpoint that I am speaking.
When God created the world including the first two humans, He declared that it was good. At that point, there was no sin and therefore, no chaos. Adam & Eve had one negative commandment, a commandment to not do something. That was the only thing they were forbidden from doing. Yet, that one command that they chose to break changed the whole world and death entered into the picture. Their very nature changed from that moment and it is that nature that is passed down throughout the generations. Every species passes down their specific nature to their offspring; a dog passes a dog nature to the next generation, cats pass down a cat nature and humans pass down a human nature. The nature they pass down to us is corrupted for the stain of sin corrupted Adam & Eve’s nature. We inherit this corrupted nature just like every species inherits the nature of its kind.
While I understand the eternal consequences of a corrupted nature and the sin that ensues from this nature, I had not really given it much thought as to the consequences in this world even though the consequences is all around me. Because it’s so much part of our world, sometimes we become immune to what is part of our world much like I am immune to the noise of traffic as it is part of the world in which I live. I have most unfortunately turned a deaf ear, so to speak, to the sin around me in the same way I have turned a deaf ear to the noise of traffic. This saddens me. The evil that is more pronounced is what many of us, whether we are Christian or not, remains unacceptable such as child abuse or murder. Yet, much of what was considered by the general population as sin or evil not too long ago has become acceptable in today’s society.
Recently, I read a news report about a father who was wheel chair bound who took his young son and while the child was screaming, ate his eyeballs. The mother came home with the pizza and upon hearing the screams of her child, left. The child told the hospital staff “my daddy ate my eyeballs out.” I was so horrified at the wickedness of that act that I wished I had not read the article. What causes someone to do such a wicked act? Sin nature. In another news report, I read of a teenager who was annoyed with her roommate’s cat because it was making too much noise, put the cat in the oven and baked it and that is nothing short of wicked.
But most of humanity does not enter into such wicked or vile acts. Most of humanity lives in harmony, more or less, with each other. But all of humanity will, not if, will commit sin and they continually do so. People enter into sexual relationships outside of marriage. People engage in homosexual relationships, abortion, gossip, and a whole host of other activities. I also realize that most of these activities are not considered sin or wrong by most of society. However, the standard of measure is not God’s standard but man’s standard. By man’s rule of measure, these are not only acceptable but considered good as man progresses and becomes more enlightened. While this may be the case, in God’s rule of measure, we utterly fail.
We all have a leaning towards sin(s). Some may lean towards gossip, some may lean towards sexual activity, some may lean towards murder, some may lean towards fabricating the truth, and the list goes on. The sin of sexual activity outside of marriage has consequences that are more evident as it becomes more acceptable such as broken homes, children born outside of wedlock, and sexually transmitted diseases. As homes are broken, we see the results of the lives of children. I grew up in the day when metal detectors were not part of the school yard nor did anyone worry about being killed by another student. Times have changed as man has become more ‘enlightened.’ While issues of today are not unheard of in days gone by, they were not the norm as they are today.
I have been reading a blog on another site by a Christian. It appears the sole purpose is to disseminate and denigrate the character of another site. He cuts and pastes the text including naming the folks that he disagrees with and then proceeds to interject his sarcastic views without ever discussing the message and offering a proper teaching. The sin of gossip permeates this person’s blog site.
There is not a single one of us that measure up to God’s standard. Every single one of us falls short and our falling short affects those around us. Who knows how our sarcastic retort to the checker at the grocery store may affect him or her? Who knows how an angry blog that any of us may write affect another who is hurting? These are the small things that we all do that we do not characterize worthy as being labeled ‘bad.’
The yardstick that man measures standards has changed from days gone by. But whatever man’s standards of measure is or has been, it has always fallen short of God’s standard of measure and it always will. The chaos I see around me is not surprising. It cannot be otherwise as long as man changes his standard of measure. As long as we continue to remove God out of the standard, the insanity of our world will only increase. Children will be expelled for sharing an asthmatic inhaler with another asthmatic, kindergartners will continue to be expelled for sexual harassment for kissing another kindergartner on the playground, babies will continue to be murdered in the womb, children will bring guns to school, babies will be born out of wedlock, sexually transmitted diseases will rise, spouses will leave their families and find another mate because they are not happy, and on and on and on.
That first sin that changed the nature of mankind is like the stone thrown in a lake, it ripples across the lake to eventually subside. But while the ripples in the lake will eventually stop, the nature of man’s sin instead of subsiding has increased. That is if we use God’s measuring stick. If we use the ever changing yardstick of man, then we simply are living in an enlightened age.
Yes, man is more enlightened than ever before in the history of mankind. Pick up the newspaper and we can see how ‘enlightened’ we’ve become.
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4 comments
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internet elias
June 6, 2009 at 7:32 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Good post. You are right about the sin nature of man. But the real tragedy is when we do not partake of the opportunity to be tansformed by the ‘renewing’ of our minds….that we do not choose to move from death back to Life through the redemptive act of Christ and through personal fellowship with Him.
(Ro 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. )
We ‘ and we tend to make it fit our own view of sin. But sin is a dangerous practice for us all. The acceptable view today among Christians is to take Grace and apply it as a covering for continuing to excercise the sin nature. In the days of the early church, this practice was called the ‘doctrine of the Nickolatanes…and God ‘hates’ it. The following verse really caught my attention a few years ago. In it…Paul explains that Christ shed blood was for ‘sins that are past’……meaning He came to give us opportunity to cast off the Adamic sin nature we were born into. Later he commanded us to ‘go and sin no more.’ There is a place ‘in HIm’ where we do not sin. It’s called sanctification, spiritual maturity, having the mind of Christ, and so forth. The more we become attached to the vine, the more fruit of the vine will come forth…not because of we the branches, but because of Him…the source of all fruit (righteousness).
Again, good post. I enjoyed it.
I’m internetelias.wordpress.com
Ro 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; never been acceptable to God and is not acceptable today.’
tishrei
June 6, 2009 at 9:08 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
hisarmour
July 26, 2009 at 10:12 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
“Some people get caught in their sins right away, even before the time of judgment. But other people’s sins don’t show up until later.” 1Ti 5:24 (CEV).
Sin is now so sugar-coated that its being savoured across the globe and passed as being progressive and modern. Even the church would not talk about it because it is “bad” for business. The church has become a corporate organisation looking after numbers rather than persons
Sinners saved by grace used to run the church. Now it has almost become just a big business. I find it increasingly hard to meet true Christians and a Church that is the kind mentioned in the Bible. Sinful man has turned it into an institution to benefit a few of themselves, in the name of God.
Last year I encountered such a so-called “man of God” and am set onto the task of exposing him and his sins. Such a person is not a true man of God but a Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing.
Please read my following blogs for more information. http://hisarmour.wordpress.com/2009/07/09/men-of-god/ & also at
http://truetruth4ever.blogspot.com/2009/07/break-breaking-broke-broken.html
You are doing a good job writing your perceptions. These will encourage those out there struggling in the faith. Jesus said that He will send us out among wolves.
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Mt. 10:16 (KJV)
What would one do with wolves in sheepskin? When a minister claims to be a man of God but in fact he is Satan dressing as an angel of light? Even true ministers that I know would do nothing about false teachers and fakes. it is just too troublesome. So sin goes on and on. The Church has lost its substance when it fails to stand on Truth – the Word of God.
Keep up the good work that you are doing. Fight the good fight of faith. You are wise and gentle in your words and will bless many.
Thank you.
tishrei
July 26, 2009 at 10:53 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Thank you for stopping by. I could not agree more, there are wolves in sheep clothing and it is increasing as time passes. It’s becomes increasingly difficult to find a congregation that teaches truth instead of, as you say, running a business. It’s no longer about teaching about the consequences of sin but tickling the ears of the masses in order to fill up the church.
But as we know, it’s all under control for we serve a God that has not lost one iota of control over His creation. As the end of ages draws nigh, this chaos in which we find ourselves living is sure to increase.
Thanks for posting your blog site — I will go check it out! And thank you for your kind words.
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