THE
PRICE OF SIN
From
the beginning of time the cost of sin has been high.
It cost Adam and Eve the right to the tree of life.
(Gen. 3:24) It cost Israel the lives of all those
over twenty their right to the promised land. (Num.
32:11.12) and, as we read below, it cost Judah seventy
years of captivity in Babylon.
"From
the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king
of Judah, even unto this day, these three and twenty
years, the word of Jehovah hath come unto me, and
I have spoken unto you, rising up early and speaking;
but ye have not hearkened. And Jehovah hath sent
unto you all his servants the prophets, rising up
early and sending them, (but ye have not hearkened,
nor inclined your ear to hear,) saying, Return ye
now every one from his evil way, and from the evil
of your doings, and dwell in the land that Jehovah
hath given unto you and to your fathers, from of
old and even for evermore; and go not after other
gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke
me not to anger with the work of your hands; and
I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened
unto me, saith Jehovah; that ye may provoke me to
anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.
Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Because ye
have not heard my words, behold, I will send and
take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah,
and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of
Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against
this land, and against the inhabitants thereof,
and against all these nations round about; and I
will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment,
and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover
I will take from them the voice of mirth and the
voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and
the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones,
and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall
be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy
years." (Jer.
25:3-11)
The
Bible contains numerous examples, as well as teaching,
warning that sin is not free. In the book of Jeramiah
the phrase "you did not listen" or you
did not harken" are found many times. It is
apparent that they were refusing to listen to the
prophet, or prophets. Many warnings were given,
but few, if any, were heeded.
Most
of us have heard the warning "There is no free
lunch". Everything has some cost. When making
decisions about life, especially the christian life,
we need to count what the cost is before going ahead
with an action (SIN). (Lk.14:28) Is commiting adultery
really worth breaking up your family, ruining your
reputation, or getting incurable diseases?
Are
the consequences of stealing, cheating, lying worth
losing your job, going to prison,or offending friends?
Is the pleasures of any sin worth the cost of your
soul? (
God
asked us over and over to listen to the warnings
He has sent by the prophets, Christ and His apostles.
They ALL tell us that sin will bring punishment
in the form of losing our eternal reward. (Rom.
6:23) Although we are not under the Old Testament
(Mosaic) law today, its examples are still there
for our learning, and there are many examples of
punishment to both individuals and nations (including
God's chosen nation) for disobedience to his commands
and teaching.
WHY
DOES MAN THINK that God will ignore disobedience.
Every scripture indicates otherwise. Here is how
God really looks at it "But
fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness,
let it not even be named among you, as is fitting
for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking,
nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather
giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator,
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater,
has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words,
for because of these things the wrath of God comes
upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not
be partakers with them".(Eph. 5:3-7) "Do
you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortion ers will
inherit the kingdom of God." (I Cor. 6:9,10)
See also Heb. 2: 2-4 & Heb.
4:11-13.
Have
we become hardened to sin?
(Heb. 3:13) In our nation that certainly seems to
be one reason. Long ago Paul predicted "that
in the last days grievous times shall come. For
men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful,
haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers,
without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good,
traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure
rather than lovers of God;holding a form of godliness,
but having denied the power thereof: from these
also turn away."
(II Tim. 3:1-4) Do we think God does
not know what we are doing? Again
we are told "And there is no creature that
is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
naked and laid open before the eyes of him with
whom we have to do".
(Heb. 4:13) Do
we think His grace will overcome our willing sin?
Paul indicates that is not safe doctrine.
"What
shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that
grace may abound? God forbid. We who died
to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? (Rom.
6:1) God simply will not accept any
reason for disobedience. This is sown many times
in His dealings with Israel all through the Old
Testament, and by many New Testament scriptures.
Do
not be fooled by the false idea that God is to loving
or kind to punish sin. His very nature will not
allow Him to to lie,(Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18) and that
is what he would be guilty of if he did not punish
sin when He said He would.
Remember,
" God is not a man, that
he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should
repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or
hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers
23:19
Rest
assured, you will lose eternal life if
you sin. What are you giving (or doing) in exchange
for your soul? (Mt. 16:26)
Jack
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