The Lasting Consequences of Our Sins
Sometimes, we sin even when we know what we are about to do is wrong. Some of those sins are more serious in the sense that they have worse consequences for us and other people. God sees our hearts, and He knows how to deter us from doing that again. He gives us lasting consequences for our sin, even after we have confessed it and received forgiveness, so that we will not sin again. That is exactly what happened to David after his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. (II Samuel 12:10) This is a relevant truth for all of us.
God hates sin, because He knows how much it hurts us and those around us. He knows our hearts, because He knows us and human nature. He realizes that we must have lasting consequences for some of our sins, so that we learn our lesson, and we begin to hate sin, too. Therefore, we end up having to live with those consequences for years or for the rest of our lives.
Some believers do not know this truth. They think that once they confess a sin and repent of it, God removes all of the consequences, too. Yes, that happens at times, but often, He does not remove the consequences, but He requires us to live with them and to depend on His grace to cope with them for the rest of our lives. This is His way of leading us to closer dependence on Him, as well as teaching us to hate sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 13-15
God hates sin, because He knows how much it hurts us and those around us. He knows our hearts, because He knows us and human nature. He realizes that we must have lasting consequences for some of our sins, so that we learn our lesson, and we begin to hate sin, too. Therefore, we end up having to live with those consequences for years or for the rest of our lives.
Some believers do not know this truth. They think that once they confess a sin and repent of it, God removes all of the consequences, too. Yes, that happens at times, but often, He does not remove the consequences, but He requires us to live with them and to depend on His grace to cope with them for the rest of our lives. This is His way of leading us to closer dependence on Him, as well as teaching us to hate sin.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 13-15