Do we behave as if there are no consequences for our actions? Do we live as if sin doesn’t exist and that a day of reckoning will never come? If we do, we’re dead wrong. Sin is a big deal to God. When we sin, God doesn’t say, “Well, I’ll knock down your charges to misdemeanors, and you can walk. I’ll ignore your disobedience this time and look the other way.” God hates sin and demands that it be punished.

 

God told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed Him, they would die. He’s a God of His word. He followed through on His punishment. Adam and Eve didn’t physically die immediately, but life changed for them. Eve would suffer pain during childbirth and lose the natural equality she shared with Adam in the Garden. God placed a curse on the ground, which meant Adam would struggle and sweat to scratch out a living from it. Work would also frustrate Adam as further evidence of disunity with God. And death became part of their existence. Eventually Adam and Eve would die and return to dust. It was a sad day for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:16-19). God banished them from the Garden, the ultimate punishment—separation from God. In all fairness, God punished the serpent also. His offspring would eat dust and forever be enemies with Adam and Eve’s offspring, ending in His destruction.

 

From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed, every human has gravitated toward sin. Harmony with God and each other was replaced by conflict and discord. God punished Adam and Eve, but in His mercy, He provided a way out of this ultimate death and separation. And that’s what the rest of the Bible is all about: God’s plan to redeem the offspring of Adam and Eve—you and me.

 

God has already completed the plan of redemption and we can enjoy restored relationship with Him now and forever. However when we become His we should no longer continue our sin pattern. God still hates sin and God cannot bless sin. God still must let the consequences of our sins to play out. Sin is still serious.

 

Consider your attitude toward sin. Are you serious about it or casual? How does God see your sin? Shouldn’t you have the same view of your sin as God does?

 

In His Service,

Eric Barnes