Once people believe there is a God who is greater and higher in all His ways than any human, they are ready to hear the consequences of not living up to His standard. Sin, falling short of the glory of God, separates us from Him. This kind of God is so good and righteous, He can’t stand in the presence of sin. In order to stay true to Himself, He must judge it. Consequently, we are in danger of eternal separation from God.
Danger Sign:
Be aware that sin has consequences of separating us from God.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)
Challenges in Teaching About the Consequences of Sin:
We live in a day when people seem to think more about how good their life is now than their eternal destiny. Consequently, even if we can convince them that we are not living up to the moral standards of a perfect God, they might not fully grasp the weight of its consequences. After all, we do live at a time when problems are solved in a thirty to sixty minute program. Long range consequences of sin might not convince people of their need of a Savior.
Teachers must show people their need of a Savior who will make a difference in the here and now, not just after they die. If the present lives of Christians appear to be no different to them than that of non-Christians, salvation will undoubtedly have little appeal.
PEOPLE THINK THAT SINS ARE NOT EQUAL BEFORE GOD, YET ALL SINS ARE EQUAL BEFORE GOD
There are places that liken hate to murder (Matt. 5:22; 1 Jn. 3:15), lust to adultery (Matt. 5:27-28). According to Romans 3:23 we “all have sinned” and no matter what the sin might be it causes us to “fall short of the glory of God”. We also read in James 2:10 that “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”. While at first glance that might seem to be saying all sin is equal, it actually is saying that all sins have the same effect of separating us from a holy God. All it takes is one sin, of any kind, for us to be guilty before God. So, clearly, the effect of all sins is equal.
And, God’s willingness to forgive all sins is equal when you read verses like Matthew 12:31 where Jesus said, “And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven”. However, He gives an exception when as He goes on to say “but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven”. There is debate on what exactly that means which we will not get into here but is simply being stated as an exception given.
Does the effect of all sin and God’s willingness to forgive those sins mean all sin is equal? We do have to reconcile other places like Proverbs 6:16-19 which identifies “six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him”. Clearly there are more than seven sins but God points to these above others and from that list one even worse than the others. Jesus seemed to suggest that all commands of God aren’t equal when He talked about setting aside “one of the least of these commands” (Matt. 5:19). Then in John 19:11 Jesus told Pilate that the one who handed Him over to Pilate is “guilty of a greater sin”. In one of Jesus’ parables He also seems to suggest that different sins could lead to differences in the severity of judgment (Lk. 12:45-48). Again in Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus refers to different levels of judgment. If all sins are equal in God’s eyes, why would there be different levels of judgment?
Those are some things that need to be reconciled if asserting that all sins are equal before God. The truth that is absolutely clear is that we all sin and that no matter what the sin might be, it has the same effect of breaking fellowship with a holy God. Scripture is also clear that the only solution to our sin, no matter what is is, is putting our trust in Jesus who died to take the punishment for that sin. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)