LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
What are the consequences of sin?
Submitted to Dr. James Sulfridge
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
DSMN 500
Discipleship Ministries
By
Anthony Bean
What are the consequences of sin?
The ultimate—and severest—consequence of sin is death. The Bible says that “the wages
of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This not only refers to physical death, but to eternal separation
from God: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His
face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). This is the foremost consequence of
man’s rebellion against God.
Yet many want to believe that God is so “loving” that He will overlook our “little faults,”
“lapses” and “indiscretions.” Little white lies, cheating on the tax return, taking that pen when
no one is looking, or secretly viewing pornography—these are peccadillos, not worthy of death,
right? The problem is, sin is sin, big or small. Though God loves us, His holiness is such that He
cannot live with evil. The prophet Habakkuk describes God this way: “Your eyes are too pure to
look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13). God does not ignore our sin. On the
contrary, “you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Even those secret
sins we hide in the recesses of our hearts will one day be brought to light: “Nothing in all
creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of
Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
Paul made it abundantly clear that sin has consequences: “Do not be deceived: God
cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). Paul then describes the end of
those who indulge in sinful behavior: “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that
nature will reap destruction” (Galatians 6:8). The phrase “sinful nature” refers to one’s
unregenerate, shameless self. Though the sin nature may promise fulfillment, it can result in
nothing but “destruction.”
Paul told the believers in Galatia that “the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the
Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other . . .” (Galatians 5:17). Then he lists the sordid works of the sin nature and specifies the
ultimate consequence of such behavior: “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of
God” (see Galatians 5:19-21). Those who live in debauchery and sin sow the seeds of
destruction in their present-day life and forfeit any hope of eternal life.
The Bible describes those who choose to indulge in sin as being “darkened in their
understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due
to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to
sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians
4:18-19). One of the consequences of sin, therefore, is more sin. There’s an insatiable “lust for
more,” attended by a dulling of the conscience and a blindness to spiritual truth (1 Corinthians
2:14).
The consequence of suppressing the truth is that God gives the sinner over to “the sinful
desires of their hearts,” “shameful lusts” and “a depraved mind” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). This
means that God may allow the sinner to serve as his own god and to reap the destruction of his
body and soul. It is a fearful thing to be “given over” to our own destructive ways.
God has made it clear that “the soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4, NASB). Those who
habitually live their lives outside of Christ, yet whose hearts have been convicted by the gospel
of Christ, should follow the example of the first converts of the church: “They were cut to the
heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” The answer was
simple yet profound: “Repent!” (Acts 2:37-38).
Jesus’ first words when He began His ministry were, “The time has come. The kingdom of
God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). What is the good news? “For God
so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
The consequence of sin is death, but “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When was the last time you thought about the consequences of sin? I’m not talking about
the little moral compass you have that tells you what is right or wrong – I’m talking about the
personal effect it might have on different levels. The scriptures tell us over and over that sin
leads to death and destruction because there are consequences with going against the grain
regarding how God designed us to live and obey him.
Physically – Sin can cause an internal conflict with God and us, leading to health issues
and taking a physical toll on your body. Depending on the sin you battle with, it can affect your
blood pressure, sleeping patterns or destruct your body depending on your lifestyle choices
because of sin.
Emotionally – The Bible tells us that walking the wide road or the easy way leads to
destruction. Interestingly, this goes beyond physical death and results in emptiness,
hopelessness, and brokenness. I think many men go down the path of sin because they are
hoping it will fulfill them emotionally. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Many men have
experienced guilt, depression and even suicidal thoughts due to the emotional consequences of
sin.
Spiritually – The most common consequence we understand is spiritual death. You may
understand that sin breaks off our relationship with God, which affects us spiritually. On
another level, I have seen many men feel they aren’t good enough to be in any relationship
with God due to their sins. Therefore they never attempt to turn to or turn back to God. Take a
second and consider the cost because there’s no sin in this world that is worth the
consequences.
