I have been thinking about sin and how easy it is to sin. And when I was a child it was a word that heard all the time. Nowadays we see the "Bacholorette, Joe Millionaire" on t.v kissing snd making our and lying to perfect strangers (No I do not watch these shows) and they get high ratings. Do we talk about sin enough in church and society? What are the earthly and eternal consequences of sin?

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2003

Answers

The consequences of sin are succinctly described in the Book of Romans 6:23(a). 'For the wages of sin is death'. The beauty of Scripture is always its peircing brevity. QED

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2003

Bill,

While your quote from Romans is accurate, most of us miss what this passage really says because we stop at the word death. The real import of this text is realized when we read beyond the "BUT" The gift of God is eternal life. This passage should not be read in the negative at all. It has been misread and misused in churches far too long. It was not intend scare or rebuke. It is rather intended to show God's LOVE.

So to paraphrase what Saint Paul really means:

For your sins you deserve to die. (Those are the wages; the pay you have earned and are justly due). BUT, God gives you instead--without your merit earnings or legal right -- Eternal Life, through the death, suffering and love of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. For by His death and passion Christ has set you free from sin. Know that this is true; and now live in HIM--Not simply through His grace, which always abounds, but through His Power and through His endless Love.

And that is the Good News of the Gospel of Christ!

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003

Robert thank you for your insightful commentary. Thursday night at our Bible Study we began to look at the consequences of sin (We are doing secrets of the vine) when we do not repent. Divorce, crime, lying, missed opportunities etc. When we repent we are washed clean again with the love of God and his grace. We all are sinners but we are also children of God and we can be healed. In secrets of the vine God is seen as a 'vine dresser" the one who tends the vineyard. He prunes for spiritual growth and when we fall down he picks up again. He lifts us up. This happens through prayer and study of his word. One other component that is so important for repentence is forgiveness. I think it important to talk about the consequences of sin on our lives in heaven and earth. When we understand the depth of God's love for us then we do not sin. I do hope we will continue this discussion for I think it is important.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003

The passage in Romans 6:23 represents what grammarians (e.g. Stryunk & White) describe as two independent clauses joined by a comma and an appropriate conjunction. The complete thought requires recognition of both clause (A) and clause (B). This is what Robert's post essentially accomplishes. My response is restricted to clause (A) because it properly addresses the question - 'What are the consequences of sin?' Clause (B) provides a form of relief to circumvent or avoid the dire consequences of sinful action. Conjunctions like 'but' are inserted to contrast the independent clauses. As a rhetorical aid, the conjunction helps us to see better the complexity of our thought without compromising the truth of the first clause. For example: 'I found a bag of unmarked one hundred dollar bills, but I reported it to the police as a missing item.' Or consider the following. 'Unexpectedly, Halle Berry walked in my office wearing that swimsuit from the James Bond movie, but I continued my work in economic calibrations.' In both examples the conjunction is used to highlight an alternative action to mitigate the distractions precipitated by clause (A) (take the money or fraternize with Halle :-)). Just like in Romans 6:23(A), the self- evident truths in clause (A) remain unchanged. QED

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003

At any rate Bill, what came first is subordinate to what comes last. If Haley Berry walks into your office and you are unmoved, you are obviously a robot from outer space and in the twilight zone. So, Oh how much we miss when we isolate each clause.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003

Robert:

LOL, some of my friends and critics have described me as being somewhat "spacey" over the years so I guess this is further proof. My stern countenance in resisting the distractions caused by Hollywood vixens should warrant a special prize for exemplary behavior and dedication to the advancement of economic science. God's conversation with Cain in Genesis Chapter 4 has special meaning for me (notice the independent clauses)...."If though doest well shalt thou not be accepted, and if thou doest not well sin (voluptuous Halle)lieth at the door." Somehow I have a sneaky suscipcion my example about Ms. Berry is not too convincing :-) QED

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2003