75. The consequences of sin

The ultimate and most severe consequence of sin is death. The Bible clearly teaches that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This refers not only to physical death but also to spiritual death—eternal separation from God. As the prophet Isaiah writes, “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 heart of the human problem: sin severs our relationship with our Creator.

Many, however, prefer to think of God as so loving that He would overlook “small faults,” “lapses,” or “indiscretions.” We might excuse ourselves by thinking that a white lie, keeping what isn’t ours, or entertaining impure thoughts in private isn’t all that serious. But Scripture does not make distinctions between “small” and “big” sins when it comes to their effect on our relationship with God. Sin is sin—and all sin falls short of God’s holiness.

The prophet Habakkuk reminds us that God’s eyes are “too pure to look on evil” and that He “cannot tolerate wrong” (Habakkuk 1:13). Nothing escapes His notice. “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23), and “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).

The apostle Paul warns that sin always has consequences: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). Living according to our sinful nature leads to destruction (Galatians 6:8). Though sin may promise pleasure or fulfillment, its end is always loss, corruption, and spiritual ruin.

In Galatians 5, Paul explains that the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are at odds with one another. He lists the destructive works of the sinful nature and concludes with this sobering truth: “Those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). Sin has consequences not only in this life but also in eternity.

The Bible describes those who persist in sin as “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” (Ephesians 4:18). This hardening leads to a loss of moral sensitivity—a dulling of the conscience—and a craving for more sin (Ephesians 4:19). As people suppress the truth, God may eventually give them over to the desires they’ve chosen: “to shameful lusts,” “a depraved mind,” and “the sinful desires of their hearts” (Romans 1:24, 26, 28). One of the consequences of sin, then, is more sin.

God has warned us clearly: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Those who hear the gospel and are convicted of sin should respond as the first converts did at Pentecost: “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). The answer is both simple and profound: “Repent” (Acts 2:38).

Jesus began His ministry with the call: “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). And what is this 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). Though the wages of sin is death, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners by nature. But God, rich in mercy, offers redemption through His Son, who bore our sins on the cross and rose to give us new life. Through faith and repentance, we are made new, born again into God’s family.

Man is not a sinner because he sins, but he sins because he is a sinner.