The Choices We Make
Seeking God's Mercy and Grace to Combat the Consequences of Sin
“And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”[1]
Consequences.
So much of human life seems to be about them. Drive too fast, and you get a ticket (or worse, cause a crash). Cheat on an exam, and you get expelled from school. Sleep around, and you get someone pregnant or walk away with an STD.
Whether minor or serious, there are always results to the choices we make. Always.
It’s been that way from the beginning. The Bible tells us that our first father and mother, Adam and Eve, chose to eat from a tree forbidden to them by God. The consequences of this seemingly simple action were shockingly profound. Humanity ever since has been a slave to Original Sin, separated from God and deserving only of His wrath. Centuries of dreadful consequences have resulted, from untold numbers of reprehensible deeds committed by sinful mankind to the catastrophic sacrifice of millions of animals to (temporarily) restore humanity to God.
Consequences, indeed.
Yet God, in His infinite wisdom, worked from the very start to overcome this tragic cycle. Moments after our forebears’ sinful choice, He promised the advent of a Savior, one who would restore the intended relationship between created and Creator.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he shall crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”[2]
We understand this statement to be a prophecy about Christ, the one who — though “struck” by Satan — will ultimately “crush” him in victory. This, of course, refers to the crucifixion and resurrection, where Jesus’s apparent failure and death actually resulted in forgiveness and eternal restoration for those who believe in Him.
Jesus states in the Gospels that He is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”[3]
It’s only through Christ that we can approach the Father. As the source of all goodness, God cannot be in the presence of that which is sinful. Were it not for Jesus, we would have no hope, no means, of ever being restored to our Creator. Our most righteous actions are as “filthy rags,”[4] and we all, regardless of attempts at self-transformation or moral living, “fall short of the glory of God.”[5]
Consequences, once again.
I heard a pastor the other day compare sinfulness to a motorist running a red light. Although the driver had stopped properly at five red lights on the street, when he ran the sixth light he was pulled over by the police and given a citation. The cop cared little about the five signal lights the driver had observed and obeyed. It took only one offense to receive the ticket.
In the words of St. James, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”[6]
The interesting thing to note is that, oftentimes, the commission of one sin directly leads to the commission of another. It’s a natural progression. We see this perhaps most vividly in the life of King David. Spotting Bathsheba bathing, David brings her to the palace for a one-night stand. Later, learning of her pregnancy, David recalls Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, from war, intending for the soldier to rush home and make love to his wife, thus making the soon-to-be-born child appear to be his.
When Uriah (as the noble, dedicated soldier that he is) fails to behave in this preconceived manner, the king takes it to the next step, ordering that the soldier be placed in the center of the most vicious fighting. Hopes are that he will be struck down. And that is exactly what happens.
What a dreadful example of the horrifying nature of consequence. As the Bible explains, “after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when full grown, gives birth to death.”[7]
In David’s case, his lust gave birth to adultery, his adultery spawned an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, and the pregnancy birthed a horrific murder. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The consequences of that one night would continue to expand, like ripples in a lake from a thrown pebble. The child resulting from David’s infidelity would die. And later on, David’s own sons would attempt to overthrow their father and take the kingdom by force, leading to a debilitating civil war.
From one night of sinful pleasure, thousands would die.
While most of us today are not in danger of sparking off a war due to a sinful decision, St. James’ warning rings true. Although physical death may not result from our selfish actions, other types of death may indeed occur. The death of a relationship, for instance. Or the death of the trust between a husband and wife.
From personal experience, I can attest to the fact that decisions made long ago can continue to bear consequences for years to come. There are choices from my past that, to this day, continue to haunt my dreams and chip away at my sense of self-worth.
Fact is, we as human beings have the freedom to make all sorts of decisions, both good and bad. The same free will that God gave us in order to have a genuine relationship with Him is the very thing that enables us to make decisions contrary to His will. And these choices sometimes carry tragic, heart-breaking consequences.
What we do today matters tomorrow, and we would be wise to remember that truth.
For Christians, there is an even more important truth to keep in mind. Although there are consequences for our actions, we do not have to remain slaves to them for the rest of our lives. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we can move beyond the shamefulness of the past, moving towards a glorious future where all will be made new.
Through Christ, our past not longer defines our present and our future.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”[8]
[1] James 1:15
[2] Genesis 3:15.
[3] John 14:6.
[4] Isaiah 64:6.
[5] Romans 3:23.
[6] James 1:10.
[7] James 1:15.
[8] Hebrews 4:16.
Great lesson!