One of the reasons people commit sin (Other than their nature) is that sin is fun… enjoyable… provides a rush of adrenalin… for a while (Heb 11:24-25).  The only problem is that there is always a price to pay.  Sin always has consequences.  “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked.  Whatever a man sows that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Application: Those who live a life of rebellion… many times beginning in their teen years… end up carrying emotional, psychological, and spiritual baggage for the rest of their life.  I knew a man who performed illegal abortions in the early 1970s and spent the next 3.5 decades angry and bitter as a result.  I’ve talked with men who wish they could go back and do things differently as a husband and father because now they see the havoc they sowed in loved ones lives who were wounded by them.  I’ve watched people beat themselves up emotionally for years because of willful disobedience related to honesty, money, and how they’ve treated others.

Sin has consequences.  Bitterness… guilt… anger… resentment… and emotions like them are the result of ignoring God’s commands.  God’s commands are give to protect us!  They are the fence that keeps out the enemy.  Ignoring God’s commands will result in pain and death of emotions, relationships, joy, and life.  God’s protection for us to avoid destruction are found in His Word.

God has a good reason for staying a virgin until marriage.  He has a good reason to not be addicted to alcohol.  He has a good reason for keeping the marriage bed pure.  He has a good reason for not stealing or lying.  ALL His commands are for His glory and our good!  If we ignore God, there is a price to pay.  Forgiveness does not negate consequences.

Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”