The Practical Consequences of Sin

Sin separates us from God. For most Christians, that is the end of the story. The introspection and analysis of evil go no further. There is nothing wrong with this. Knowing that sin separates you from God is all you really need to know to justify avoiding sin. But there is more to evil than meets the eye. More potent and long-lasting consequences to a lifestyle of sin and self-service. There are practical consequences of sin that we need to understand.

Some Christians call themselves virtuous because they stop analyzing sin once they realize it separates them from God. They apply the same nobility to themselves that the “God says it, that settles it” group does. There is no nobility in choosing to remain ignorant.

A further study on the consequences of an evil lifestyle is extremely helpful in multiple scenarios.

It is first helpful in learning how to communicate with people of the world. They need to see that there are practical consequences to certain behaviors that God has forbidden. The rules God makes are not arbitrary restrictions designed to spoil our fun, The regulations exist for a purpose, to protect us from unintended, practical consequences of sin.

And secondly, it helps with yourself and in modulating your own behavior and motivation. I find that I am more motivated to engage in specific behaviors when I understand the depths to which I can be affected by those behaviors. If I know that I am not only avoiding separating myself from God but also am avoiding consequences that affect me in the physical world, I am one-thousand times stronger and more committed to staying away from that behavior.

The Practical consequences of sin are those which are experienced even by the non-religious.

When a man contracts an STD because he slept with multiple women who were not his wife, that is an example of a practical consequence. You do not have to be religious to understand it. Even secular people understand the risks inherent in sleeping around and they know there are unintended consequences for certain actions.

Whether you are religious or not, consequences for your behavior exist. Every behavior has a resultant effect on your life.

Now I use the STD just as an example. I do not want to jump on the bandwagon of annoying Christians whose only marketing strategy for sexual discipline is fearmongering.

We all can understand that every action has a result. This is the law of cause and effect. While religion allows us to make moral and ethical judgments about behaviors, even the secular can benefit from studying religion. By understanding what behaviors are sinful, you can inadvertently uncover what behaviors will have negative practical consequences in your life.

For example, sexual discipline is about much more than restricting sexual access to one woman. It is also about avoiding the dozens of practical consequences that result when you indiscriminately engage in sex with women.

Every command in the Bible is more than just behavioral restriction.

It is about protecting humanity from the unintended consequences of immoral behavior. Behind each command is a guard rail that prevents us from decreasing the quality of our life on earth.

If you want a peaceful, tranquil life with reduced stresses and problems, you need to study the commands of God. These commands are the blueprint for excellent living.

The secular of the world will call it restrictive, but we know better. All the behaviors that secular people engage in leave them with emptiness in their souls. These people will continue to try to fill the void with whatever they can find, but it will not matter. At 2 a.m. when they get up to go the bathroom and see themselves in the mirror, they will know the truth. They may never admit it to anyone else as long as they live, but they know their life is meaningless.

Even on earth, we can understand the benefits of self-restriction. Diets restrict us from eating certain enjoyable foods. But we know that avoiding those foods leads to better results down to the road. We know we will be fit and healthy if we eat in a specific, albeit, restrictive manner.

The same is true for physical training. We have to restrict a few units of our time and dedicate them to exercising the body. This restricts us from spending that time elsewhere. Physical training has an opportunity cost. But we all know that the benefits in the future outweigh the temporary cost and discomfort of the present moment.

Study the commands of God.

You will find in those commands, if you study long enough, all kinds of traps that can be avoided. You will earn more money (and keep more of your money over the long term) if you study the teachings in the Proverbs.

Importantly, you will keep the wrong women out of your life if you study the Proverbs and teachings of Christ.

Worldly men like Stefan Aarnio are students of the word of God. Perhaps they do not believe every word is from the mouth of God and perhaps they do. However, they are taking the time to study the Bible because along with being from the mouth of God it contains timeless wisdom. The kind of wisdom that men both secular and religious cannot afford to ignore. Ignoring the teachings in the ancient text make men prone to making errors.

Wisdom comes when study is combined with concentration, rational thought, and application. Most people skip the study component and rush right into the action. While I am certainly a fan of taking action and charging into the fray, it also pays to do a little thinking beforehand. It is important to take some time and plan out the action before pulling the trigger.

Take the time to do some study. Study the Bible, even glance through other religious texts. I do not believe that any other religious text is from the mouth of God, but that does not mean it cannot contain some degree of insight.

We have to take advantage of the knowledge of those who have lived before us. We can only do this through study and application.

Through study and wisdom comes foresight. By understanding the practical consequences of sin, we can tailor our behavior in the present. We can take actions now that will help us to avoid consequences later in life. That is true wisdom. Being able to act in the present with the future in mind. It is not the only definition of wisdom, but it is one perspective with which to think of wisdom.

The wise man looks into the future, plans accordingly, and follows up his plans with action. Even the best plans are useless without action. This is the critical component. Action built upon wisdom is the key to a good existence. Wisdom and foresight help us avoid the practical, earthly consequences of sin.