The Wisdom Of Reflecting On Sin’s Consequences

Recently I learned of the moral failure of a brother in Christ. This man was a true hero to me, a pastor whose ministry had blessed me enormously over the years. Of course, I know he was “just a man,” with “feet of clay,” and that “we’re not supposed to put men on pedestals,” and all the other stuff we usually say when someone’s sin is publicized. Still, we can’t help but be surprised, shocked, or shook when we learn a fellow believer has fallen. We think, “Surely not! He could never do such a thing.” Before long, however, we slowly accept the evidence and begin to feel deeply for everyone involved. These feelings can be both heart-rending and gut-wrenching. We may even become physically sick as we consider the fallout and consequences of sin.

It may sound morbid, but I believe meditating on sin’s consequences can be helpful in our Christian walk. Indeed, I think one reason many of us feel so deeply when learning of a brother or sister’s fall is that we imagine the horror of bringing the same shame upon ourselves and others. Consider then these three benefits of reflecting on the consequences of sin:

1) We’re Motivated To Walk In Holiness

Negative motivators are not always, well, negative. While positive motivators are helpful, negative motivators are equally beneficial. Recall how Solomon uses negative motivation in the early chapters of Proverbs to warn of the consequences of adultery. He wants all who will listen to think long and hard about the effects of being ensnared by the beguiling ways of the adulteress. Consider his warning about the consequences of sin in these three texts:

Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house,
lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel,
lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich the house of another. At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent. You will say, “How I hated discipline! How my heart spurned correction! I would not obey my teachers or turn my ear to my instructors.”

Proverbs 5:8-13

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.

Proverbs 6:27-29

And finally, this text about the foolish young man who allowed himself to be led astray by the persuasive words of the immoral woman:

All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life.

Proverbs 7:22-23

While God may forgive all sin in Christ, sin’s consequences remain. And those consequences can be utterly devastating. For this reason, Moses warned the tribes of Israel: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23), and Paul similarly cautions New Testament believers: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Reflecting on the real-life fallout of sin motivates us to walk in holiness. Here’s another benefit of meditating on sin’s consequences:

2) We’re Reminded Of What We Stand To Lose

Years ago, a seminary professor encouraged fellow students and me to place several family pictures throughout our pastoral studies. Those pictures, he said, would not only beautify the otherwise colorless atmosphere of most pastor studies, but they were also a reminder of what we stood to lose if we toyed with sin. His advice both blessed me and haunted me in my pastoral ministry. Looking for just a moment at the adoring pictures of our wife and children reminds us that our sin deeply hurts those nearest us.

I remember once watching a news story about a pastor caught in several sins, including lying, adultery, and illegal drug use. In one of those “Gotcha” moments of television journalism, a video camera captured the man and his family in their car as the pastor tried to avoid the press. As the journalist shouted questions to the pastor, you can see the expressions on the faces of the man’s wife and children. I had such a terrible feeling watching that moment. I recall thinking the pastor’s two sons were about the ages of my two boys. While the man’s sins were grievous, I remember thinking how horrible his family must have felt.

Meditating on sin’s consequences motivates us to walk in holiness and reminds us of what we stand to lose. Finally, reflecting on the consequences of sin leads to greater humility:

3) We’re Impelled to Humble Ourselves

The Apostle Paul warns the Corinthians: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). We must remember we’re all capable of the exact sin others have committed. That’s just a fact. I was reminded of this truth when reflecting recently on one of my favorite Puritan prayers in The Valley Of Vision (Banner Of Truth). From the prayer entitled, “God the All,” is this utterance:

O God, it is amazing that men can talk so much
 about man’s creaturely power and goodness,
 when, if thou didst not hold us back every
 moment, we should be devils incarnate.

Apart from God’s restraining grace, we all would be “devils incarnate.” We must remember this truth when a brother or sister falls. Rather than condemning those who have fallen into sin, we must, among other things, remember we are capable of the same behavior. And, in the words of a Chuck Girard song of the 1980s:

Don’t shoot the wounded; they need us more than ever.
They need our love no matter what it is they’ve done.
Sometimes we just condemn them,
And don’t take time to hear their story.
Don’t shoot the wounded; someday you might be one.

“God, give me the grace to humble myself so that I may walk in holiness and avoid disgracing the name of the Lord, His church, and my family.”