Forgiven from sins, not from consenquences

     I have watched the news over the past few months some. I have read a lot of the titles of posts on social media. I have actually read or watch only a few posts. I have heard the debates and interviews of the "experts" on the events that have taken place. I have heard some of the comments and messages that preachers have put out there. And the commentary everyone else has provided on it. I have read what my social media friends have had to say. A lot of them made me wonder when they became an "expert" on such things. Most of them made me wonder if they even researched what they were saying or posting because it was so obvious that it was made up. Anyway, we are all entitled to our opinion and for now we have the right to express it, no matter how profound or dumb it may be. The trouble with most of these opinions about the shootings, terrorist attacks, protest, elections, and animal troubles is that all we are doing is beating a dead horse. We know there is a problem with the world we live in. We know things need to change but instead of searching for solutions that will benefit all we want to spend our time blaming everybody but the guilty party. It is easier to tell someone why their plan didn't work and why it is their fault it didn't work than it is to actually come up with a workable plan and doing it. It is easier to blame an object or a people group than it is to

accept the blame.
     So no blame game here. I only blame sin. If you committed it then you caused the trouble the sin caused. It was your choice and you chose sin. So for all practical purposes you chose the trouble that went with the sin, that is called consequences. You can't have one without the other. You can cast the blame anywhere and everywhere but if it is your sin then you will receive the consequences and sometimes the consequences of our sin hurt others too. Even that private sin that nobody knows about, God does so there will be consequences to that sin.
     Now I know what many of you are thinking, "What about God's love?" or "What about forgiveness?" To that I will say they both are real and always there but God's love includes consequences.
                         For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, just as a father, the son he delights in.
Proverbs 3:12 (HCSB)

     So we cannot go on sinning and not expect consequences. The world needs to be taught that and we as Christians need to be reminded of it. Because we like to stand and wait on the world to get "what's coming to them" while we are "thankful we don't get what we deserve". That isn't how God's love works. We only get to apply the "don't get what we deserve" card to hell. We deserve hell but through Jesus Christ we can accept Heaven.

         For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)

     When I sin I deserve the trouble that follows it because I choose to sin. Me being a Christian doesn't change the consequences. Just because I am a Christian and I have been forgiven of my sins does not give me a "free to sin" card. Yes, I see you that are waving the, "I'm forgiven" flag. I hear you saying that He removes our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. That is true, because the Bible says it is. But is says He removes the sin, not the consequences. Ask the thief on the cross. All was forgiven but he still died on the cross. Ask Moses. All was forgiven but he still didn't get into the Promised Land even though God used him after he sinned.

     So what do we teach the world? We have taught them so much about God's love and forgiveness that they, and sometimes we, cannot see the consequences of sin. We have forgotten about the wrath of God because we only talk about His blessings. On the other hand if we only preach the wrath of God and the consequences of sin they will not see the love of God or realize that they are forgiveness

available. We must teach both. It is like a BLT sandwich. Because of what was in or not in the fridge I have ate a BLT without the L and without the T but always with the B and most of the time extra B. Neither way tasted right. There was something missing. To get the complete experience you needed the L and the T. To completely understand God you need both the forgiveness and the consequences.

Parting Thought: To get to the end, you have to go through the beginning