Consequence: the results or effects of an action or decision.
Impose: to officially force a punishment.
The Mt. Sinai covenant included the law i.e. the Ten Commandments with God’s imposed punishment for breaking the law i.e. stoning to death. Prior to the Mt. Sinai covenant, there was no official stoning to death for sin, and yet, sin still existed and people still died.
Romans 5:12-14 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
Sin did not become a transgression of the law until the Mt. Sinai covenant was enacted. Prior to Mt. Sinai, sin was defined as missing the mark, and that mark is the glory of God’s image within all of us.
Genesis 1:27 So, God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them.
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Sin is sin, but now, since Mt. Sinai, sin is also the transgression of the law.
1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin, also transgresses the Law. For sin is the transgression of the Law.
In Christ we are no longer under the Mt. Sinai covenant, with its law and God’s imposed punishment. Even though we are no longer under the law, sin is still sill, and sin still kills, even without the law.
Romans 2:12 When Gentiles sin, they will perish, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who have God’s law but don’t obey it, will be judged and condemned by the law.
The cross of Christ saves us from God’s imposed death penalty for sin i.e. stoning to death, but it doesn’t save us from sin’s natural consequence i.e. death (physical and spiritual). Remember, the day Adam disobeyed God, he died spiritually, which started the process of physical death.
Genesis 2:16-17 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Adam hadn’t been created very long when he spiritually died as a consequence, not a punishment, for disobeying God, but he was 930 years old when he physically died as a result of his spiritual death.
Genesis 5:5 Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.
When Adam sinned, he died spiritually, which means his connection to God, and eternal life, was broken. When a person is saved by faith, their connection to God is restored in Christ.
Romans 6:11 Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
This re-connection to God is called being saved, or born again. Being saved means you use to be dead because of sin, but now you have been made spiritually alive in Christ. This new spiritual life is a free gift.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!
Through the cross, God is able to freely cleanse us of all our past sin, and make us spiritually alive.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Receiving salvation through the cleansing of all our past sin and being made spiritually alive is free, but the free gift must not be neglected.
Hebrews 2:2-3 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.
Being cleansed of all our past sin, and being made spiritually alive, is most diffidently a free gift, because it’s not something we could have done on our own. Even though it’s a free gift, we must not neglect living the Spirit filled life, but rather, we must walk worthy of it. We walk worthy of it by submitting and allowing the Spirit to lead and guide us in holiness, if we don’t, sin’s consequence, not God’s punishment, could cause spiritual death again.
Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
The fruit that testifies that we are children of God is not belief, it’s living the holy life. Belief is the reason why we bear the fruit of living a righteous life.
1 John 3:10 So, now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
If someone says they believe, and yet, they don’t obey, that belief has no power to save them from the consequence of their future sins.
James 2:14-17,20 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?... How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without work is dead?
When we fall short of God’s glory i.e. when we sin, the power of the Spirit will convict us and bring inner turmoil, which is meant to lead us to repentance and confession so that God can, once again, cleans us from the effect that sin has on our spiritual life, and our relationship with God and eternal life.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Our confession, when we sin, is our way of responding to the Spirit’s conviction. Confession gives God permission to cleans us, and restore our broken fellowship with Him, lest our sin is allowed to grow, and its natural consequence destroys us. One sin does not cause spiritual death, there’s a process. First comes the temptation, then comes the sin, and if sin is allowed to grow, it can cause spiritual death.
James 1:14-16 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
Now, here is the important thing to understand. Any behavior that was done under the law, that demanded God’s imposed punishment, has the ability to cause spiritual death, even without the law. There is no eternal life in spiritual death.
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Let me give you an example.
If we were still under the law today, and we refused to keep the Sabbath holy, the law would demand God’s imposed punishment i.e. being put to death for not keeping the Sabbath holy.
Exodus 31:15 There are six days for working, but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day holy for the Lord. Anyone who works during the Sabbath day must be put to death.
Today, because of grace, there is no stoning to death for not keeping the Sabbath holy, but there could be spiritual death. Spiritual death is not coming from God; it’s coming from sin itself because grace has no power over sin’s natural consequences. This is why God says we reap what we sow, (Galatians 6:7-8).
Grace will not stop your girlfriend from getting pregnant, grace will not stop you from contracting a STD, grace will not stop you from becoming an addict or an alcoholic and so on. Grace will not stop sin from hardening your heart, and turning you away from God.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end.
Grace has no power to prevent the consequences of sin; it only teaches us how to avoid the consequences by not sinning in the first place.
Titus 2:11-13 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
Why shouldn’t we continue sinning? Because sin still causes all kinds of problems, including spiritual death, which grace does not prevent.
Romans 8:12-14 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
It's the holy ways of God in our life that keeps us spiritually alive and connected to eternal life, keeping the Sabbath holy is one of them holy ways.
Romans 6:22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.
If our behavior was sinful enough to cause us to be stoned to death under the law, it’s sinful enough to cause spiritual death without the law. Remember, there’s no eternal life in spiritual death.
Romans 5:12-14 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did.
We can either die because of sin itself or we can be put to death because of God’s imposed punishment under the law.
Romans 2:12 When Gentiles sin, they will perish, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who have God’s law but don’t obey it, will be judged and condemned by the law.
The holy ways of God is what keeps us spiritually alive, they are like nutrition for the Spirit filled life.
John 4:33-34 Did someone bring him food while we were gone? the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”
1 Peter 2:2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.
Matthew 4:4 But Jesus answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
As long as we’re following the life and teachings of Messiah, we will remain spiritually alive, and connected to eternal life.
John 6:53-56 So, Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.
1 John 5:11-12 This is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
Messiah’s teachings are connected to eternal life, because His words come directly from the Father.
John 12:48-50 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so, I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”
John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
John 10:27-28 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.
John 15:5-6 I am the Vine and you are the branches. Get your life from Me. Then I will live in you and you will give much fruit. You can do nothing without Me. “If anyone does not get his life from Me, he is cut off like a branch and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire and they are burned.
We have salvation, and eternal life, through our spiritual connection to God, which is contingent on our obedience to the Son.
2 John 1:9 Anyone who goes too far and does not live by the teachings of Christ does not have God. If you live by what Christ taught, you have both the Father and the Son.
Hebrews 5:8-9 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.
Amen…
"Consequence vs Imposed"
