Sin and Punishment

Sin is simple. When you do someone that God has said not to do, you sin (I John 3:4). When you do not do something God has commanded, you sin (James 4:17). That covers a pretty wide area, which is why lists of sins found in scripture do not claim to be complete. For example,

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:19-21

This list teaches that adultery, fornication, uncleanness, and lasciviousness (that is, all forms of lust and sexual activity outside of marriage) are sin. Idolatry (letting anything be more important than God in your life) is a sin. Witchcraft (false religion and applying to “another power” other than God) is a sin. Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, and strife (all of which are sins against others) are all sins. Seditions and heresies (turning others away from the Lord) is sin. Envying (jealousy over another’s possessions, status, abilities, etc.), murders, drunkenness and revellings, are all sin. And then Paul ends with “and such like,” which means that there are more works of the flesh (in other words: sin), than in this list.

If we choose to sin, there are consequences. It’s that simple. If we choose to do that which God has forbidden, or if we choose to not do that which God has commanded, there is a result. And it’s not a happy one.

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Mark 9:43-48

If you live in sin, all you have to look forward to is an eternity of suffering and torment. Of course, the opposite is equally true. If we live for Christ, we have eternal life to look forward to. It shouldn’t be hard to choose which we prefer, and then make up our minds to live accordingly. Do you want to have eternal life with Christ? Do as He says (John 14:15). Do you want to suffer in eternal torment? Then sin. Just remember the consequences.

II Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

We refer to these couple verses quite often. Let us break it down and see what all is contained in this passage.

First, we learn that the scriptures (that is, writings, that is, the Bible) are given by inspiration of God. Or more literally, that they are God-breathed. God, being the creator of all things, as well as being all powerful and all knowing, certainly has the authority with which to tell us what to do. Much as a parent has the authority to direct and guide his/her child. We learn here of the absolute authority and perfect origin of the Bible. And while it is likely that Paul here is referring to the Old Testament, the New Testament books (specifically the letters of Paul) are also put into the same category of “scripture” by Peter (II Peter 3:15-16).

We learn that the scriptures are profitable, that is, useful and worthwhile for doctrine. Which means that the word of God is provided for teaching and learning. We learn also that it is profitable for reproof, that is, for rebuking that which is wrong. We are convicted of what is wrong through God's word. Following this, we see that it is good for correction. Which makes sense. After we see what we are doing wrong, we can learn how to fix it. And we learn that the scriptures are there for instruction in all righteousness. This is a bit different from doctrine. Doctrine, or teaching is a more general term. It would include not only what we need to do, but also basic teachings of Christ: His Deity, His life, His crucifixion and burial, His resurrection, and such things as that. “Instruction in righteousness” is more specific: the scriptures teach us how we might stand righteous before God, and thus be saved.

Verse 17 teaches us two things. First, that it is through the scriptures and the use of the scriptures that the man of God may be made perfect, that is, complete or mature. We do not turn to some other source in order to mature and be a whole and complete Christian: we turn to God's inspired word. It is not through some other teaching, catechism, or creed that we become complete. It is only through the Bible, which God has provided.

The second part of verse 17 tells us what we need to continue doing, and of our purpose. That we may thoroughly equipped for good works. That is, by heeding scripture, we will be prepared and able to carry out the Lord's work. That would involve teaching, caring for others, increasing our faith, and anything else that can truly be done in His service.

There is much contained in these two short verses that instruct us in the proper use of the Lord's word. Let us strive to do as much as we can to grow in knowledge of the word, and to use it well in the Lord's service.

Tradition

Tradition can be a sticky subject. Many people are instantly opposed to anything traditional. Others are enamored with traditions. The Bible speaks of traditions that are both good, and of those that are evil. Let us consult the scriptures, given by God, to understand how we should view tradition.

Some traditions are expressly good. These are those things which have their origin with God, and which God has made binding. That is, God made them and God expects us to follow them. II Thessalonians 2:13-15 tells us that this tradition is the gospel, which was taught by the apostles in both written form and verbal form. (II Corinthians 10:7-11 illustrates that what they said they also wrote, and the other way around. It wasn't two separate teachings, but the same things taught two ways.) We see in II Thessalonians 3:6-12 that this tradition taught by Christ and the apostles involved the manner of life in which we are to live. I Thessalonians 4:1-8 and I Corinthians 11:23 show us that what the apostles taught was not separate of what the Lord taught, nor was it of their own creation. Rather, they taught the traditions which they were commanded to teach by God. They were fulfilling the commandment given to them by Christ in Matthew 28:18-20:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
For this reason, we accept what the apostles wrote and taught regarding the Lord's will. It is not a matter of “This is just what Paul thought,” or “Well, that's just Peter's view of it.” Their instruction comes from the Lord.

Next we note that some things are indifferent to the Lord. There are some things (but not everything!) in which we have some freedom and liberty to do as we choose. For example, there is no verse in scripture which tells us what color to paint our walls or carpet our floors. There are some things which are left up to us. And occasionally, we form traditions we follow around these sorts of things. These traditions are things which man originated, but which we do not force on others. Often these are a matter of convenience (for example, we assemble at 9:45 on Sunday mornings because that is a convenient time, as opposed to a different time each week.) Romans 14:1-13 deals with these things. At the same time, we must remember I Peter 2:13-17 and not misuse our liberty. We must remember that Christ, and His will, always comes first.

Next, we turn our eyes to tradition which God finds displeasing in the extreme. When man originates something and then makes it binding on others, it is an evil tradition. This generally takes two forms. One is replacing one of God's traditions with a man-made tradition. The other is adding a man-made tradition to God's tradition. In Matthew 15:1-13, Christ expressly condemns this sort of tradition. In Galatians 1:13-17, Paul writes of the religious traditions he followed earlier in his life, which caused him to persecute the church. Colossians 2:8-10 warns against being cheated by man by traditions. Titus 1:10-16 warns against following fables and commandments of men. I Peter 1:13-21 addresses aimless conduct taught by tradition. We must be careful not to add or replace any part of what God has said in the scriptures. When we do so, we oppose Christ. Likewise, we must careful not to adhere to such man-made doctrines, lest we lose our soul.

The last sort of tradition is also one that is evil. It occurs when God has established something, and decreed that man should follow in it, yet men obey only our of rote habit, and not out of devotion fervent obedience to God. This was a problem in the days of Isaiah, as shown in Isaiah 29:13-14 and Isaiah 1:11-20. The people at that time were keeping the laws given to them by God. But they held no meaning for the people. They simply followed them by habit and without thought. We must be careful to never follow God in such a way! Indeed, the Bible teaches that He finds such obedience to be just as repugnant as disobedience.

Let us follow the traditions as given to us in the scriptures by God! Let us turn away from such man-made doctrines as imperil our soul. Let us strive to follow the Lord wholeheartedly.

An Obedient Faith

Often we speak of faithful obedience. And rightly so. Whatever good we may do on this earth is without meaning unless it is done out of faith in the Lord. But often, we neglect to flip the phrase around the other way, and consider faith as obedience.

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
I John 3:23

Here, John writes that we are commanded to believe. Faith isn't something that simply happens to us. Rather, we consider the evidence provided (John 20:30-31) and choose to obediently decide based on the word (Romans 10:17). Indeed, Jesus was asked about this subject (John 6:22-40), and responded in verse 29:

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

The context tells us that this belief is not something that God does or has done, but rather, it something that we must all do if we wish to follow the Lord. In short, we are commanded to believe, and so, being obedient, we choose to do so.

We can see this same obedient faith in the great heroes of the Bible as well. In the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, we see this obedient faith in Abel (v 4), in Noah (v 7), in Abraham (v 8-10, 17), in Isaac (v 20), in Jacob (v 21), in Joseph (v 22), in Moses (v 24-28), in the Israelites (v 29, 30) and in Rahab (v 31). Faith is held not outside of obedience, but in obedience.

Which of course begs a question. Is it the only thing we must obey the Lord in? Is our obedient faith an intellectual acceptance, and that's the end of our obedience? Of course not. If we obey in one part, we should obey in all parts. Just as we should obey the command to believe, we should obey the Lord's other commands, whether of baptism (Acts 10:48), of repentance (Acts 17:30), of assembling (Hebrews 10:25), of the Lord's Supper (Luke 22:19), of prayer (I Thessalonians 5:17), of holiness and purity (I Peter 1:15-16), or in regard to anything else of which the Lord has spoken.

Just as we cannot hope to be pleasing to God without faith (Hebrews 11:6), it is impossible to be pleasing to God if we do not obey His other commandments. Either we walk with Him wholeheartedly and completely, or we do not walk with Him at all.

Take a few moments and consider: Do you have faith, as required by God? Do you continue to wholeheartedly follow the Lord's other commands? Or are there limits as to you willingness to obey the Lord?