Choices and consequences…

A radio preacher tells of a conversation with a person who thought she was neutral about faith in Christ. He tried to explain that if we have a choice, we are already in one of the choices. That is, she was saying NO to Jesus during the time she was not saying YES. She didn’t get that and insisted she would make a choice later. Finally the preacher said to her, “You can choose whatever you wish, but you cannot choose the consequences.”

How true. The OT is filled with examples. I read yesterday how Solomon began to serve as Israel’s king with faith and wisdom. However, he later chose many women outside of the people of God. Then, as God warned him, they led him from his faith and he began to worship idols. 

Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. . . .  Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. (1 Kings 11:6-11)

This man had been warned but he wanted what he wanted and lost all blessings from the Lord. As Piper says, doing our own thing can feel good in the process. Had Solomon experienced pain or sorrow, he would not have strayed. His story, and much of the OT is filled with reasons for remaining true to God. 

if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. (Leviticus 26:15–16)

God’s OT people were repeatedly warned, yet they continually forgot God and did their own thing. What about the NT? Does the sacrifice of Christ for sin free me to do what I please? Some think so, but the truth is, even though God's forgiveness and grace keep us in His forever family, we still face the consequences of our choices.

The main thing sin does is mess with my relationship with God to the point that I’m not talking to Him or relying on Him. I miss out on the benefits that go with being close to Him and able to rely on His help. This is not God pulling away from me, but me pulling away from God. 

Another consequence is shame. It may not visit me right away, but guilt does that. It also puts me under another task-master…

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:15–16)

Trusting Christ sets me free from sin. It seems senseless to go back to it. However, the human heart is deceitful. So are the lies of Satan and the lures of the world. The NT says repeatedly that my old nature is dead to God and must be treated that way, put off, ignored. If the danger was not there, God would not keep warning His people.

As for the consequences, this is an ‘if-then’ thing. My actions bring results, some in this life that bring blessing or sorrow, guilt, and unwanted events. Some are dealt later when God evaluates me at His judgment seat, not for faith but for the quality of my deeds. 

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12–15)

If I live for self, all such ‘works’ will be lost. Just as we say about money and possessions, ‘you cannot take it with you.’ The consequences of running my own life is having all of that burn up because it is rejected by the Lord. Only what is done in obedience will remain. 

PRAY: Jesus, this is both a relief and a warning. All my days are filled with choices. Following Your lead is important, not only for this life but for what will survive purging at the “Bema” seat where consequences are sorted out. Give me wisdom for each day. Your Word says if I “Trust in the Lord with all my heart, and do not lean on my own understanding, and in all my ways acknowledge You, that You will make straight my paths.” (Proverbs 3:5–6) This is a great assurance that good consequences will follow.

What am I doing with God’s gift of faith?

Yesterday I wrestled with the idea of giving someone a gift. While I’ve spent many hours creating this gift and know gift-giving is supposed to be without strings attached, I wonder if it will be appreciated or cared for. Cutting those strings is challenging. What will happen to my investment?

Then I thought about the gift of eternal life. A person I know became a Christian as a youngster. He lived for the Lord for a few years, then drifted. He now seems uninterested in the Gospel or spiritual matters without any concern about his sin. God invested in him and he genuinely received it but the gift lies gathering dust and is uncared for, much like the prodigal that wasted what his Father gave him. God’s gift is like that too — no strings attached. We can and do mess up but He does not get disgusted at our failures and take His gift back. Grace is unconditional.

Then God reminded me of my own tendency to fall into sinful attitudes or actions like grumbling or being critical or not being satisfied with His care for me. God gives new life by grace through faith — both are gifts. He also works to bring fruit from that marvelous and generous grace, but I can be stubbornly unfruitful by my selfishness. The Bible calls this grieving the Holy Spirit.

Through ignorance or stubbornness, Christians sometimes get the notion that free salvation means we are free to do whatever we please. This is foolishness and most of us quickly discover that even though God forgives, we cannot sin without consequences. The Bible explains why this is true:

“What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (Romans 6:15–16)

The Apostle Paul also says this:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12) and “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

Sin does nothing for anyone. It does not build me up; it only dominates my life and makes me a slave of it.

Tozer’s words in today’s devotional are sharp and I repeat them with considerable thought. He writes, “A selfish desire for happiness is as sinful as any other selfish desire. Its root is in the flesh which can never have any standing before God.… People are coming more and more to excuse every sort of wrongdoing on the grounds that they are ‘just trying to secure a little happiness.’”

He adds that this modern hedonism has affected Christians too. Sometimes the Gospel is made to sound as a means toward happiness, peace of mind and security, particularly in those who use the Bible to “relax” them, as if it were a drug.

Some parts of Scripture do bring peace of mind. For instance, it assures me that I am at peace with God and no longer condemned. That being true, the Bible also pokes at me if I have sinned and am not concerned about it nor have confessed and repented. God’s Word is truly a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) and able to both ‘hug’ me and give me a good swift kick at the same time.

As Tozer says, those who read Scripture with an open heart will quickly discover that God hates sin and seems to hate it even more when His own people are guilty of it. He saved us to be holy, to love and obey Him, to reflect His nature to a lost world. We are not here to do what we please but to glorify Him. He is more concerned with the state of my heart than with my comfort or my feelings. Even though He gives joy to those who obey, His focus is not on my happiness but my holiness.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, faith in You may not be real unless it changes the way I think about sin. Sinful habits reveal that I am not trusting You and have become a voluntary slave to something other than You. Thank You for the desire to do what glorifies You and builds up the faith of others. I’m glad that You keep reminding me that I have died to sin and am no longer under law. You have given me new life that I might live for You.