We all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. We all have heard that well-known verse from Romans 3:23. Each and every human being has somehow, in some way sinned. And you and I both know our own faults and shortcomings both to other people and to ourselves.
Rewards and Factors of Sin
Agree?
Yes. And now that we’ve established that you and I have sinned at least once in our lives, we both know the rewards of sin don’t we?
Yeah.
The rewards of sin is cheap
There are lots and lots of kinds of sin in this world. But all of them have the same factors. And here I’ve listed some of them down:
First time you do it, the guilt stings
Ever remember the first time you did one kind of sin? You will always KNOW that it’s wrong and you will always feel that guilt strongly until you commit it again. Then when repetition, compromise and justification has weaved the sin into your mind and heart, the guilt dies away.
Guilt is something fashioned inside of us by God in order for us to get back to Him when we fall and we realize that what we did is wrong. And you can only beat guilt through justification and compromise through time. Still even before you can build that wall around your heart, you can feel the hard, cold sting of guilt – especially when you remember the Word of God.
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” – Hebrews 4:12
Right after you do it, you realize it’s wrong or something’s amiss inside you
The very moment when you commit the sin, you realize that it is indeed wrong and something is just not right inside you – but you can’t figure out what. You’re not able to say it but you feel like something inside you got broken or has died. What you’re feeling is exactly what Adam and Eve felt when the first sin entered into this world – something in them died.
Their connection with God who is the giver and source of life eternal has died. They were forever separated from Him. Sin separates us from God. And so that something you feel inside you that is amiss – that’s the feeling of separation. Separation from God.
All sin lets you feel this separation. You can’t explain it because it does not meddle with your body. It has something to do with your soul and spirit – your connection with the source of eternal life.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” – Isaiah 59:2
After you’ve reached the peak of the sin’s pleasure, you find that it’s meaningless
At the same instant when you’ve accomplished that sin brings and have felt that you’ve achieved and consumed all the pleasure you can with the sin you’ve committed – you instantly feel that empty feeling as if what you’ve achieved is useless. You feel empty, and suddenly life seems a bit more meaningless.
Ever felt this way?
I’m sure you have.
That is because the pleasure that sin gives is temporary – and consummating the pleasures of sin will bring you nothing. Nothing but the consequences of the sin you’ve committed. You can only avoid the consequences too long but in the end, you’ll grow old, weary and tired and then it’ll begin catching up. And then you realize, it’s not worth it.
You only get to live life once. Sin will entangle you and make you unproductive – then when you’ve spent your strength and your dreams are gone, you’ll realize that it’s all meaningless.
The rewards of sin is cheap but the price you pay for it is priceless.
Willing to trade?