Sin creates (and in some ways is) its own punishment. Sadly, this has not been explained too well to most Christians. They think God directly punishes all sin in acts of simple retribution. This misunderstanding has had many lose their faith because people end up questioning God’s justice when they see the world is different from what they would expect if this were true. This is why it is important to point out that sin creates its own punishment, that it creates the conditions which the sinner (and others) live, conditions which create their own forms of suffering. Discussion of God’s wrath must take this truth in mind. God’s wrath is related to God’s love; it is aimed directly at sin, not at the person, because God cannot stand the harm which sin causes, both to the one who sins and also those affected by those sins. In this way, God’s love explains God’s wrath because talk about God’s wrath must be seen as metaphoric. God works to free everyone from sin. Those who remain attached to some sin will experience that work in a way which will make them think God’s intention is merely to punish them. But God’s work is not retributive, it is rather, restorative, as God seeks to restore everyone who sins to a state of justice and then help them become holy.
God gives people the freedom to act, creating the conditions they will experience due to their actions. This, we can say, is how we are to understand Paul when he said:
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power (1 Cor. 6:12-14 RSV).
God has given us freedom. Grace gives us the potential we need to make choices, as well as to fix those mistakes we make when we seek to do so. Through our choices, we can act in such a way we form bad habits, and through them, we find out how our own actions can lead us to undermine our own freedom. Nonetheless, even then, grace is available so that with it we can slowly break free of those habits, find our freedom restored, and then use it to engage more grace. The more we do so, the more we will find ourselves lifted beyond our initial state of justice and into a better state as we participate in in the glory of the Lord revealed at Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
All things are permitted, but not all is helpful; sin is its own punishment, and if we sin, if we turn our back on the way of justice, mercy, and love, we will find ourselves, as it were, in a foreign land where a famine has taken root, the famine created by our sin and the way our sin has wounded us and those around us.
No matter how much we sin, no matter how far we metaphorically travel away from the kingdom of God, our true home, God is patient, waiting for us to see what our sin has done to us, to repent, change our ways, and come back to him. If we do that, God will be there welcoming us back with love. Certainly, this is one of many points we should get from Parable of the Prodigal Son:
And he said, “There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, `Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living.
And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine (Lk. 15:11-15 RSV).
For a time, it might seem that going off on our own, relying upon ourselves, acting like rugged individuals without need of others, give us the satisfaction we desire. However, the pleasure we experience from it will not last. The famine will come; sin will create its own punishment, affecting us and those around us. We will not be happy. We will find things not going the way we wished. We might even see that our sin might not just create existential dread and sorrow, but have terrible consequences in the world, including the establishment of a physical famine (which is what we risk with climate change); but even if it does not, we still will find ourselves filled with worsening angst and dread the longer we have turned our backs on justice and love. Eventually, we might not only return to God, and seek to live a holy life, but do so for such a long time that we begin to be more like the other son in the parable, the the one who stayed, thinking we are doing all we can to stay with God, do what is right, and become upset when we see God’s love is shown to those who have gone astray and repent. We might ask why they get so much and we seem to get nothing; but Jesus, through the parable, reminds us this is not the case:
And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found (Lk. 15:32-32 RSV).
If we forget this, if we continue to complain, seeking what we think is ours by right, we suddenly become like the wayward son once again. We are self-absorbed, showing we have not really done as we thought we have done, that is, stayed on the path of holiness, because our unlove, our lack of mercy, reveals our true character. Then, we will find ourselves, until we repent, creating the conditions of our own suffering. Let us not become self-absorbed. Let us look with the eyes of love, so that we love God and our neighbor as ourselves. Let us not act out of some transactional desire, hoping to get something from God, but rather, let us truly embrace the way of love, for then we will, with God, welcome others with love when they repent and change their ways.
Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!
N.B.: While I read comments to moderate them, I rarely respond to them. If I don’t respond to your comment directly, don’t assume I am unthankful for it. I appreciate it. But I want readers to feel free to ask questions, and hopefully, dialogue with each other. I have shared what I wanted to say, though some responses will get a brief reply by me, or, if I find it interesting and something I can engage fully, as the foundation for another post. I have had many posts inspired or improved upon thanks to my readers.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In