this is a continuation from the post “A ‘Mis’ View of God_Part 1“:

There is a distinction however that must be made. You might ask, “what about believers that go to jail because of their sin? Or a believer who looses their marriage because of the sin of infidelity? Isn’t that God’s judgment upon that sin in their lives?” There are two answers to this question. One is stated rather obviously in scripture and the other is found in scripture when we look at many examples of people who believed in God and still sinned and what played out in their lives.

First, this question mirrors the thinking found by the Jewish people during the time that Jesus walked on the earth. The concept is: any bad things that happen to us are a direct result of sin in our lives. John 9:34 shows this thinking, when a blind man is healed by Jesus they refuse to believe his story because they say he was, “born in utter sin.” In other words he, or his parents must have been in deep sin for him to be born blind.

This thinking that bad always comes from sin is also modeled in Job by his three friends who all say variation of this same theme. However, this is not biblical. In John 9:2-3 the disciples ask what sin had been committed for this man to be born blind, and Jesus explains that it wasn’t because of any sin, but rather for the glory of God. Answer one is that sometimes bad things happen not because of sin, but rather for God’s glory.

Secondly, the question above describes a certain circumstance of sin and consequence. If I steal something and I’m caught I will have to face the consequences of that action. However, consequences should not be construed as judgment from God. For instance if a teen becomes pregnant out of wedlock but then repents of her sin it is wiped away and forgotten by God but the fact of life is that baby will still come. All the hardship and difficult times of taking care of a baby cannot be stopped ,these are the consequences of her sin and they are never removed. But they should not be looked at as judgment for sin!

Consequences and judgments…two very different things. Judgment is direct punishment from God upon sin and the only judgment described in the bible for sin is eternity in Hell. Consequences are more like an effect of sin. Just as every action has a reaction every sin has a consequence and these should not be thought of as judgment but rather like a natural law of the universe. I can’t jump of a building (action) without landing harshly at the bottom, which could result in my death (reaction or consequence).

So my conclusion is this: as believers who’s sin has been washed away we will never face the judgment of our sin (eternity in hell). But we will face the consequences of our sin just as every human does. The love of God is huge, its big, and it wipes away all judgment. God accepts you and me without recourse, without hesitation, no matter how many times we mess up. As Christians God views us as the perfection of Jesus Christ and He makes us into that perfection in a practical way each day! That’s something to celebrate and rejoice in. That’s something to build into your identity and to meditate on.