DEATH IS THE CONSEQUENCE - Lesson 3 of 5

KEY CONCEPT: Sin separates us from God and leads to death.

Review

  • In Lesson 1: “God Loves Us,” we addressed the worldview question, “Where do we come from?” We saw how, according to the Christian worldview, we were created by God and His Son, Jesus, in order to experience a mutual loving friendship (which is the purpose of life). We also learned about the dynamic of that friendship and how God gave us free will, beginning with Adam and Eve.
  • In Lesson 2: “We Sinned,” we addressed the worldview question, “What’s gone wrong?” We saw how both angels and humans used their free will to rebel against God. Moving on from the sin of Adam and Eve, we considered the sin in our lives as well.
  • Now in Lesson 3: “Death is the Consequence,” we will expound on the worldview question, “What’s gone wrong?” and then begin to address the next question, “What can be done about it?”

What the Consequence of Sin Is

Read Genesis 2:15-17. How is it an expression of love for a parent to warn their child of danger?

Just as there are consequences for violating a law of traffic (by driving the wrong way on a one-way street), or the law of electricity (by sticking a fork in a light socket), or the law of gravity (by jumping off a bridge), there are consequences for violating the moral law of God. According to the Christian worldview, that consequence is death.

The concept of death throughout the Bible is threefold:

1. Physical Death - The death of one’s body. (Romans 6:23)

2. Spiritual Death - A broken relationship with God. (Isaiah 59:2)

3. Eternal Death - Eternal condemnation. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 20:14-15)

Now we can make sense of the pain and suffering we experience in the world. God is not the one responsible for evil; those who have rebelled against Him are.

Why God Must Hold People Accountable For Sin

[Illustration: The Just Judge - Like a good judge can’t let a guilty criminal go free, God can’t turn a blind eye to our sin. His justice must be satisfied]

It is because God is perfectly holy that He must uphold justice. (see Psalm 9:7-8) For God to turn a blind eye to our sin would require Him to go against His very nature. In doing so, He would cease to be a good God.

[Illustration: The Chronicles of Narnia – The White Witch demands Edmund’s death as the consequence for his betrayal. Alsan does not deny it]

God does not take pleasure in punishing us, but He does respect our free will choices. (see Ezekiel 18:23; 2 Peter 3:9) Thus, God turns us over to the consequences of our choices, which, ultimately, is Hell. Incidentally, Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. (see Matthew 25:41)

The warnings we see in the Bible are sobering. It says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire, and that those who commit adultery, fornication, murder, or practice drunkenness and other such things will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. (Revelation 21:8; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21)

Why We Cannot Save Ourselves Through a Life of Good Works

One of the most commonly held theories in the world is the belief that peace with God can be obtained by outweighing evil deeds with good deeds. For example: attending religious gatherings, giving to charity, saying prayers, going on pilgrimages, enduring suffering, keeping laws, abstaining from evil things, etc.

However, this mentality has a major problem: it contradicts what God says can be done about the problem of sin, death and hell. Read Galatians 3:10-11 and Isaiah 64:6.

[Illustration: The Scale - How would you rate yourself on a scale of 0 to 100? If God’s minimum standard was one point higher than yours, what would happen to you? Do you know what God’s minimum standard is? It is 100]

[Illustration: The Cockroach – If you kill a bug, there is no penalty, but if you kill a man, there is a penalty. The penalty increases according to the value of the one offended. There’s an infinite penalty for offending an infinite God]

As “sinners,” we have nothing to offer God that could make amends for what we have done or take away what we deserve. Clearly, God will not accept anyone on the basis of a good life. These things do nothing to appease God’s justice. Our merits are not enough.

Clearly, if it were left to us to be reconciled to God we would be helpless. So what hope is there?

In Lesson 4 of 5, we’ll discuss what God did so that we might be saved from sin and reconciled to Him.