The Consequences of Sin

“Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realized they were naked. So they sewed together fig leaves and made clothes for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking in the garden. It was during the coolest time of the day. They hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:7-8

When we sin against God, we are going to deal with three specific consequences. We see these consequences embodied in the very first sin when Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. Immediately as they ate, they realized they were naked. They felt guilt over what they had done. They were ashamed of their naked bodies and so they sewed clothing to cover themselves. And as God approached them following their sin, they felt fear for the first time and hid from God among the trees.

Guilt, shame, and fear are the three results of any sin we commit against God. Following the first sin, God also outlined the greater consequences of sin, including our eternal separation from Him, and the penalty of spiritual death. He kicked Adam and Eve out of the Garden.

To this day we still deal with sin’s consequences. When we sin against God, we are guilty of breaking His ideal. We bring shame to ourselves in our selfish actions. And we have every reason to fear God’s wrath upon us for the wrongs we have committed. Guilt, shame, and fear follow us throughout our sinful lives.

Thankfully, we have Jesus, who removes all of the consequences of sin when we surrender our lives to Him. Romans 8:33 says no charge is brought against us because God has justified us (removed our guilt). Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that Jesus also took our shame. And 2 Timothy 1:7 says that we no longer have a spirit of fear when we walk with Jesus. In Jesus, not only are we forgiven of our sins, but all of the consequences are also taken away.

God, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross and raising Him from the dead to pay the penalty for my sins. Thank You that as a Christ follower I do not have to live in the guilt, shame, or fear that is the result of that sin. Help me to live fully for Jesus, knowing I am free to follow Him with my whole life. In Jesus’ name, amen.