Our daily lives are filled with constant decisions, and sometimes life’s demands become so great that we seek escape from those decisions. Fortunately for all of us, there are some things which we can escape in this life and avoid. But the Bible reveals certain things about our lives which we can never escape.
OUR INFLUENCE
Every one of us wields some kind of influence by the life we live, the things we do, and the words we speak. That’s the meaning of Paul’s words in Romans 14:7: “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
The influence we have on others may be good or it may be bad, but we cannot escape influencing others. Whatever we do influences others to some degree.
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
In Romans 14:12, Paul also wrote, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” The fact that we cannot escape personal accountability for our actions is something that most people do not understand in this age of irresponsibility.
Like Adam, many people want to shift the blame for their own actions to someone else. When Adam sinned, he told God, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12). In that statement, Adam became the first man in history to not only blame his wife for his own actions, but to also blame his Father, who was God.
But the fact remains that each of us is personally accountable to God,. I cannot serve God for my family and neither can they serve Him for me. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20).
SIN’S CONSEQUENCES
Sin has always had consequences and the ultimate consequence of sin is eternal death. Paul said, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). What most people don’t realize is that even sin which has been forgiven may have consequences. One may ruin his health by drunkenness or by drugs and later repent and become a Christian. When he obeys the Lord, his sins are forgiven (Acts 2:38) but the consequences of his actions will linger in his body that is dissipated by drugs and alcohol. But the greatest consequence of all is the eternal loss if one’s soul if his sins are not forgiven.
CONCLUSION
But regardless of the sins we’ve committed, God has promised to forgive us when we obey the gospel of Christ. If one is willing to believe in Jesus as the Son of god (John 8:24), repent of his sins (Luke 13:3), confess his faith in the Son of God (Acts 8:37) and be immersed in water for the forgiveness of his sins (Acts 2:38), his sins are forgiven by God. Friends, you can escape the eternal consequences of sin by doing these things.
- Jerry Brewer; via the Belvedere Beacon, the weekly bulletin of the Belvedere church of Christ, Belvedere, SC. Ken Chumbley preaches for this congregation, and he may be contacted at their website: http://www.belvederechurchofchrist.org
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