Sin Is Its Own Punishment

Sin is its own punishment! I used to think that by going through a "sanctification process", I was setting myself apart from the world for God. Wow, what a Pharisee I had become! Here is the problem with this stance and a portion of the evangelical church.

Many believe the best form of evangelism is to talk about Hell and eternal condemnation. But if someone comes to the Lord through those means, do they really come to know the Lord? The begining of wisdom is the fear of God. I believe begining because He draws us into relationship. And it is relationship with Him - not through fear of hell. The fear of hell should not be the motivation - pefect love casts out fear. If He is love, how can we come to know Him truly if we are afraid of incurring His wrath? It also breeds this "in" and "out" mentality. This is often how "movements" start, and churches...

A few years ago, I was talking to a man about Godly living, the world, and sanctification. He told me, "If I just lived by what I wanted, I'd be a part of an orgy every night with 40 or more women. I don't, because I serve God." Hmm. Really? The reality is, He gives us free will, and the freedom to fail - to try things and find that when we come to the end of ourselves, He's right there waiting for us. We should not want to take part of an orgy because it isn't what is best for us. It is to our benefit to avoid for the sake of our physical bodies, our spiritual bodies, our spouse, family, etc. The word says to obstain from such an activity, not for the sake of following some law in drudgery, but because that is what is best for our well-being. The bible says, "Thou shalt not steal." I don't steal from my neighbor because of a love for him as a fellow man and how he'd feel if I stole from him. When we view sin as the fun stuff the world gets to do that we aren't allowed to indulge in, this breeds the "in/out" mentality and gives us something to boast in. It also gives us some sort of twisted solace knowing people will be punished for the wicked things I'm forsaking as service to God. "I've followed the whole law since I was young" as the rich young ruler said. We get to define our own morality and spirituality by twisting scripture to justify our theology and actions. This is how we maintain superiority over "sinners." This doesn't sound like freedom! A life lived loved with our Father realizes that sin is its own worst punishment, and life in Him offers true freedom. The wages of sin is death. To the world, they are enslaved to this because they don't know any differently - but a Father in heaven loves them and wants to free them from the bondage of their own sin.