Reimar A.C. Schultze

Past Issues of the Call To Obedience

"The Consequences of Sin"

By Pastor Reimar Schultze

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

This Scripture holds a warning that is not too well received by many believers.  The warning—BE NOT DECEIVED-means that even though God forgives the penitent sinner, there will be a consequence to that which he has sown in the flesh.  In fact, the next verse tells us so even more clearly:

“For he that soweth in his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (v. 8).

Anything sown in the flesh will have eternal consequences, and anything sown in the Spirit will bring a harvest of blessings that will never end.

The popular perceptions that Christians can sin with impunity or no consequence has no biblical basis whatsoever.  The spiritual principle is, “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  This is a universal; it has always been true.  It is true now and will be so until the season of sowing is forever ended.  No one is exempt from this law; neither the sinner nor the saint.  And this truth is as old as Adam and Eve, who for their sin were cast out of the garden, putting the whole human race in jeopardy.  Let us not be deceived!

I have already mentioned the sins of our first parents.  Let us now look at another convincing biblical proof that sin has its consequences, even for the best of saints, by looking at the life of King David’s sins of adultery and murder.  In fact, by looking at David, we are looking at a man who, God said, was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). 

Preacher, Sunday school teacher, layman, beware: if you commit adultery, you will suffer for the consequence of that sin until the end of time.  God has not changed.  The God of King David is our God.  His name is I AM.  He said, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal. 3:6).

Forgiveness removes the consequence of eternal punishment.  Praise the Lord!  But forgiveness does not remove the temporal consequences.  Forgiveness brings restoration with God.  Praise God!  And we have learned from the Sermon on the Mount that the sin of adultery not only extends to the flesh but also to the spirit: “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).

Do not think for one moment that a man who looks at pornographic material will not suffer the consequences of the sin of adultery.  A man who is in adultery, whether it be physical or spiritual, is a man whose prayers will not be heard and whose life will not be blessed.  “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”  God is against the adulterous spirit as much as he is against the adulterous act.  And once adultery has been committed, things will never be the same!  Such was the case with King David.

David Reaped What He Sowed

In 2 Samuel 11, we read of the sins of David.  In chapter 12, we read of the consequences.  First notice why David sinned.  David’s sin of adultery began because there was a day when he did not keep his heart.  There was a day when he did not sing God’s praises, when he did not pray.  And on that day, he ended up at the wrong place, at the wrong time.  That’s the background.  He saw, he lusted, and he acted.  He took someone’s wife, sending her husband to be slain in battle, and then he felt good, successful, and happy.  He thought he had done nothing wrong.  For a short time, David felt no remorse, no sorrow, no guilt.  When we stop keeping our heart, when we stop praying and praising, we can sin with impunity, or we just might keep up certain rituals of religious duties to convince ourselves and others that everything is fine.

David was blinded by the gravity of his sin of adultery.  Most people who have committed adultery in the flesh or are in pornography are spiritually blinded by the gravity of that sin.  It is the same with any other sin: murder, selfishness, criticism, etc.  Were it not for a man of God, David may have gone on to his grave out of fellowship with God.  But isn’t God wonderful!?  Isn’t God merciful!?  “And the Lord sent Nathan unto David” (2 Sam. 12:1). 

Consider it an act of God’s mercy when he sends a man of God to awaken you.  The punishment for adultery is death.  Because of God’s justice and holiness, anyone in adultery, pornography, or other sin does not deserve to live another day.  He has despised the commandment of the Lord and despised the Lord himself (12:9–10).  But because David repented in his heart, God forgave him and gave him another day, and another day, and so on.

But oh, dear friend, see the judgment of God!  Because David had despised the law of the Lord, and the Lord himself, notice the list of consequences, the heavy baggage he had to pull the rest of his life:

1.      The Sword Shall Never Depart from Thy House.

“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife” (12:10).

Notice the word never.  Is that a long time or is it longer than that?  His children would suffer, his grandchildren would suffer, his great-grandchildren would suffer, and on and on forever!  We read in some cases that the iniquity of the fathers shall be visited upon their children unto the third and fourth generation (Num. 14:18), but David’s suffering, because of his adultery, goes beyond the fourth generation.  God, through the prophet, said that the sword would never leave his house.  Adultery is so serious!  Is there anything much worse than the sin of adultery?  Brother, if you take another man’s wife into your life, what are you doing to your children and grandchildren and so on?  Will the consequences ever end?

2.      Your Sin Shall Be Revealed.

“For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel , and before the sun” (2 Sam. 12:12).

Your sin will find you out.  When a husband goes to bed with someone else’s wife, he is blinded to the consequences.  When he watches pornography behind closed doors, he thinks no one will ever find out.  Oh, be not deceived.  Every Bible published speaks of this sin of David.  What man does in secret, God will reveal it openly.  When you commit adultery, even though you repent and are forgiven, you will lose the respect of all godly people.  You will lose their trust.  You will lose your honor.  Your testimony will never have the same strength.  It will hurt and disappoint your children more than you could possibly ever imagine.  Your children will know it.  Your grandchildren will know it, and your great-grandchildren will see an ugly spot in the family tree forever.  What you do in private, God will reveal it unto all under the sun.  How costly is sin?  Can it be measured?

3.      I Will Raise Evil out of Thine Own House (12:11)

After David had been forgiven and restored to God, God planted a tree of evil in his house.  God said, “I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house.”  If you have committed adultery, whenever evil arises in your house, you will be tempted to say, “The devil is fighting us terribly,” when you should realize that it is the Lord himself who has planted the tree of evil in your life because of your great sin against his holiness.  Is this harsh?  Is this unfair?  Is this unjust?  No, “let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom. 3:4).

It is harsh to lust after another woman!  It is unjust, it is unfair!  It is devilish.  It is what the devil wants us to do.  Do not find fault with God, or a worse thing will come upon you.  Be thankful that when you repent and turn from your wickedness, you do not have to pay the ultimate price: banishment from God to a place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.

The evil planted in a house because of adultery may come through the children, through financial hardship, through sickness, etc.  The sins of the father or mother will often be repeated by their children.  For example, the sexual immorality of David was found in his son Ammon, who raped his sister Tamar.  Immorality and the sword never left the house of David.

4.      Your Enemies Will Blaspheme the Lord. (v. 14)

This means that the unbelievers will show utter contempt for the Lord.  They will despise the Lord.  Adulterers and fornicators cause unbelievers to despise God.  It will cause them to make a mockery of Christianity.  Forgiveness and restoration – yes!  But what baggage did David have to carry the rest of his life!  Is it worth it to commit adultery?  Is it worth it to be unfaithful to our spouse?  Is it worth it to go into pornography?

5.      The Child Born unto Thee Shall Die. (v. 14)

Forgiveness and restoration were given to David, but the first fruit of his sexual union was death.  Where, my friend, is the blessing in sin?  Can you find it?  Can anyone find it?

Where Do We Go from Here?

Where do we go when we have failed miserably?  We go on with God!  That is what David did.  Anything less than that will mean eternal damnation, more mockery of the enemy, more damage to others, and a yet heavier wagon for us to pull the rest of our lives.  So the rest of David’s life consisted of two things: the harvesting of thorns and the sowing of good seeds. 

As you have sinned, my dear friend, you will suffer the consequences.  “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption...” (Gal. 6:7–8a).  But remember that once you have repented and are forgiven, you must now be so much more diligent in sowing in the Spirit in order to reap a harvest of blessings that will never end: “...but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (v. 8b).

Yes, you must pull the heavy wagon of consequence of what you have sown in the flesh.  No one can pull it for you, but God’s grace is sufficient for you.  So sing the song of the redeemed while you pull that wagon, cast out God’s gospel seeds generously wherever you go as you pull, and you will bring forth fruit thirty-fold, sixty-fold, and perhaps, one hundred-fold.  There will be blessings coming out of your life after all.  Hence, you will be in that great company of the “such are some of you” church people, people who Paul said were fornicators, idolators, adulterers, sexual perverts, thieves, and drunkards, but who are now washed, justified, and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:9–11).