What about Consequences?

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples that not one stone of the Jerusalem temple would be left on top of another.

Why? That answer is found in Matt 23, beginning in verse 37. The reason, in essence, is because the Jews would refuse to see and accept Jesus as the Messiah-- the promised one.

Yesterday, I was listening as a Biblical expositor explained that the real sin in Genesis was that Eve would not believe in the goodness of God. The speaker was telling us that we should trust God's restrictions to be representations of his LOVE for us. He does not say "No" lightly.

But is that all that is there? I don't think so.

"You surely will not die," the serpent told her.

Wasn't the real issue that Satan tried to convince Eve that there would be NO consequence for her disobedience? And wasn't Jesus telling Jerusalem that they would suffer for their rebellion?

I think so.

Not long ago, I tried to warn a young man who was about to marry a divorced woman. I told him (because this woman had no Biblical grounds for divorce) that I knew UNEQUIVOCABLY that she was not God's will for him. Mark tells us that to marry a divorced woman is to commit adultery -- not ever God's will for his people.

What was this young man's question for me? "So," he said, "adultery. That's big. But will God throw me out if I go ahead and marry her?"

What he wanted to know was, would there be a consequence. Answer? Yes. You see, he'd been told that God is love for so long that he thought love brought only good and pleasant things into his life.

Now, I'm not saying that he is about to lose his salvation. But I am going to stand on the side of the Word. When God warns his people, he is warning about the consequences of sin, whether it be the destruction of Jerusalem, or that Eve WILL DIE (as she did, and so did all of creation, both spiritually and physically).

To disobey God is to face the consequences. We must never forget that our good, loving God loves us far too much to let us go our own way. We help our children by letting them experience the consequences of their actions.

God loves us in a similar way. Don't ever underestimate his love for you.

So. How about you? Ever face a consequence? What was it?

Bette