Forgiveness Removes Guilt, But Not All Consequences

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When a man commits sin, he transgresses God’s law (1 John 3:4) and incurs a debt to God that he is incapable of repaying (Matt. 6:12; 18:21-35). If this man remains impenitent, this guilt will result in his being lost for all eternity (Rom. 6:23). But through the blood of Jesus poured out for the remission of sins (Matt. 26:28), that debt to God can be removed (Rom. 3:24; 5:9) when the sinner responds to the gospel in humble obedience (Acts 2:37-39; 22:16). It matters not what the sin is. God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, ESV). “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom. 5:20).

Saul of Tarsus is a good example of this. Regarding his pre-Christian life he wrote, “I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Gal. 1:13). He was “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” Still, he “received mercy” and abundant grace (1 Tim. 1:13-14).

However, in addition to guilt, a man’s sins may also bring adverse temporal consequences into his life that may not be erased by his penitence and forgiveness (Num. 14:18). Consider the bittersweet case of Moses. While leading God’s people through the Sinai wilderness in search of water, God instructed Moses to speak to a particular rock and water would miraculously come from it (Num. 20:8). In a moment of anger, Moses dishonored God in the presence of the people by striking the rock instead of speaking to it (10-11). As a consequence of his sin, God barred him from entering the Promised Land (12; Deut. 34:1-6).

We know that Moses had the guilt of that sin removed, for centuries later he appeared in his glorified state with Jesus and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-3). But even though God removed the guilt of his sin, he did not remove the temporal consequences. Moses was not allowed to enter Canaan even though he was penitent.

A man may commit a crime, subsequently seek and obtain God’s forgiveness, but still face a lifetime of consequences, including imprisonment or even execution. The penitent and forgiven drug abuser of the past may still endure health and family problems the rest of his life. The fornicator, put away by his faithful spouse, may find forgiveness in Christ, yet forfeit his right to contract another marriage (Matt. 19:3-12).

Wisdom demands that we look before we leap. We should consider the consequences of our actions before we follow through with them, because when we choose an action we choose the consequences of that action. Scripture puts it this way: “Ponder the path of your feet” (Prov. 4:26). “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it” (Prov. 22:3).

While God has made available to us his grace to remove the guilt of our sins and set us on the road to eternal glory (Titus 2:11), he has never promised to remove all the temporal consequences of those sins.