The Cost of Sin

Sin can look very appealing and seem to come without cost.  The soon-to-be meth addict thinks, "Just this once, what can it hurt."  The young husband opens the door to divorce as he takes his first peak at porn saying to himself, "It's just pictures, what can harm can it do?"  He teenage girl, violating her parents rules and dismissing their warnings, agrees to meet the man who is about to abduct her, assuring herself that "Tommy" is the one for her.

Regardless of how remote the prospect of harm may seem or how innocuous the sin may appear, it has a cost "and you may be sure that your sin will find you out" (Nu 32:23).  Sin choices are like seed planting: while the final results may be a ways off at the moment, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction..." (Gal 6:7-8).

We can't plant seeds of lust and grow fidelity in a marriage. We can't sow seeds of addiction and reap freedom from the drug's control. We can't sow seeds of recklessness and reap safety and security. Sin demands payment and "the wages of sin are death" (Rom 6:23) - the death of your marriage, the death of your personal freedom, the death of your health and even the loss of eternal life itself.

Sin always comes with a price to tag and the interest is always death. The Good News is, however, that Jesus has already absorbed the cost, already paid the price: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit" (1 Pet 3:18).

We need only accept his offer of grace, embracing Jesus as Lord and Savior.  We can't afford the cost of sin and we can't self-improve beyond its grasp as "all sin and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). What we need is a savior, someone able cover the cost of our sins, and that is Jesus alone!  He has, he can, he will - will you allow him to pay your cost?  Jus' Ask'n.