Alrighty, so let’s get our bearings on where we’re at.
Over the past couple of days, we’ve been having an intense theological discussion about what the Lord meant when he told David…
“Adonai has also taken away your sin. You will not die.”
The bottom line is that the Lord extended “spiritual grace” to David.
This meant he would NOT suffer the eternal effects that come after physical death.
Or to speak in Christianese, this meant he would not be sent to hell after he breathed his last breath.
Unfortunately, we can’t skip over the second part of Nathan’s prophecy:
“However, because by this act you have so greatly blasphemed Adonai, the child born to you must die.”
So we can see here that spiritual grace does NOT do away with the earthly consequences of one’s sin.
If we cheat our fellow man…
Or steal, murder, commit adultery, or bear false witness…
We will pay the physical consequences.
Again, David’s life was a perfect example.
Even while he was alive…
And even after he died…
His family was divinely destined to go through a lot of pain and trouble.
That’s right.
God had decided that part of David’s punishment would be for his family to suffer.
And that broke David’s heart.
He knew it was his fault that bad things were going to happen to his kids, his wives, even his relatives.
It was the price of his sin.
God is fair, and there is no way His justice can be averted.
Here’s what we’ve gotta come to terms with.
All sin requires payment on two different levels…
The spiritual and the physical.
Ya feel me?
So make no bones about it.
God punishes believers for their sins…
It’s just that the punishment does NOT include eternal death (or going to hell, as a Christian would say).
This was the kind of judgment David sidestepped.
He would not die in his wickedness…
And thus be disqualified from eternal life.
Or to speak in Torah terms…
When Scripture speaks about a “judicial death”…
It means someone will be executed for breaking what the Torah calls “intentional” or high-handed sins…
This kind of death is often called the death of the “unrighteous.”
But here’s the thing…
And this may ruffle some feathers…
Especially in the Christian camp.
The atoning death of Yeshua on the cross did NOT do anything to end physical death…
Nor did it do away with the earthly consequences of our sin.
So what did his sacrifice on the cross accomplish for us?
It paid the price for the wrongs we’ve done against God…
Not necessarily for the ones we commit against people.
Or think about it like this.
I just explained that our sin requires payment on BOTH a spiritual and physical level, right?
Well, what Yeshua did on the cross settled the spiritual part.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of this when he said:
“I, yes I, am the one who blots out
your offenses for my own sake;
I will not remember your sins.”
-Isaiah 43:25
So, as our intercessor, Yeshua settled things between us and God…
But when it comes to our sins against other people…
That’s a different story.
God isn’t just gonna erase the damage you do to others.
There’s still a price to pay here on earth.
Yes, God can be merciful, and sometimes the punishment isn’t as bad as you deserve.
But make no mistake…
There will be consequences.
They might come later…
Or in a way you didn’t see coming.
And sometimes, the punishment might seem disproportionate to what you’ve done.
But that just goes to show how serious sin is.
So the takeaway today is similar to what I said yesterday.
A lot of folks seem to be only concerned about whether or not they’ll go to hell after they die…
They don’t care so much about the earthly consequences.
I’m telling you that’s a BIG mistake.
Remember, Yeshua said…
“I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly.“
John 10:10
So my question to you is…
How can you experience life abundantly if you’re constantly reaping the earthly effects of your sin because you only care about what happens after you die?
Are you feeling me here?
David’s life would never be the same after he slept with Bathsheba and then orchestrated the murder of her husband.
So I exhort you to faithfully obey God’s commands…
So you can experience the abundant life here on earth…
And enter into eternal life afterward.
See ya all next time.
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