Pattern and Principles: Forgiveness and Consequence

Pattern and Principles: Forgiveness and Consequence

Read: 2 Sam. 12 and 2 Sam. 24

There is often a huge misunderstanding among believers, when it comes to if God has forgiven us while consequences is still being served? The enemy of course lie to us that, serving consequence of a sin means YOU cannot be forgiven, neither by God nor should you let yourself off the hook.

There are laws that govern our world that God has put in place since the beginning of time, laws such as Sowing and Reaping, Wages of Sin, Seasons, Perfect and Permissive Will and so on…God can interrupt those laws but rarely does so…in scripture we see God intervene only when humans have been obedient and there is no way out…holding up of time for 24 hrs., splitting the red sea, etc.

The life of king David is an example of how forgiveness and consequence interface. After David committed adultery with Bathesheba, got her husband killed and tried covering it up – God uncovered it and David immediately repented (see Ps. 51), god forgave him, but there was still consequence. In another situation, David counted his fighting men (against instruction) and God was mad at him, David again repented (see 2 Sam. 24), yet consequence was still administered.

It is important for us as True Believers to know that because we REPENT and are FORGIVEN does not take away consequence of that sin, whether that consequence be simply normal life occurrence or significant Godly chastisement.

In the news right now is the “confessed” adultery of Pastor Sunday Adelaja, if he like David will quickly REPENT, God will forgive him and restore him, however repenting would not take away the pain he already caused his wife, his children, his finances, his church and many who admired him. God can and will restore him and all those things, if he repents – I pray he does.

If we don’t understand that consequence is normal wages of sin, the enemy will use those consequence as a tool of doubt that God has forgiven us and we will find it difficult to forgive ourselves too, and keep beating ourselves down whenever the consequence is in our face. A child from a “forgiven” adulterous relationship or yours and mine in a re-marriage are things that linger for awhile, but God have forgiven once we repent.

Don’t let the enemy of God hold you ransom, pointing consequences in your face when God has already Forgiven you. Accept God’s forgiveness and forgive yourself. God forgave Abraham, but the world is still paying for his sin.