Grace and consequences

As I've worked my way through the Old Testament this year, I've noticed time and time again the tension between grace and consequences. God, in the Old Testament as in the New, yesterday, today, and forever, is a gracious god. Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love. He is near to those who call upon Him; He casts our iniquities as far from us as the east is from the west; He paid the price for all sin and offers forgiveness to the wickedest of men.

But grace doesn't eliminate consequences. Forgiveness doesn't mean elimination of the chain reaction that began with your sin. I see this in my own life, as I deal with the ramifications of mistakes I made years ago. "Haven't You forgiven me, God?" Yes, He has. But sin, forgiven or not, still affects our lives and--perhaps the more painful reality-- the lives of those around us. David, in the 2 Samuel debacle with Bathsheba, commits adultery, lies, and murders a man. He becomes repentant, confesses his sin to God, and receives forgiveness. But the child conceived in his adultery dies, and his family suffers the consequences of his sin for generations.

So what can we do? Accept grace, but don't expect it to be a get-out-of-jail-free card. If your sin landed you in that prison, you will pay the time for it. Live in the truth that you are forgiven--guilt has no place in the life of a pardoned believer--, but accept and nobly bear the fruits of your decisions. And learn from it. Improve. If the rod is not spared, let it be useful for teaching and changing our paths.