The Cost of Sin
- Pastor Randy Helm
- Oct 4, 2008
Below is a portion of an article Pastor Randy Helm has written titled The Cost of Sin. To read the full article click on the link at the bottom of this page.
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In writing this I am fully aware that the dollar cost of sin pales in comparison to the enormous personal cost of ruined lives and the social cost that human failure has inflicted on society. Yet it is easy to forget that sin reflects itself in every arena of life.
The social (moral) cost is much more difficult to quantify not to mention clarify than the dollar cost. The moral cost to a culture often ends up relegated to and categorized as narrow minded views championed by a sanctimonious few.
Unfortunately the moral argument too often becomes mired in a philosophical and sociological debate that quickly digresses into an attack on those who have the audacity to espouse such views. I remain convinced however that the moral argument must continue to be (and can be) made. Much of this study will digress into such matters.
The concentration of much of this booklet is the measurable cost of sin. It is not my intention to produce a detailed statistical analysis but rather compile facts that demonstrate the enormous price society pays for disobedience to the God who created them. As a result of God's grace He has revealed to mankind how life is supposed to work and the consequences of living outside of His purpose. God quite simply has given mankind an instruction manual for life (here and eternally).
Much of the cost of sin is the natural result of acting outside the parameters of purpose. For instance, I own a nice car; it reliably takes me just about anywhere I want to go. If however I decided to cross the Grand Canyon - got a running start and launched off the cliff, I would end up imbedded in the charred mass of metal at the bottom of the canyon. I could never blame the car, the manufacturer or the road. The problem would be that I quite simply attempted to do something with the car that was drastically outside the designed purpose. Such is the case with sin. Often what we refer to as judgment is a natural process, the end result if you will, set in motion by the choice itself.
We humans were created to function a certain way. The manufacturer has been clear. Yet by refusing to read the manual or ignoring it we end up destroying ourselves.
Determining the actual cost of sin poses some immediate difficulties, for example, when estimating the cost of crime it is difficult if not impossible to calculate. For instance:
- o The amount of income lost due to the inability to acquire quality employment as the result of a criminal past.
- o The cost to a family when a provider is in prison or incarcerated.
- o The direct correlation between drug/alcohol use and loss of work or loss of job.
- o The extensive number of issues that arise from having a criminal record.
The negative impact of sin on children and families also becomes very difficult to compute. Sin affects the entire family, yet the extent of such an affect is too broad reaching to put a dollar sign on it. A few examples would be:
- o Educational quality suffering from a devastating home environment
- o The negative example and values that affect children and homes for generations.
- o Young men and women who's college and careers have been drastically altered or abandoned because of pregnancies, crime or the results of the sins of others.
Then there are the crimes which go unreported, such as the sins that never become known outside of families or crimes that are covered up in business.
- o Thefts within families.
- o Thefts that are handled internally within companies (especially in smaller family businesses)
- o Physical abuse which often leaves scars that are much deeper than the natural eye can see yet have ramifications for almost every aspect of a persons future.
- o Sexual abuse that paralyzes or impairs a person for the rest of his or her life.
It would be overly tedious to attempt to explore the costs associated with the common or condoned sins that have an enormous price tag. For instance, tax evasion alone is estimated to cost over 50 billion annually.
Therefore, in my opinion the actual calculated dollar cost associated with sin will always be significantly lower than the actual cost.
The list of things that are difficult or impossible to measure would easily reach into the upper billions nationwide. Sin is like that though isn't it? What you see rarely if ever comes close to the total devastation that results. Like a desperate octopus, sin has tentacles that grasp everything in its path. It is my endeavor to focus as responsibly as possible on the destructive financial cost of sin to our individual lives, our families and our nation.
Many of the studies that calculate financial costs are compiled over a number of years and by the time of release are already outdated. The result of such studies however remains relevant as these calculations and amounts give us an idea of the enormous cost associated with violating the principles and standards God established for us in His Word.
Proverbs 14:34 NLT says, Godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
How often we have proven this verse to be true. The truth does not merely apply to nations but lives and families and well.
Whether one is looking at the works of the flesh compared to the fruits of the spirit in (Galatians 5:19-23), the blessings and the curses of Deuteronomy 28, the admonitions of Psalms 1 or the simplicity of Romans 6:23 (the wages of sin is death) God continually reminds us that there are consequences to our actions.
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