Proverbs 1:31: Every sin will be punished

[Wisdom says:] “therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.”
-Proverbs 1:31

It seems like the trend has slacked off a bit, but for a while there, you kept hearing about violent criminals getting set free over technicalities. Confessions were being thrown out of court because a cop did one tiny little thing wrong in the interrogation. Testimonies were being forbidden because of some obscure law that was poorly written.

In the live actions version of THE TICK, there was a very funny parody of this sort of thing, when a super-villain’s lawyer successfully got a trunk full of evidence kicked out of the trial. That evidence had been placed on a table in the middle of the courtroom, and the bailiffs began hauling it out. The judge instructs the jury to ignore the evidence, and the Tick stands up, crying out, “But it’s all RIGHT THERE!”

That sort of thing never struck me as a good thing. It is true that we need rules to follow when it comes to criminal justice, but I don’t think you can make a case that justice was served when an obviously guilty person is set free.

And even if you do, would you think justice was served if a violent criminal pleads guilty, all the evidence is in order, nothing was done wrong in the investigation, and the judge says, “I refuse your plea of guilty and find you not guilty”?

My friends, we are guilty. We are guilty of pride, lust, selfishness, and hatred. And if you deny that, then you are lying, which makes you guilty just as quickly.

We are all in the same boat here. From Hitler to Mother Teresa, we have all sinned to some degree or another. And it really doesn’t matter to what degree either, for God’s standard is perfection, and so any sin means we deserve the punishment: death.

And God is just too. He’s not a judge that would ignore the evidence and find you innocent “just because.” His Law is perfect, and therefore His standard is too. He is holy, and nothing less than holy can stand in his presence. Because of His justice, every sin will be punished, and every sin will be punished with death.

And that is why Christ is so important. Jesus was the only man who ever lived who did not deserve to die, and yet He died anyway. And in His death He paid the price that we earned. He spilt the blood that should have been ours.

Every sin will be punished, yes, but Jesus has made it so that He can take that punishment instead of you.

If we turn from our rebellion, confess our sins, and trust in Him, we will find life.

If we do not take His sacrifice, then we will have to pay for our own sins. We will “eat the fruit of our ways.” We will find the death we deserve.

We do not have to. A pardon can be issued. Go to Him and ask for forgiveness, forsaking your old ways. He will give you life.