Swords Bible Study: Consequence of Sin

Dear SWORDS,

This study started out as an email to one of our sister SWORDS, and after a bit of thought, I decided I wanted to share this with all of you. I had sent Karen pictures of the Longhorn cows and calves, as I have been helping on a neighboring ranch because I love the people, animals and the work! I fell in love with the tiny, colorful calves and their huge horned mammas too. Sometimes a calf will get sick and die, but in the meantime there is a lot the rancher tries to do to keep them alive, and I was a part of this for a season!

One particular calf had problems and made it through them all, even pneumonia, but the final difficulty could not be surmounted. His front legs suddenly refused to work and get him up again. No one knows why, perhaps a cow stepped on him…anyway it was pretty sad for everyone. Several times I got to bottle feed him, as he was really hungry and really wanted to live. My friend Dan, the rancher milked the mamma every day for over a week, giving the calf a good chance. He even put him in his truck in the mornings to take him up to lay on straw in the shed with his mamma in the daytime. The hope was that these visits would keep depression at bay, and he would continue to get better. Then Dan would bring him back to the ranch house before dark, laying him in a huge tub, in a heated room for the cold night.

At the same time, my cat Charlie has a kidney disease and is close to having to be put down. I asked my sister Karen for prayer because it hurts my heart so much to lose a pet, or any animal for that matter that I have touched and cared for in some way. I hate sickness and death.

The calf was going on week two and it was being discussed that this ongoing intensive treatment was no longer going to be feasible. I offered to spend some extra time if it might help…and so later that day I went up to the shed to rub the little calf’s legs and back, to see if some stimulation would help. Maybe even try to get him up and moving him around a bit, if possible. But arriving at the shed, I found the calf had already been killed and was being skinned.

The skin would go on another calf whose mother had walked off and left it… Putting the calf’s skin on the new bum calf like a coat, would make the mother smell the scent of her old calf, and accept the new little one to raise as her own. (Which she did happily!)

This is the way. Cattle are raised for beef to feed us. The rancher’s love them and care for them, but at a certain point, they cannot afford to spend forever on a calf that will not get well, and must take care of the next one who has a chance of surviving. However, one must also keep in mind…the truth that these cows and calves are surviving to be eaten later…

These were hard lessons for me to see and learn. Being a city girl, turned mountain woman, and now tasting ranching life…has had its challenges! Those who know me…know I couldn’t even eat my own hens when they quit laying…I simply retired them. 

I was explaining to Karen how all this had gotten me down, because it is by our sin that death has reigned (Romans 5:12), and at one point, my friend had admired my toughness in how I deal with things emotionally, and I explained what this really is all about. With her permission, to turn this into a study… I will just start in pretty much where I left off, and let you “listen in” and see what you think, and how it may affect your own life.

SWORDS Bible Study: Consequence of Sin

“Yes…the consequence of sin is death…and people forget how much death is all around them, 24/7…..and never once do they stop and connect that by man came death (1Cor 15:21). That it is because having been born in/of Adam, we are sinners like Adam that death has passed on us all:

Rom 5:12 wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

And since we have all sinned individually as well, every living thing must face death, must die. The entire earth is cursed because of man’s sin and disobedience. (Romans 8:19-23)

It often strikes me Karen, how horrific our sin truly is…not just that man and animals must go through such pain and eventual death, but that we must bear up under watching, caring and remembering why this is happening, what we have been a part of as sinners against God.

How even all creation groans in pain together until now (Ro 8:22) because of sin. And, what our Saviour did for us on the cross, to save us who will believe on Him, from an eternal death in Hell….

It is not just that the calf was put down, or that I will miss my cat Charlie…it is the knowledge that the calf and my cat must die because of the sin of man. That half my family died, because of illness etc., but in the end, it was because of the sin of man.

I think about these things because it seems important to remember why and how all this suffering came about… from sin.  It is knowing this that makes me strong to try to care for these animals as best I can, until their time comes. It is knowing this that makes me strong trying to care for the saints, my family and friends, knowing that if the Lord should tarry….we will all taste of death….though the sting of it, will not be for us who believe (1 Corinthians 15:55), for we believe in the resurrection that will come at the Rapture (v.50-54).

You see, sin introduced death, and sin made death certain. Sin is the cause of the pain, distress, agony, and horror which is death and everything leading up to it. If there had been no sin committed by man against a righteous God, people and animals would not have to suffer and die. It really hurts to think of how the animals didn’t sin but must still die because man sinned. All creation was affected by our disobedience.

I think it is good to remember this, to not be so cavalier about life, or ignorant about what is taking place every moment of every day and night we live and breathe. Even though, while we rejoice that we are saved by the blood of Christ, and that we are made righteous in Him. Even though we were once sinners saved by grace, but are now “dead” with Christ, we are dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Ro 6:1-4)  I think it is important to always remember. To remember what sin is and what it causes and has caused.

So it is not all about the poor animals by any means…or even the saints that die physically but are resurrected to glory…it is ULTIMATELY about how many are dying around us that have never believed. They will taste the sting of death…forever. Separated from the love of God…forever. Reaping the dark fires of Hell burning…forever.

Rev_21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

We who have believed are saved forever. Once we believe on Christ alone for salvation, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, and so our lives are secure forever in Him.

Rom 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Rom_6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.

This constant birth and death reminds me life is not all about having or making a good time for ourselves. That while we work to keep a roof over our heads, hopefully at something we enjoy doing, we have another, important job the Lord has given all of us to do as well. It reminds me that being a bit lonely, or even a lot lonely is not such a cross to bear. That if we use “dead reckoning” it will keep us from continuing in sin (Ro 6:11) and for being of good use to our Lord in this life.

The word of God tells me the will of God and that we have a ministry!

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

We must remember that we are separated from the “old man” of sin, and that we are alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:

And death makes me remember that we need to yield ourselves to God…and that His love constraineth us and why…

Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

I forget this often Karen, more than I should…the troubles in life, the difficulty of everyday life, everything leading to death, and death itself, convicts me over and over again…that we are alive ONLY by Christ. Do you see this? I am re-seeing this again for myself.

So when you “admire my toughness”…well, my dear young friend…it is God’s word that tells me this:

Rom 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is not my toughness Karen….it is me relying on and allowing His grace to work in my life.

By believing His word, trusting Him, because I get to know Him more and more through His word, through praying, talking, discussing (yes, I ask Him often to remember He said we could reason together).  (Though, technically Isaiah 1:18 speaks about reasoning together to get saved, by being obedient under the law (v.19) Which thank God…we are no longer under the law but under grace today!)

I take in (recognize, remember) the sorrow, the hopelessness of a lost person, and the condition of the animals in a cursed world….the way sin has brought death to all….and were it not for His grace, I would be overwhelmed, crushed, broken….and have been at times, but again……His grace. Always His grace leads me to higher ground.

Sorry I got so wordy Karen…it just seemed to flow right out of my heart…just re-read this….and think, if you would not mind…I would like to use this as a study.

What do you think?”

Love,

Mari

As you can see, Karen said okay. J

THE GOSPEL THAT SAVES
“I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved … that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

– 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (KJB)