What Sin Will Pay You

Sin, in any form, is transgression of the law of God.  God clearly stated the punishment for sin in the beginning.  In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve 

 "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 

 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:16,17)

Since both Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, both died.  They did not immediately drop dead, but the process of death had started.  Now that sin was in the world, death was also there.  

"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:

(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5:12-14)

But they actually did die then, they died spiritually.  God then removed them from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating of the tree of life.  They lived long lives, but eventually their bodies died.  Because of sin, death was in the world.  It was no longer a perfect world.  We live in that world today.  Sin is all around us, but we have the power of choice.  We can choose to be good or to be evil.  We can choose truth or lies.  When we choose evil and lies, we have condemnation coming to us. 

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." (John 3:19-20)

 "But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;" (Romans 2:5)

The judgment is coming for all who have sinned:

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;

and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life:

and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:

and they were judged every man according to their works.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:12-15)

How bad will it be, and what will it be like in Hell?  Do anything it takes to stay out.  It is worse than anyone can imagine.  You will have no friends, you will have no relief, it is eternal.  The Lord Jesus said,

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off:

it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off:

it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out:

it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43-48)

Looking at the world around us, God's judgment may be (to us) slow in coming, but 

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:9) 

God does not want anyone to receive the judgment due them for their sins, He gives chance after chance to those in rebellion against Him.

This brings us to our next point, how to avoid this punishment for our sin.  If we are deserving Hell for our sin, what can we do to get out of it?  The answer, in short,  is nothing.  There is absolutely nothing we can do to not deserve Hell forever. 

But there is a way to escape this judgment.  It comes from God.  It is the Gift.