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Side-Effects

Have you ever noticed that on commercials for prescription medication, the side effects for a cold medicine are more severe than the actual symptoms of the cold?  Take for example the side-effects of Cymbalta, a common medication to treat the symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety:

“Constipation; decreased sexual desire or ability; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; increased sweating; loss of appetite; nausea; sore throat; tiredness; trouble sleeping; vomiting; weakness.”
If you’ve ever dealt with either depression or anxiety, a few of the side-effects are equal to or greater than the symptoms one would deal with NOT taking Cymbalta and just facing the normal issues that come with the problem being treated!

Have you ever noticed that side-effects of sin are a lot like this as well? Most sinful actions are in response to the void of God in an individual’s life and are therefore nothing more than coping, or medicating the deeper problem.  While this is not always the case (because sin in its essence rebellion against God’s standards) sin is also the result of a broken relationship with God and in a sense a substitute for that relationship. 

When we sin, there are immediate benefits a lot of the time.  The Bible, as well as experience, tells us, that sin has pleasure for a season, but that time is fleeting (Hebrews 11:25).  The side-effects, or consequences of sin, however, are great.  In fact, the ultimate side-effect of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  We all know that such things a divorce, alcohol, gossip, anger, hatred, adultery, sexual promiscuity, etc. have devasting results, but even still many individuals fall into the momentary self-serving pleasures they produce rather than focusing on the long term destruction to self-esteem and self-respect, relationships, families, and society that they produce. 
Scripture gives us both the compilation of side-effects (Deuteronomy and Leviticus lays out explicitly the type of behavior and lifestyle we are to avoid; Galatians 5 contrasts the evils of the flesh and the fruits of the spirit) and the remedy for sin.  The later part of Romans 6:23 goes on to state that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus”.  Romans 10:9 declares, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  And finally, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here!” 

While consequences are an important factor in our decision-making process, in light of sin and redemption, our motivation should be a love for our Savior.  1 John 4 expresses the reciprocal relationship of Christ’s selfless, sacrificial love and our obedience to love others.  It is in the overflow of Christ’s love and forgiveness for our sinful living that we are able to live in freedom from sin.






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