Sunday, June 16: “Straight Ways”

Acts 13: 8-10: “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have not allowed his house to be broken into.”

God is longsuffering and very merciful. He forgives our sins, and casts them away as far as the east is from the west. But we must not misunderstand God’s forgiveness as an excuse for sin. While God forgives sin, He does not usually remove its consequences. If this head of the household asked for forgiveness over his laxity in guarding his house, God would grant it. But the house would still be broken into, and those in it would still suffer loss. That is the first big problem with sin: not just how it affects the one who sins, but the suffering it causes others. (The second problem, we will see later this week.)