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Choices and Consequences

Most people make hundreds of choices everyday. Most of these choices do not carry major consequences. However, there can be choices that can be life-altering. The teenage boy who hangs around with a bad crowd may find that a life of addiction and prison is a huge price to pay for brief social acceptance. A single mother may reflect that a moment of passion and desire can make for a much more difficult life.

There were those of Israel unhappy with Moses and chose to oppose him only to be swallowed up by the earth (Num 16:31-32). Those who accept the “mark of the beast” will find that their future is assured (Rev 19:20). However, most choices have consequences that are no so abrupt. Most people have built up an inertial momentum that establishes a trajectory in life. Those who live for pleasure deaden themselves to almost everything else (1Tim 5:6). Those who live for gain can find the frustrations of the greedy (1Tim 6:10).

Most people go through life on sort of a “cruise control” that a few early choices establish and they are not much bothered to examine that life or to make any changes. Karl Marx was frustrated with the lack of interest by the general population to join a revolution against the ownership class. He attributed this reluctance to the influence of religion that he saw as a sort of drug inhibiting people from joining his revolution. What he failed to consider is the powerful influence the desire to not choose to do something is. Echoing the lament of Karl Marx were the radicals of the 1960s bemoaning that if you choose not to choose, you have still made a choice.

Christians might also consider that avoiding looking into doctrine or taking the initiative to learn and grow in faith is a choice of a sort that also has consequences. Being ill equipped to raise one’s children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph 6:4) may come with eternal regret. Remaining spiritual infants is a choice that can have painful consequences both in the world to come (1Cor 3:15) and this one (1Cor 3:3).

It is natural to consider the things we do in terms of “what is sufficient”. We might have a job where we only have to work for eight hours, a shopping list with only ten items, or a mortgage of thirty years. Once the conditions are fulfilled, we can feel that our time or money is our own. We can look at Christianity the same way. We might feel that having been baptized or clock in at a Sunday service frees us from further obligation. However, the Christian life (no matter how it is presented) was not supposed to be defined in terms of required duties. At the core Christianity is transformative. Both in obtaining salvation unto eternal life as well as how we live each day.

For Christians the consequences for poor choices can be regret. For non-Christians consequences can be more severe (Rom 1:28). There is another category for those who think they are Christian, but have not trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. Here severe consequences can await the person who chose not to look too deeply into what the bible teaches.

That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. - Ephesians 4:22-24

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