But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (1 Peter 4:15-17)
We aren't told once, nor are we told twice - there are many times throughout God's word where we are informed that a sin is a sin is a sin and that all sin disgusts God and that the wages of sin is death, whether you are a murderer or a busybody! We weren't supposed to die. We were supposed to live upon the earth enjoying all that God had given us. Because of the sin of Eve, we were condemned to die. God, being that loving Father that he is and not wanting to be separated from us, made a way for our miserable, sinful lives to be redeemed. He sent us Jesus.
So many people are under the impression that they deserve to go to heaven because of the hell they've suffered on earth. Much of their suffering is self inflicted. If you willingly stick your hand into bee hive and get stung, who do you blame? The bees? Living outside of God's command is pretty much the same thing. In verse 18, Peter asks us "if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" My guess is they won't.
It's not easy to "walk the walk". The key is to try. We won't get it perfect, we can't. We will stumble and we will fall and the scars we bear are nothing in comparison to the scars Jesus bears that have our names attached to them! Each of us is given the opportunity to come before him, ask for his forgiveness, ask him to walk with us and have the Holy Spirit fill us with the strength we need each and every day, in every situation! Sometimes its prayer that keeps us on the path and sometimes the only thing separating us from the enemy is Christ himself! We are fallible but we are forgivable; we are sinners but we are saints. If we live a life of sin without repentance we are doomed to spend our eternity in hell (and again - it does exist - and it's not here on earth - you only need READ your Bible to find it).
Don't allow your mind to justify your sin. There is no justification, at least not as far as God is concerned. If we could justify it, he would not have needed to send us a Savior. Our sins are forgiven through the blood of Christ - but acceptance of that shed blood means to commit to the "way". They aren't just words to get you out of hell - they are a way to get you into heaven. Remember: Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake and they all got punished! Where do you think it will get you?
