Expert: Dr. Billy Kryger - 9/24/2008

Question
i have been a baptist all  my life.  I was taught that "whatever you sow that you will also reap".  If I sin God will punish me or someone close to me.  Do you believe this to be true?  My friend had an abortion years ago and then lost a child some 20 years later,  punishment or not?  She blames herself for the childs death.

Answer
Sue:

    Thank you so much for your question.

    It is true that sin has consequences.  God declared that in Genesis 3 when He pronounced a curse upon Adam, Eve and the serpent.  He also declared that sin has an ultimate penalty: death and separation from God.  God is a God of justice.  He cannot allow sin to prevail.  However, the verse you referenced (Galatians 6:7) is not speaking in the context of our sin.  It is speaking about our motivation for the things that we do.

    That being said, God has also provided a way whereby we can be free from the penalty of sin.  He promises if we confess our sins He will forgive them (1 John 1:9), and will not judge us for them (Psalm 103).  While there will still be consequences (a murderer who asks for and receives God's forgiveness will still very likely spend some time in prison), God will not hold us accountable.

    I don't know what your friend's relationship with Christ is.  If she is a believer and has put her faith in Christ for the forgiveness of her sins, and if she has confessed her sin of abortion, she has been forgiven by God.  I cannot say that the death of her child 20 years after the abortion is not related to the abortion--but neither can I say that it is.  

     The fact is, the experience of losing an unborn child is devastating.  My wife and I have experienced that twice.  It was very easy to blame ourselves--something that we had or had not done in the past.  We had to learn to trust in the grace of God.  Now, several years later, we still feel the hurt.  But we know that God is in control.

    God bless you and your friend.