In John 5, Jesus is hanging out near a pool where the blind, lame, and crippled were hanging out, wishing and hoping to be healed when the water was stirred. One of these people was a man who had been laying there a long time—38 years to be exact.

The man who was crippled gets up, and for the first time in 38 years, he can walk.

Later, Jesus finds the man at the temple and says, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.”

Does this mean that the 38 years that this man spent on his back was the result of his own sin, or even his parents’ sin?  I doubt it. I think that Jesus is comparing the gravity of the consequences of our sin–that they are actually worse than a physical ailment.

If we have our faith in Christ, the ultimate punishment for our sin is taken care of by Christ, but that doesn't mean that we don't suffer consequences when we sin. God has set up a system that is just–in this life and when we die. In this life we have thousands of choices that we make every day. When we make decisions that are selfish, there will always be consequences. When we follow what the Bible says, there is blessing in our life.

Some of the most painful situations I’ve seen are based on poor decisions: a failed marriage due to unfaithfulness, thousands of dollars of credit card debt because of uncontrolled spending, friendships ruined because of anger and unforgiveness. These situations are actually more painful than physical ailment.