"Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out"

If you follow any news sites at all, you have no doubt heard about the trial of the former Michigan State University and USA Olympic Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. While already convicted and sentenced to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges, it was later found that he abused some of the very girls that he was supposed to be helping to achieve NCAA and Olympic greatness.

This has been happening for years. Many of the women who were abused are now older. 156 women in total have made statements over the last few days in a hearing where Nassar was sentenced today to another 40-175 years in prison.

In all of this, while we rejoice that justice has been wrought, we all must realize that we are only a few steps away from becoming a Larry Nassar ourselves. We are all sinners. We all have done wrong. And while our actions may not be to the extent of Nassar's actions, our sin will still come back to find us in the end. The Bible says as I've written in the title, "Be sure your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23)."

Nassar had been taking these actions for years, and as the judge said at his sentencing, was "unable to control [his] urges." Nassar issued a statement of apology and accused the women of lying and manipulating him into pleading guilty to see him shut up in prison for good, but it was too little, too late. He did wrong and now he is facing the consequences. For him, that is life in prison. For us, this could be the loss of a friend or privileges. It could be a punishment from parents or even reach the point where we are being punished by the government for some wrongdoing.

What's more important is the punishment of our sin by a just God. Because God is just, righteous, and perfect, he cannot abide with sin. Our sins that we commit separate us from God. And while when we are saved we can never be taken out of God's hand or lose our salvation, when we sin, we lose our fellowship with God. And this punishment of separation from fellowship with God affects all other relationships, actions, and thoughts that we have.

Our sin will always find us out. Larry Nassar found that out, and if we have not already, we someday soon will find that out. 

Photo credits: https://www.si.com/olympics/2018/01/18/larry-nassar-sentencing-victims-abuse-stories-mckayla-maroney-statement-day-three, text on the photo from Numbers 32:23, all edits mine