“Repairing the Damage”

Monday, August 10, 2015

If you cheated on a spouse two times, and you repented both times… will you still reap what you sow?

Sincerely, Double Trouble

Dear Double Trouble,

Yes, you always reap what you sow. Repentance brings forgiveness from God (Acts 8:22), and sometimes, but not always, it brings forgiveness from your fellow man (Lk 17:3). Repenting of your sins doesn’t remove the consequences for them though. David suffered greatly for his sins - even though he repented (2 Sam 12:9-13). Peter said that it is normal and appropriate when a man suffers in this life for his sins (1 Pet 2:20). The teaching that you “reap what you sow” (Gal 6:7) is a universal law that cannot be broken. It is just as real as gravity and just as unavoidable.

It is a good thing when someone repents after committing adultery. God hates adultery (Heb 13:4). Unrepentant adulterers have a horrible eternal fate in hell (Rev 21:8). However, just because someone repents doesn’t mean the consequences go away. Trust has been destroyed, and one cannot expect that trust to be rebuilt quickly. The road to recovery from adultery is long and harrowing. And after saying all that, their spouse still has every right to kick them to the curb and divorce them (Matt 19:9).

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