Part 5

"Restoration" teaches the common mistake that if you genuinely repent of your sin, there will be no consequences. Spiritually, this can be true; your spiritual fellowship with God is restored. But the effects on your physical, emotional, social, financial, and family life might still be affected.

David repented of his sin with Bathsheba and God restored him, but explained "From henceforth, you will have wars." The book of Isaiah spends a lot of time pronouncing doom on Israel. But chapter 40 begins "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people." For the next several chapters, God promises his people that when they are restored, they will see their children playing in the streets again, they will have enough to eat, and they will have peace. But He leaves them as a vassal state to the Gentiles.

If you are the victim of a fallen preacher, remember that he has also suffered consequences. But if he insists that God has removed all his consequences and you should treat him as before, something is wrong.