Sin does not affect God.

Job 35:6-8 If you sin, how does that affect him [God]?
   If your sins are many, what does that do to him [God]?
⁷ If you are righteous, what do you give to him [God],
   or what does he [God] receive from your hand?
⁸ Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,
   and your righteousness only other people.

Have you thought about how your sin affects God? On some level, I know that God doesn't like it when I sin. It is abhorrent, a slap-in-the-face to God. I hadn't thought about it to understand that the reason God doesn't want me to sin is for me and other people, not for God. God doesn't need me. God's plan will be made complete with or without me because God has no needs, certainly none that people can meet.

But God cares about me and about you. That's why he doesn't want me to sin. God knows the ramification of my sin. He knows how I will feel when I sin. The shame. The embarrassment. The physical ramification. All of that. He also knows how those around me will suffer as a result of my sin. I know this because the Bible tells me so. These are rhetorical questions. The Bible doesn't offer a response to: "If you sin, how does that affect him [God]?
If your sins are many, what does that do to him[God]?"

These questions seem just plain silly, don't they?

Then the opposite question: "If you are righteous, what do you give to him [God],
or what does he [God] receive from your hand?"

The same answer. Our sins don't hurt God. Conversely and even astoundingly, God gains nothing by our righteousness. Oh, I believe, God enjoys praise and adoration. I believe God is pleased when we obey, but He doesn't GAIN anything. He is already perfect. We can't add to it. He is already all in all. We can't contribute to Him.

Then why bother? Out of respect. Out of awe. Out of gratitude. Out of the need for humble service. That's why we care when we sin and strive to be righteous. It is the right thing to do, to be as obedient as we can be. God is good, perfect and is deserving of any and all obedience that we can muster. We serve others because God loves and gives to us. It is that simple.

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