How Do You Feel About Payday?

The Word is first...

Romans 6:23 (NIV)

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in^a Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

Few of us would look forward to a payday where we received what we deserved. However, most would be ecstatic to have a payday where we received what we think we are worth. The reality is that in our jobs, our compensation is somewhere between what we deserve and what we think we are worth. Our compensation is most likely associated with what our boss thinks we are worth. That same principle is at work with respect to spiritual matters.

Today's focus verse speaks to what we deserve. "For the wages of sin is death..." Whether we like it or not, we have all toiled under the taskmaster of sin. Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's all as in well, all, everyone. This means that as 'sinners' our just compensation, our wages, is death. That's harsh but it's reality. God himself set the standard by which we are to be judged, he established the rules and made them known. Our ancestor, Adam, chose to be disobedient and brought all of mankind under the wrath of God. As sinners, we deserve death. To receive what we deserve is the very essence of justice.

But God, being exceedingly just, is not without mercy and He established that though we deserve death we could have this sentence served by someone on our behalf. God himself selected our proxy, appointed him to the task and empowered him to accomplish the feat; which he did to the uttermost. By his sacrifice, by Jesus' sacrifice, all mankind may slip the noose of justice (death) and fall into the embrace of God's mercy. To be spared what we deserve is the very essence of mercy.

Yet God, perfectly just and overflowing with mercy, was not satisfied with this act of mercy and decided to go much further and thereby defines grace. The second half of today's verse gives testimony to the extreme measure of God's grace. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Though we have done absolutely nothing to deserve this wondrous gift from God, nevertheless, he gives it to us. To receive that which we do not deserve is the very essence of grace.

So the only conclusion that I can draw from this thought is that we are not compensated according to our worth. We are gifted according to the worth of Jesus Christ but only to the extent to which we depend on and willingly choose to follow the Son of God. The absolute truth of this matter can be found in 1 John 5:12 where we are taught that "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

When payday rolls around and we all queue up with our palms open, you can have my place in the 'get what you think you are worth' line. I'm falling in behind Jesus in the 'get what Jesus is worth' line. I'm going to hold a spot for you though so that you can step out of the queue you're in and into the queue with Jesus. He's already done all the work, all that remains is your decision to accept him as your proxy, your Lord and Savior. It's your choice, life or death; choose wisely.

Loving Him,
Carl