What good has disobedience ever done for you? Its payoff may sometimes seem good in the ­moment—­business executives and drug dealers alike are known for their greed for quick money and personal gain. But the tales are told over and over about their eventual payment for their actions: time in jail, lives full of regret, death. But for the average person, is the same thing true? What does our sin pay us?

God makes it clear in Romans 6 that sin is a vicious master who writes one eventual paycheck equaling death. We are all accountable for what we do. Yet, in this bleak scenario that affects us all alike, God shines and offers us a merciful and generous gift. He tells us, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The eternal paycheck we all deserve is death, but God is unimaginably gracious to ­us—­He generously pays our debt and then, in turn, gives eternal life to anyone who receives His Son’s offer.