ATTRIBUTES—-
GENEROUS
WHO IS GOD? GENEROUS
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.
WHO AM I? INDEBTED
If you knew that the paycheck for the way you lived your life would be death, wouldn’t you want a new job? A new boss? A new anything to get out of that scenario? Wages—a paycheck—should be a good thing, but not in this case. Because our sin debt is so great under our holy God and creator, there is no way to pay it off on our own. Essentially, we don’t just work for sin—we are slaves to sin.
Recognizing the devastating scenario we are all in and understanding the heavy, dark path that awaits us at the end of our lives can prompt a few different responses, which we see played out in our world all the time. The first is to say, “Well, there’s no hope. Better get all the pleasure I can now!” The second response is ignorance: “I’d rather not even think about life after death or the consequences of my life.” Another response is “I’ll try to live a good life, and perhaps that will balance out what I’ve done wrong.” The list goes on. We humans can come up with a lot of excuses for trying to avoid or figure out death. The problem with these kinds of responses is that they all focus on what we can do (or not do) to get out of this mess. Romans 6:23 presents a whole different approach: What can God do to get us out of this mess?
God has already answered this question. He has sent the debt payment in the form of His unconditionally loving Son, who has paid our sin debt with His holy life. Turn to Him and accept the gift He offers—forgiveness from our sin and its hold on our lives!
WHAT DO I DO? RECEIVE THE GIFT
A closed hand cannot receive a gift, no matter how great it is, how much the giver paid for it, or how powerfully the person receiving it might benefit. Therefore, closed hands and hearts can never receive God’s gift of eternal life and the eternal debt of sin paid.
So how will you respond to Romans 6:23?
If you sense you have a debt of sin that has never been paid and are convicted that your life needs an answer for the wrong you are a slave to, then come to Christ. Receive His gift of eternal life. He is merciful and generous, and He will not turn away anyone who humbly opens his or her heart to accept His life paid on behalf of their debt. He will free you from sin, death, and eternal condemnation. That is an incredible gift!
If you have received this gift, don’t forget what Christ has done. The gift still applies to us today, especially through the sin struggles we all face this side of heaven. God’s grace is sufficient for your past, present, and future. His gospel is the gift that keeps giving generously. You are no longer a slave to sin if you are in Christ!