A Gift Worth Accepting

Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

"The word translated here "wages" opsoonia properly denotes what is purchased to be eaten with bread, as fish, flesh, vegetables, etc. (Schleusner); and thence, it means the pay of the Roman soldier, because formerly it was the custom to pay the soldier in these things. It means hence, what a man earns or deserves; what is his proper pay, or what he merits."  (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

When we work at a job we expect that when payday comes we will get paid according to the task that we perform.  We also expect that we will get paid at regular intervals.  It is too simple to say that this passage refers only to the ultimate death that leads to eternal separation from God.  While this most assuredly is part of what is meant here, the fact that the word opsoonia is chosen in the Greek means that it also has a more immediate and recurring meaning. 

Every time that we sin, we also die a little.  We receive in our flesh the consequences of our sin.  Addictions, excesses and immorality all carry with them the loss of self respect. In pleasuring the self we also diminish the value of the self.  Every day that we live as slaves to sin is a day that we live separated from God hardening our hearts against Him.  The more we serve our self that more that self dies because whether we want to believe it or not, we were created to serve and worship Him. 

It is only through a right relationship with the Father that we can become whom we were truly created to be.

Ps 139:14-16  "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,  your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Each day wasted in the pursuit of self is a day that we die to the great riches that He has planned for us.  Not only so, but in a sense we eat death.  Those Roman wages were often given in the form of food or given to buy food with.  Those wages were eaten.  We take in death daily when we live in rebellion.  It comes in through our mouth, our eyes and our ears.  The good within us slowly dies.  Our spirit, that which was created to commune with God, dies from malnourishment as we eat death.  We feed our flesh, but we starve our spirit.  In other words we get our just deserts.

The opposite of this condition is eternal life. Only, this prize cannot be earned, it is not something that is given to us in exchange for our labor of righteousness, it can only be received as a gift.  This in a nutshell is the doctrine of grace; unmerited favor.

Eternal life is a gift that the Father desires for all of His children.  So why then are so many going to spend eternity in hell?  Simple, they won't accept the gift.

George Wilson was sentenced to hang after he was convicted of killing a guard while robbing a federal payroll from a train. Public sentiment against capital punishment led to an eventual pardon by President Andrew Jackson. Unbelievably, Wilson refused to accept the pardon. Can one do that? The case became so legally confusing that the Supreme Court had to rule on it. Chief Justice John Marshall delivered the verdict: "A pardon is a parchment whose only value must be determined by the receiver of the pardon. It has no value apart from that which the receiver gives it. George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon. We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he has. Therefore, George Wilson must die." Consequently, Wilson was hanged. God's grace becomes a pardon from sin only to those who receive it.

We devalue God's gift when we refuse it. But those who chose to accept it have as their recompense eternal life in Christ Jesus.  Not just living forever, since more of what we are experiencing in this world would get old really quick; no, an eternity because of and with Jesus Christ as His bride. 

Think about it.  Yes, there are some good times on this earth, but would you want billions of years of more of the same?  Of course not. 

However, eternity would simply not seem enough time to spend in his presence. Now that is a gift worth accepting.