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

                                                                                                                 Romans 6:23 

There is a principle at work in this life and it is one that we might not even consider. The principle is that when given a choice, making a decision to go one direction consequently means that we are not going in the other. For example, if we choose to travel northbound, consequently that would mean that we are not going southward. But perhaps this concept is more important when applied to relationships. If someone leaves a loving, devoted spouse, that decision consequently means that they will no longer be living harmoniously together. Likewise, if a wayward child chooses to leave home and hit the streets, the child consequently forfeits the comfort and protection that the home can provide. When one decision is made, the opposite consequence is equally applied. That is the subject of today’s passage.

When considering our relationship to the God who has created us, we either desire to be with Him, walk with Him, and love Him or we choose to go our own way. But rejection of God brings about the opposite consequence of our decision namely if we do not want to be with Him we will be apart from Him. Our sin is what separates us from God. Sin is anything thought, said, or done that works against God’s desire for us to live an abundant life on earth as well as have life with Him eternally.

When Paul says, “The wages of sin is death,” he is referring to more than physical death. This is apparent in that everyone is going to die physically, even those of us who belong to Christ. So Paul is referring to a different kind of death than just physical death alone. This death that he is referring to is a spiritual one. Sin comes with a wage and that wage is spiritual death. Unless we come to Christ and receive His free gift of salvation, we forfeit life with Him now as well as eternal life with Him in heaven. With one decision comes the consequence not choosing the opposite.

But Paul uses a wonderful word in this passage. That word is “but.” Although the wages of sin brings spiritual death, God offers us a gift and it is free to all who will simply receive it by faith (Romans 10:13). This free gift is life…life now and life everlasting with the God who created us. And all of this is made possible because God, in His love for us, sent Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice for our sin (1 John 4:10). Because God loves us, desires to be with us, and Jesus has fulfilled everything necessary for us to be rescued from our sin state, this free gift of salvation is truly the best news ever given to mankind. But a decision must be made. Consider the following passages involving God’s presentation of this decision:

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 

                                                                                                   Deuteronomy 30:15-16 

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool. If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 

                                                                                                                   Isaiah 1:18-20 

“Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”                                                                                                           

                                                                                                               Ezekiel 18:23, 32

In each of these passages, the people of Israel had to make a decision. God’s desire was to bless them but it would require a response from them. The same is true for us today. Although we are not under the old covenant that God had made with Israel, we are under the new and this new covenant is rooted in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. But just like we see in the Old Testament, it requires a decision on our part. The wages of sin is spiritual death but God offers us a gift…and that gift is life void of any guilt, shame, or fear. It is a life of love, joy, and peace. But it can only be found in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

There is a decision to be made. Whatever way we decide to go, consequently the opposite will be true as well. Death or life…what decision have you made?