“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We’ve all heard the verse, but have we really considered the phrase “gracious gift of God”? It is astonishing that God would offer us such compassion. I get swept up in the joy of the offer and tend to miss the stark contrast depicted by it. To fully comprehend the gracious gift of eternal life, we must fully understand the alternative.
The wages of sin is death…which means separation from God… Eternally. We don’t like to talk about hell… but Jesus clearly spoke of it, so it must be acknowledged. And its existence magnifies the importance of God’s gift. The magnitude of a rescue is determined by the consequences, had it not occurred… and there has never been a more impactful rescue than this one. We cannot comprehend hell, nor eternity, much less the combination of the two, but that is what’s on the table.
Sin equals Death… God equals life. There is no gray area, no “choose your own truth”, no relativism… Just Death or life. If I could, I would work incessantly to achieve life… but I can’t. It’s unattainable for me… BUT GOD made a way. What I couldn’t do, God did. My acceptance of His plan sets me free, makes me new, and delivers the gift of eternal life.
His sacrifice also gives me the ability to resist sin here on earth. Purity in life is breathtaking because it is how we were designed to live. It’s as if we are birds, but we’ve been walking our entire lives and suddenly, we start to fly. Once you fly, you’ll never be satisfied walking again… So, the gift is twofold.
First, on this earth we get to trade in our shoes for wings, and secondly, we avoid our rightful punishment and instead spend eternity where we were created to be with our Heavenly Father. Considering the alternative makes this the most gracious gift ever given.
“Think lightly of hell, and you will think lightly of the cross. Think little of the sufferings of lost souls, and you will soon think little of the Savior who delivers them.” - Charles Spurgeon
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