The cost of living is steadily climbing. We’ve watched gas prices go up and up. Groceries are more expensive than ever. Budgets seem to be stretched to paper thin. Many struggle to balance it all. There is definitely a feeling that our wages aren’t keeping up with the demands of life.
But there’s another “cost of living” that I want to address, another wage. Romans 6:23 states it clearly. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you’re like me, this verse is very familiar. I have explained it repeatedly throughout my life, generally as I am giving the gospel.
I remind myself and others that wages are earned. They are what is due us for work done. So, the earnings of our sin is death. God’s gift is in complete contrast to that. A gift is freely given. It is not earned. This gift, that we cannot earn and don’t deserve, is eternal life.
I have, for most of my life, thought of this as a one and done verse. In other words, I have accepted God’s free gift through Jesus’ sacrifice for me, so I am no longer under the condemnation that I earned through my sin. All that is true. But in recent years I have come to a deeper understanding of this verse.
Although God has justified me, made me in right standing before Him, I still struggle with sin. Sometimes, I truly do have a desire to be rid of a sin, but the doing so feels like slog through deep, sucking mud. I am ashamed, and I confess, and slowly God leads me out of the mire.
Other times it’s more like I’m playing in the mud. I convince myself it’s good for facials or simply to build with. I have no desire to get out. This is easy and even feels kind of good.
But here’s the reminder I find in that verse. Sin’s destructive consequences don’t go away because I’m a believer. My final verdict is done, but when I allow sin to continue in my life, I should always expect there to be a cost.
God doesn’t randomly forbid things because He’s can. He isn’t on some power trip. God, who sees all of time because He is outside of it, whose knowledge is complete and wisdom is immeasurable, knows the consequences of those thoughts and actions. He knows what pain and destruction they will ultimately reap in our lives and in the lives of those we touch.
Please don’t fool yourself into believing that this small thing can’t do that much harm. Some of the most dangerous things to us physically are very small, bacteria and viruses for example. So too, in our spiritual lives. Small dirt matters. That passing wrong thought needs to be dealt with before it breaks out in action. That attitude of complaining needs to be confessed before it infects us as habit. That desire to control everything needs to be surrendered before it leads to anxiety, anger, and worse, getting our own way.
So what sin are you currently playing with, justifying. What sin have you convinced yourself is no big deal? Where might you be blocking God out of your life, holding up your hand and telling Him, “I’ve got this”? Sin always comes at a cost, often that we can’t see until it’s time to pay. God’s laws reveal what the sins are, so that we can avoid them.
So whether you are truly struggling against something or you are building mud pies convincing yourself they’re tasty, I want to encourage you, challenge you, call to you. Confess your sin. God alone can pull you free. And, what’s more, He wants to. He’s not afraid of your muck. He longs for better things for you.
This is an ongoing process for me. As long as I am in this mortal body, my selfish desires and pride will war to rule my life. They show up in lots of ways. Sometimes, they are bold and obvious, but much of the time they are subtle. I find myself splattered with filth, a spot here, a spot there. But this mud carries disease that can quickly infect my life.
I may be tempted to deal with it myself. Scrub it with a little bit of self discipline, splashed with self righteousness. Or, I may justify keeping it, sitting down in the muck. I affectionately pat the mud. “It’s not hurting anyone.” “I’ll deal with it later.” I might even try to convince myself that it isn’t really sin. The end result is that it gains a foothold in my life, and like bacteria, it begins its quiet destruction.
There is no such thing as a “free ride” when it comes to sin. Only God’s grace and mercy come freely. And they were bought at great expense. Sin, if left untended long enough, leaves deep scars in us and in those around us.
I do not write this in an attitude of judgment. I know my own heart; my own mud pies are too well made. Rather, I write this as a plea. There is a cost; a wage will be paid for the sins we practice. Paul calls us to walk in “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) and to not “let sin reign in your mortal body” (verse 12). We have a daily choice before us when it comes to our sin.
Humble confession. Surrender to truth and righteousness brings life. I long for each of us to have a rich, healthy, vibrant life, a walk with our Lord that is close and abiding. Then we will know what true peace and joy are, regardless of the price of gas.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9 (ESV)
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