Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.  Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.  For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.

 
 
 

Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

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Thought for Today
Sep. 08

THE WAGES OF SIN

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

When Adam and Eve sinned, God's curse of death was placed upon both them and their offspring. Nothing Jesus did changed that. The wages of sin is death, and because all who came from Adam have the fallen, sinful nature of Adam, "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). All of us must die. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the Judgment" (Heb. 9:27).

The Father loves His Son Jesus with all His heart. Still, the wrath of God against sin is so great that even his Son's sacrifice for our sins did not remove the curse placed on all men for sinning. That is not even the reason Jesus came; he knew he would never change His Father's mind about that. All men still must die. What Jesus' sacrifice did was to give us hope beyond the grave; it gave us no hope of escaping our appointment with it. Through faith in Jesus, we can live forever, but only after we suffer the first penalty for being sinners: physical death.

The fact that we must still pay the wages of sin ought to teach us the fear of God. His love is sure and true, but so is His holiness. No sin will be allowed into His presence, and no sinner who refuses to repent will be forgiven after death. "Now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation." Take advantage of your time on earth, before you die, to secure your hope of eternal life. Fools who waste their lives here in sin and refuse to believe the gospel will die a second time after their physical deaths, a second death of eternal torment in the Lake of Fire. This is the dreaded "Second Death", a death far worse than physical death, that awaits all who refuse God's gracious offer of mercy through His Son Jesus Christ.

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