The Paycheck

Recently I heard a pastor ask from stage, “Who loves getting their paycheck?” There was an obvious “yes” from the church. He then asked, “Who would love it if that paycheck was given away to someone who didn’t do any of the work for it?” We all wondered where he was going with this because there was a unanimous “no way!” from the crowd. 

Why would he ask such an obvious question? Of course we enjoy the paycheck. Even more, we love that we earned it. It’s in the DNA of first responders; we value hard work for the high reward of doing the job well enough to save lives. Our wages are earned for putting our lives on the line, and we give a heavy brow to co-workers who forget the magnitude of our calling. 

Scripture speaks to a different type of wage we may be earning without knowing. In his letter to believers in Rome, Paul wrote that we earn a “wage” for sin. We commonly understand that we earn a wage (or at least a reward) for doing good; either a paycheck for good work or a medal for a good performance. So what do we earn when we do wrong, or, more specifically, sin? 

Paul wrote that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). To understand this, we need to understand what “sin” is. James expounds on this by writing, “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) 

Sin is acting upon an evil desire. Evil is the opposite of what God exemplified and declared to be right. We are tempted to do evil when we are lured and enticed by what we believe is right, rather than what God declares to be right. So when we sin, we are sinning against God every time. We are going against his desire for us to do good. In other words, every sin is a decision that God’s righteousness is wrong. 

And “sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” Why would sin earn us death? Simply put, death is the opposite of life. Only the Father can grant us life, and only Jesus can give us true life. There is no sinning our way into a more fulfilling life. “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33) 

When we do the devil's work, we should expect the devil's wages.

The pastor on stage continued his point by asking, "since the paycheck for sin is death, who wants to receive their paycheck now? And if this is what you’ve earned, would you still be upset if someone took your paycheck for something they didn’t earn?" That pastor cleverly concluded: this is what Jesus has done for us. 

Jesus has taken our peccant paycheck. The penalty of our negative wages has been transferred to his account, and it was paid for on the cross. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Even before we could start digging our grave, Jesus conquered his grave. New life is already earned for you, by his great mercy and love for you. 

Paul’s statement ends with good news: “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The giver of life does not leave us hopeless to receive the grave payment we are due. And he certainly doesn't tell us to earn this “free gift” for ourselves.

Here's another common trait for hard workers: we don't accept gifts well! A friend once told me, “don't reject a cheerful giver.” And Jesus Christ is the most cheerful giver who has given all anyone could give: his entire life. For us hopeless sinners.

In the end, there really is no other choice. When we do the devil's work, we should expect the devil's wages. And there is no life the devil can give us. But when we accept the true life the Father has earned for us, we put to death our old corrupt life, and “walk in the newness of life” that was redeemed for us (Romans 6:4).

So, do you accept the gift? 

What do you do to accept this gift?

• Accept that you can't save yourself. Repent and confess to God your need to be saved. 

  • For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 ESV)

• Accept the losses needed to gain God’s purpose for your life. 

  • For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:35-36 ESV)

• Accept forgiveness as you are justified by faith as a child of God. 

  • For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17 ESV)

Share your thoughts here or in our Facebook Group.