Gift Of Eternal Life

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:20-23

Notes

There is no middle ground to salvation. Either we walk without a relationship or connection to our Father, or we begin the transformation to leave our old ways and follow a new way of life. Either way, we find ourselves slaves. Slaves to sin, drawn to wickedness, selfish indulgence, and disregard for others. Or we are slaves to God, called to a higher purpose, generally receiving no reward for doing good, and it comes with a cost. Neither sounds like a great option. Perhaps this is why so many people “dip their toes” into the other pool. Unbelievers will accept that there could be a god in charge of the universe, but they believe they do not have to follow this “unknown god.” A believer can claim salvation but still live their old ways while sitting on verses like John 3:16, Acts 16:31, and Romans 8:38-39, but still a slave to sin.

What happens if someone is a slave to sin? Paul states that whatever we have gained but now look back on with shame are the fruits of our labor, and they lead to death.

“Every sin tends to death, and if persisted in, ends in death as its goal and fruit.”

—A.T. Pierson

What have we gained from a life free of righteousness, left to our own devices and without accountability? Money? Influence? Reputation? Power? Material possessions? Fame? Dominance? None of these things last. These worldly aspirations die along with us upon our return to earth. If these are our goals, then the fruits of our labor are in vain. All sin eventually leads to death and separation from God. Death is the ultimate “fruit” of living free from the control of righteousness.

But when we decide to believe in Jesus Christ and entrust God with our lives, a conversion occurs. Sin is no longer our master, and we willingly become a slave to God. At first glance, especially in the United States, we would look at the word slavery and think, Am I trading one cruel master for another? Being a slave in Roman times looked different than what we know of in our more recent history. The practice was not based on race but on plight. Being a slave to God is a life of servitude but with a master wishing to free us, not bind or exploit us.

Paul is not calling us to be oppressed or burdened but instead to be hardworking and dedicated to what is righteous. Sometimes, we may find the work difficult, and we may be discouraged, but the fruit of our labor will lead to holiness. At our conclusion, we will receive what wages we have earned. We read the wages of sin is death and know that a life laboring for worldly fruits can only lead to separation from God. But in the work of righteousness, we earn no wage. We could never earn enough to receive what is offered, and instead, we are presented with a gift. We are given what we do not deserve: the gift of eternal life.

So we have a choice, free will, and we are given two options. Live without Christ and earn a paycheck of death and eternal separation from God. No matter how good a person is or thinks that they are, their work will never be good enough (Romans 3:23). Even the most saintly person cannot earn a place. Or there is another way. We can become servants to doing what is right, trusting Christ, and giving our lives up to the master whose name is Love. When we trust in Christ Jesus, God gives a credit, a tab covered by the perfect Son who led a sinless life and willingly accepted his death as a payment. The result is eternal life with God our Father and sharing in His glory.

So, we must ask ourselves some important questions. Who are we serving? Who are we living for? What are we hoping to gain?