The Price

God knows how to teach His children. He knows. He has spoken to me through many things in my life. Through creation He comforts me with His beauty. Through animals He teaches me about obedience, unconditional love and being what we were meant to be. But sometimes God has to teach me about sin. Most often He teaches me about sin through people.


There are some things in this life we do well and other things we do not do well. Sick children bring me to a crying heap at His feet. Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death..." People dance around this verse daily not realizing the weight of it. God means what He says. Today I met a dying child who is dying from the wages of sin. But not his own. You see, this child was born into the results of sin of another which caused him to be so. He will most certainly die from it and soon.

I saw the effect this had on everyone around. You see, while we choose our sin we do not get to choose the consequences. Sin is LIFE ALTERING! Adam and Eve had no idea the Pandora's Box they were about to open. Neither do we when we sin. Sin leaves a legacy. It leaves an inheritance of death and pain and misery. Death to life as we knew it. Death to relationships. Death to opportunities. Death to a future-physical and spiritual. The wages of sin is death.

I cannot tell you the weight of sadness that threatened to overwhelm me as I saw the toll this had taken on so many lives. I know it was only a small taste of what God feels as He looks on a world of hurting people. I wanted to take the pain away, but I am not enough! And I cannot erase what has been done.

BUT GOD, I love those words, can make beauty from ashes. He can make good from evil and yes, He can make life from death. You see, while I saw incredible pain, I also saw a root of hope rising from the pain and I knew my Lord was at work. He has been at work since the first sin. He made clothes for Adam and Eve from the skin of an animal when their efforts to cover their sin was futile. The first blood sacrifice. He made a way for sinners to be sinless through His Son's righteousness and He made a way from Life to death through the death of His own Son who paid the wages of sin for me. For us. He, the Innocent, who knew no sin died for our sins just as this child was dying for someone else' sin. 

I do not understand it. I watch it everyday and I don't know how God could love us so much to watch His Son suffer. It is a hard thing to bear. It is life changing. Death is the enemy of God unless you know the One who Lives. Then your death has been conquered and you will live forever. There is a Savior!

The entire verse reads, "For the wages of sin [is] death, but the gift of God [is] eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." It is a free gift. It is available to ALL who will take it for we ALL need it. "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23. The truth is ALL of us have sinned and we ourselves and possibly many around us will die for our own sin. It started with Adam and Eve, and it continues today.

But Jesus made a way to end the effects of sin. When He was on the cross just before He gave up His spirit He said, "It is finished." Teleo-Blue Letter Bible defines the word as such:

1) to bring to a close, to finish, to end

a) passed, finished

2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)

a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command

b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil

3) to pay

a) of tribute

Christ died, GAVE up His spirit to complete what He said He would do, what God proclaimed He would do at that first sin," And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." Genesis 3:15. God had a plan to deal with sin. That plan has not changed. While I may want to take away the pain of sin, I cannot.  Even if I offered to die in this child's place I could not save one soul. But Jesus' sacrifice was perfect and just what was required.  You can't be punished again for what has been forgiven. This gift is forever, eternal.

Please understand, your sin will be the death of you and most likely others. Repent from your sin-turn to Jesus and away from the very thing that is killing you. His blood will cover your sin and you will surely be forgiven. Every drop of His spilled blood sets thousands of captives free. There was enough for you. Stop struggling! Take the free gift of God-Life through Jesus Christ today.

"And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen." Romans 16:20.

To God be the glory,
Jamie