Wages of Sin

             For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:33)

          Yesterday, someone on social media brought up the subject of God loving unconditionally. As usual, I had to ask what he meant by unconditional love. For some, I suspect it means universalism – that everyone goes to Heaven no matter what they do or how much they hate God. They’ll get there and say, “Oops, I guess I was wrong” and instantly become a wonderful citizen of the celestial city. For others, it means that God loves us no matter what we do, but part of the way He loves us is by allowing us real freedom, along with the consequences of our application thereof.

          I have the same problem with this verse. What do we mean by a wage? As others have pointed out, it’s payment for something we’ve done. If we have done our part and we don’t receive our wages, we can accuse the person who owes us in court, demanding that they pay up – and maybe even pay damages on top of the wages. We can sing along with Tina Turner, “What’s love got to do with it?” And sing with Edwin Starr, “…Absolutely nothing.”

          Wages place the wage-payer in debt to the worker, but only for as long as the worker does what he’s agreed to do. If you took someone to court for not paying you your wages, and that person provided evidence that you sat around drinking coffee during each work shift, he might countersue because you didn’t live up to your half of the bargain. Consider this for a moment. In the relationship described, there is no cooperation. There is no love. If there is a relationship, it is as antagonists.

The goal in a works-based eternal life is to eliminate the need for God – to be like the Most High (which should bring Lucifer and Genesis 3 to mind.) To spend eternity in a place where God rules would be hell for those who insist on earning their eternal home. If their goal is to be separate from God and not to need Him for anything, the only possibly acceptable location is the place where God is not manifest in His presence.

Now, when we think of death, we tend to think of our bodies ceasing to function, or possibly separation from our bodies. But from God’s perspective, death seems to be separation from Him. If we insist on doing things our own way, we separate ourselves from Him. Damnation, then, is not something God does to someone – it’s something someone chooses to do to God. They may not understand the gravity of their choice, but for those who echo what Milton’s Satan said, “It is better to rein in hell than serve in heaven.” (Paradise Lost,) they are getting the payment they sought, whether foolishly or defiantly.