The Wages Of Sin Is Death

First of all, the wages of sin is death. In other words, the punishment for living a life of sinfulness without repentance and salvation is surely death. The death spoken of here is also referred to in the Scriptures as the "second death." The meaning of the word "death" is a separation. (The meaning of the word "death" in the secular world means an ending of life, or that the person has ceased to live.) In the physical sense, death is the separation of the spirit of the person from the physical body. This is the first death. The "second death" is the eternal separation of the spirit of a person from the presence of God. In as much as God is our Creator - both as a human race and as an individual - it is our desire for our spirit to return to God upon physical death to be able to live with Him for eternity. However, due to sin - or more specifically a life of sinfulness without remission of sin and salvation - one will experience the "second death" which is the eternal separation of the spirit with God.

If one is eternally separated from God, then where will his spirit be' "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8) "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:12-15) "In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9)

These Scriptures paint a grim picture for those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and strive to live a life pleasing to Him. This picture is one of a spiritual separation from our Creator. It is also a picture of eternal suffering in the "lake of fire."

The Bible does not give us a great amount of detail as to the place we call Hell. Perhaps it is to protect us from the knowledge of that awful place. It is possible that the very knowledge would destroy us. (No Scripture for this, just my opinion.) But the Bible does give us a glimpse of what it will be like. Jesus tells us of the rich man who went to hell in Luke 16:19-24. In this passage, verses 23 and 24 say, "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." How severe the torment must be if a single drop of water would be desired to bring whatever slight relief it could. There is no way on earth that we can even begin to imagine the torment that awaits the unrepentant sinner.

The good news (no, the great news) is that a sinner can be forgiven. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16,17) "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

Even though the wages of sin is death, God provided His Son to pay the penalty for all who would accept Him as their Lord and Savior. It was through the love that our Heavenly Father has for each one of us that He gave Jesus to bear our sins to the cross and pay the penalty that each of us, by rights, should be paying. You and I along with every other person living today or in the past are the guilty parties. We are the ones who have sinned against the Father. In order for justice to be done, we should pay the price of death for our sins.

However, through the grace of God and the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on the cross we can receive a free gift - the gift of salvation. We can be saved from the awful fate of the second death which is hell. God has provided a way for us to escape the torment of hell and to live in eternity with Him. The only way for this to happen is that we must be forgiven for our sins. Since Jesus took our sins to the cross and paid the price for our sins we can receive forgiveness for our sins. We can have our sins remitted or forgiven.

How are our sins forgiven' They are forgiven because Jesus took them to the cross and paid the penalty for us. However, we must accept the free gift that God is offering to us. How' First by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Second, by repenting of our sins and asking God's forgiveness. Third, by confessing to our fellow man that we indeed believe that Jesus is God's Son. Fourth, ......

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