Category: Different Scriptures

It’s a common verse. In fact, it’s part of the “Roman Road to Salvation”. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Rewind to many messages on this passage I heard growing up, and you could substitute the word “punishment” for “wages” here. It was taught as basically the same thing. The punishment for sin, was death. The problem is, in our world especially today, there is a distance between justice occurring, and what we actually experience. The threat of punishment is only that….a threat. We can hope to get off with a warning. We can avoid law enforcement and go unpunished. We can appeal to the grace of God as we step forward into our life or act of sin, and cross our fingers hoping that He might not bring about the “punishment” of death in response to what we do.

Sure, there are verses that talk about “punishment” throughout the Bible. The Old Testament is full of God using corrective methods to guide His people, and the New Testament talks about “eternal punishment”, and God bringing His justice to all things one day.

But this verse in particular seems to choose a word other than “punishment” on purpose. The connection between “sin” and “death” here is much more fluid and natural/expected.

It’s like saying, the resulting consequence or “what you get in return for this” is death. Not “if mom catches you”, and not “if you get prosecuted”. It’s what always occurs as the consequence/payment of choosing a way other than God’s design. It is the way of death. It kills our ability to be in right relationship with God. It kills our ability to be in right relationship with others. It can often also mean a bit of death within ourselves.

I can’t help but nod my head  to the smooth sounds of The Gotee Brothers whenever I read this verse. The song talks about the “Wages of Sin”, and the album talks about living in a world that has been impacted by racism. We can still look around our world today, and mourn the damage that has been done to the human ability to relate in healthy ways to each other. We are receiving the “wages” of sins of racism committed since long ago.

As parents, we don’t simply want to instill a fear of “eternal punishment” for sin someday in the future…that scares them into being good and saying the “right words” today.  We want them to understand that making selfish choices brings death to our relationships, and can hurt the people around them right now.  Going our own way (self), instead of/above the path God has created us to exist within (Love for Him/Others)…always has an impact – today.
Come back later this week to hear more about the “gift of God”!!! 🙂

I’m a father.  3 Daughters, and pursuing our 4th.  Father’s Day is always a day of rich thankfulness for me.  Without going into a huge amount of background, I was raised a large chunk of my “growing up/early teen” years without a dad around.  Mom did a crazy good job raising 5 kids, and figuring out how things would work…but these years still left me feeling a bit like I’d “missed out” on something important.

Even in college & as a young adult, when approaching some things, the thought would come to mind: “People who had a father growing up are probably more prepared for this than me.”  As if I was something incomplete, because of what I’d experienced.

So when we moved toward starting a family of our own, there was the fear that becoming a father would somehow “reveal” what I’d been lacking.  When I actually took time to think and pray about this, I knew it was a silly thought.  Nevertheless, it was a quiet humming in the background of my life’s musical score.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul writes “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

This verse has definitely rang true in my life.  Am I different because of going through many years without a dad at home?  Yes.  But do those differences do anything to weaken/make less of what God is accomplishing through me?  Not at all.  If anything, as the verse above declares, God’s power is all the more evident in these areas.

I’ve always known this verse, and even declared it to be true.  It has definitely been a blessing in ministry, to be able to look at teenagers going through rough times and say “I know what you’re going through, and I can speak Hope into your life.”  It wasn’t hard to embrace these areas of my weakness as being useful for ministry.

But what I’m learning is that it’s not simply that God wants to use these for my moments of “professional ministry”.  God wants His power to be manifested in my home as well.  The areas that I don’t know, where I’m humbled, and where I’m lacking….allow me to turn and point to Jesus Christ.  For my own sake, and for the sake of my family.

It’s counter-intuitive these days.  But it remains, as cheesy as it sounds.

I’m not an amazing father when I provide for my family financially, buy great gifts, and take them to Disney World (whew).  I’m not a great father when I fix the car engine (thankfully), clean our gutters, or patch a hole in the wall.  I’m a Father when I’m pointing my family to Jesus as their source of strength and wisdom.  And for that…I am more than well-equipped for the task.  🙂

And thankful…