DEVOTION – DAY 361

Romans 6:23 “Death Or Eternal Life”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”

The apostle Paul used an example of an employee to emphasize an important point. In Romans 6:23. he used the contrast of two kinds of serving. The first kind is the most common found in our world today. These are people who choose to live for themselves. People think that if they try to be basically “good” and do some acts of charity from time to time, it will give them good “karma”. They follow the ways of this world, either thinking that this life is all there is, or that there is the belief of reincarnation. Those who think there is no life after death would live selfishly because they have only one life to live. Those who think there is reincarnation will think that if they accumulate enough good “karma,” they will have a better life when they are reincarnated. Romans 6:23 says that because they live to serve themselves, they will end up with all the sins committed throughout their lives – and they will be rewarded with wages of sin which is death. Death in the Bible refers to physical death, and also spiritual death – which means eternal separation from the Holy Living God. They will never be with God because they chose to live a life without God.

The second group that Paul talks about are those that live to serve God. They believe that they are not perfect and that they sin throughout their lives. Because of that, the only way that they could have a relationship with the Holy Living God is to have God forgive their sins. Romans 6:23 confirms that for this group of people, all they have to do, is accept and believe that God loved them so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross on their behalf for their sins. And based on Jesus Christ’ work on the cross – God rewards them with eternal life. The Bible teaches that eternal life means that although a person dies physically, his spirit will not go to hell but instead be with the Holy Living God forever.

We know a woman whose cancer had become terminal. She had worshipped idols but her idols did not give her inner peace. She was also fearful about dying. Her daughter and grandchildren who were Christians would pray for her. She found peace when they prayed. In her final days, she decided to put her faith and trust in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. She found peace. She also found eternal life because she had the assurance that when she takes her last breath on earth, she will be in the presence of Jesus Christ in eternity. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship You because You are Love, and You are Everlasting Peace. We thank You for your gift of eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. We pray for the salvation of all our unbelieving friends and family members. We humbly pray in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. If you have not yet believed in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what is preventing you from doing so? Share.
  2. Why do unbelievers choose to live lives of unbelief in Jesus and instead choose to believe in themselves? Discuss.
  3. Do you know unbelievers? Will you name them and pray specifically for their salvation?
  4. How will you help them to know about Jesus Christ?