The Wages of Sin ROMANS 6:21-23

God sent His Son to take your punishment by dying in your place. Unless believers understand this provision, they will doubt their salvation. We can’t be good enough to earn heaven. Man is born with a corrupted nature; therefore, we will at times sin, no matter how hard we try not to. The Bible compares our attempts at righteous deeds to filthy rags (Isa. 64:6).

On its own, mankind has but one option with regard to sin: to die in it and spend eternity separated from God. But the Father so loved the world that He chose to punish His Son in our place (John 3:16). It was a severe price to pay. Holy God cannot look upon the filth of sin, so when Jesus became sin for all mankind, the Father had to turn away (2 Cor. 5:21). The physical suffering of crucifixion was terrible, but nothing compared to Jesus’ wrenching horror when the Father turned His back. The devastated Messiah cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34).

Throughout eternity past, the Father and Son had never been separated. Jesus accepted this ultimate punishment so we wouldn’t have to. When Paul said that the wages of sin was death, he was referring to eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23). We are saved and live forever with the Lord because of what Jesus has done.

The Savior took our place and accepted humanity’s punishment for sin. He and the Father have done the hard work of salvation so we can reap the benefits and rewards of faith. If you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and He died for your sins, then you are saved.

The Best for You

He chose our heritage for us.

Psalms 47:4

Believer, if your inheritance is meager, you should be satisfied with your earthly portion; for you may rest assured that it is best for you. Unerring wisdom ordained your lot and selected for you the safest and best condition. When a ship of large tonnage is to be brought up a river that has a large sandbank, if someone should ask, “Why does the captain steer through the deep part of the channel and deviate so much from a straight line?” his answer would be, “Because I could not get my ship into harbor at all if I did not keep to the deep channel.”

In the same way you would run aground and suffer shipwreck if your divine Captain did not steer you into the depths of affliction where waves of trouble follow each other in quick succession. Some plants die if they have too much sunshine. It may be that you are planted where you get only a little, but you are put there by the loving Farmer because only in that situation will you produce fruit unto perfection.

Remember this: If any other condition had been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you could choose your lot, you would soon cry, “Lord, choose my heritage for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows.” Be content with the things you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross; it is the burden best suited for your shoulder and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good word and work to the glory of God. Busy self and proud impatience must be put down; it is not for them to choose, but for the Lord of Love!

Trials must and will befall—
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all,
This is happiness to me.

Assurance of Salvation 1 JOHN 5:10-13

Many of the people who call In Touch have questions about their salvation. They are frustrated to feel uncertainty about such an important issue. Today’s devotion is a three-part salvation assessment. Answer yes to every question, and you can be sure that you are in God’s family and destined for an eternity in His presence. Answer no, and you’ll know exactly what issue to talk over with your pastor or a spiritual mentor.

1. Do I trust Scripture? Salvation is a simple process: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). Either we trust that Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world (including ours), or we don’t (John 3:16).

2. Do I accept the witness of the Holy Spirit? Anyone who believes in Jesus has the witness dwelling within his or her being. That is, the Spirit testifies to our identity as God’s children (Rom. 8:16). It’s not about whether we feel saved; God’s Spirit offers an abiding conviction that we are.

3. Do I walk like a follower of Jesus? Those who are in Christ are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). If we have been transformed, there are going to be changes in our life. Simply put, true believers are creatures who seek the things of God–they desire to read and understand His Word, they want to gather with His people, etc.

Confirmed Christ-followers still sin. Some even backslide for a time. No matter how crooked our walk of faith, the Holy Spirit continues to convict. He cannot allow us to be satisfied with wrongdoing. That tug of guilt over sin is yet another assurance that you have placed yourself in God’s grip.

Expect Persecution

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher.

Matthew 10:25

No one will dispute this statement, for it would not be proper for the pupil to be exalted above his Teacher. When our Lord was on earth, what was the treatment He received? Were His claims acknowledged, His instructions followed, His perfections worshiped by those whom He came to bless? No. “He was despised and rejected by men.”¹ His place was outside the city: Cross-bearing was His occupation. Did the world provide Him with comfort and rest? “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.”² This inhospitable country provided Him no shelter: It cast Him out and crucified Him.

If you are a follower of Jesus and maintain a consistent, Christlike walk and behavior, you must expect to experience persecution and rejection also. Your Christian testimony will be scrutinized and criticized. People will treat it as they treated the Savior—they will despise it. Do not imagine that pagans will admire you or that the more holy and the more Christlike you are, the more peaceably people will act toward you. If they did not prize the polished gem, do you think that they will esteem the rough cut jewel? If they have referred to Jesus as Satan, how much more will they denigrate the teacher’s disciples? If we were more like Christ, we would be more hated by His enemies.

It is a sad dishonor to a child of God to be the world’s favorite. It is a very bad omen to hear a wicked world clap its hands and shout “Well done” to the Christian man. He may begin to look to his character and wonder whether he has been doing wrong when the unrighteous give him their approval. Let us be true to our Master and have no friendship with a blind and base world that scorns and rejects Him. Far be it from us to seek a crown of honor where our Lord found only a crown of thorns.

¹Isaiah 53:3 ²Matthew 8:20