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

Around the world, generally speaking, crime is punished and justice is served. There’s a deeper philosophical question in there as to what constitutes a “crime” and the associated penalties paid for those respective crimes—let alone the warped evolution of the concept of “justice.” But we’re going to talk at higher levels—much higher, as you’ll see.

Although no earthly justice system is perfect, when a societal law is broken, payment must be made. If you’re caught speeding, you pay the fine. If you’re convicted of theft or assault, you’ll likely spend time in jail. Often, the perpetrator must make monetary restitution to the victim, compensating for what has been taken (property, health, even life).

But no matter the standard of “right” we may be working from, most of us can agree that if that standard is violated, some action or payment must be made for true justice to be served. And by the literal definition of justice, this is certainly true.

Did you know, sister, that the True and Living God is, by definition, a just God (Isaiah 61:8, Ecclesiastes 3:17; Hebrews 10:30)? He is perfectly Holy (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 15:4), and He cannot tolerate the slightest unrighteousness (sin) in His presence—only perfection.

Are you perfect? I’m certainly not! None of us are (Romans 3:23). So, what’s God’s penalty for sin—any and every sin, not just the “really bad ones”? Death. Not the death of our bodies at the end of our earthly lifetime, but rather spiritual death: eternal suffering in hell (Romans 6:3; Revelation 21:8). Payment for sin is required, and it will be paid.

But, friend, Someone has already paid that penalty on your behalf! Jesus (fully God) came to earth (fully man) to live the perfect life we could never live. And then, He died the death we deserve, taking the full penalty for every sinner for all time and transferring His perfect righteousness to our account. In fact, His last word on Calvary’s cross was “Tetelestai”—it is finished, the debt has been satisfied (John 19:30). A Great Exchange was made in that moment, His robe of righteousness for our filthy rags.

Do we automatically become sinless upon our acceptance of this free and gracious gift? Nope. But we are made free from the bondage of sin, and we’re given the Holy Spirit to help us walk through this world in closer and closer alignment with God’s Word and His will. And when we do leave this world through physical death and are brought before the Holiest of Holy judges, we can stand in His presence unafraid and unstained—in unbridled joy!

Any wrongdoing—from a lustful thought to a heinous murder—requires penalty. None of us has a proverbial “Get out of hell free” card based on our own actions (or goodness). It is simply not possible in our fallen humanity. But we’ve been given that great gift through Jesus Christ. And if we accept what He did on our behalf, our souls are forever stamped “paid in full.”

“Father, if there is just one reading this today who has not yet accepted the free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, I pray this moment will change their eternal destination.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life