Let's just say that Death is the enemy in life's story. And let's just say I can convince you that you are working with that enemy. You are Death's cohort - accomplice. And it's not just speculation. In fact, it's so logical, that it's shocking.
To illustrate, imagine you have a job. Any job works. Let's imagine you're a skilled landscaper or construction worker. You work hard. When you're finished, your client offers you some money.
Shocking, right? Not really. If you work, you get paid. It's what you agreed on and the logical result. What would be shocking is if the client didn't pay you. Not only would that be rude, but against logic too.
That's exactly how life is.
Death claims the life of every person. Why? Everyone earns it. Will you die someday? Well, that's because you are working for Death as a client. You earned it.
It's called the "law of Sin and Death."
If you sin, you die.
It's not that hard, is it?
When we were born, we immediately started sinning. No joke, we did and do it very well. In fact I might even call it a full-time job.
And we sin against Holy, Holy, Holy, God.
That makes it incredibly serious.
So, are you convinced? You are an accomplice to the enemy of God. Oops. Bad choice.
But to give just a little bit of slack, there is a fallen angel called the deceiver, and he blinds people's eyes to this partnership until God un-blinds them. (2 Cor. 4:4) So, you probably weren't outright deciding to work with Death. I'm just guessing that you didn't say, "Hmm...how can I earn death today?"
If you are anything like me, you want to stop working for Death. But, you're pretty stuck, because you've already earned your wages.
That's where the hero comes in. His name is Messiah Jesus.
He comes and does something incredible. He lives the human life without ever serving death... without ever sinning... without ever earning death.
So, He legally deserved to never die. Now that is jaw-dropping.
It doesn't stop there. He worked for a different client, righteousness. So, I bet you're wondering, "What kind of wages did He earn, working for righteousness?" Good question! He earned what we call "Eternal Life."
How does this apply to us? Well, though He didn't have to die, He chose to take our wages upon Himself so we could be free from Death if we wanted. He was flogged, tortured, then hung on a Roman instrument of execution. It's the cross. He died while taking our wages.
But, since He never actually earned Death his whole life, God raised Him from the dead. This actually proved Jesus' innocence, additionally conquering Death.
So, through all of that, His wages are now being offered to all the people whose wages He took. (Pst! That's everybody.) It's called the "gift of Eternal Life."
The way to accept the gift is:
1. Repentance and turning from a life of sin.
2. Believing on Jesus and the mercy He offered you on the cross when He took your wages.
If you choose to accept this gift, then though your body of death will die at the end of your life, you have a confidence/hope that as a seed, He will raise you to life where you will receive a brand new body.
You will live forever (Hence the name of the gift.)
Now, here's the illustration I promised.
