The Wages of Sin

by Bishop Keith A. Butler

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto

the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and

unto dust shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:19

This verse records the actual death sentence that doomed Adam and

Eve-and you and me-to physical death one day. Death, sickness, disease

and lack were never included as parts of God‘s perfect plan for man.

These are the sad by-products of sin, of Adam’s fatal choice to seek

knowledge and identity outside of and separate from God’s plan.

God never intended for a single human being’s body to be put into the

ground. He created us to live eternally-every our physical bodies. As I

understand it, the cells of the human body appear to be designed to

live forever. Scientists have long been puzzled as to why they

gradually run out of energy and die. The answer is in God’s Word in the

Book of Genesis.

It even appears that the animals in Eden never died-or they didn’t

until God had to kill two animals and use their skins to cover the

nakedness of Adam and Eve after they sinned. Those innocent animals

died to provide a covering for Adam and Eve’s shame and nakedness. This

incident marks the first appearance of the blood sacrifice of innocents

as atonement for the guilty, and it drives home the horror of the wages

of sin.

Prayer for Today

Father,

You are the all-powerful, all-wonderful, almighty Savior of the world.

Thank you for redeeming me from the power of sin and death and for

giving me life eternal through your Son. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Think on These Things

* Daniel 12:2

* Ecclesiastes 3:20

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