Walking with the Wise #61: The Wages of Choice

“The wage of the righteous leads to life,

the gain of the wicked to sin.”

—Proverbs 10:16

God’s laws are irrevocable. He has not only established how the physical realm operates (say, for example, the Law of Gravity), but He has placed certain moral or spiritual laws into place that are equally as binding and unchangeable. When one is living a righteous life, which is a life that is lived in accordance with God’s Word, then the end result is true life, i.e., abundant life, life in its fullness. If, however, you continue in sin, then you are wicked. And any gain you may have as a wicked person will lead to more sin.

It’s fascinating to note how the New Testament rephrases this verse: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”—Romans 6:23. The wage of the righteous is eternal life, but in the New Testament we learn about the wages of sin, which is death. Do good and you will be rewarded with life, and if you do evil, you will also be rewarded, with more trouble, sin, and eventually, death.

Our God is a God of life, who desires good for us, not evil. He has given us His Word so that we might know what and how to do what is pleasing in His sight and most delightful to our souls. We must choose what path we desire to follow—God’s or another. It doesn’t matter what that other choice is, simply because all choices, if not for God, are grouped together in the category of being against God. We are either for God, or against Him; there is no other position.


Where are you? Are you choosing to live for God’s glory or for your own? Are you living a righteous life in submission to His Word? Or are you rejecting His laws in favor of something else? Know that any position other than that which falls at His feet in worship is false and will only bring pain, condemnation, and death. Only through Christ can we see the righteousness of God revealed (Romans 3:21-26), and only through Christ can we live the life that God most desires for us. He is our hope, He is our peace, and He is the one through whom we have true and everlasting life (John 10:10).

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who purposed us from the foundation of the world to be recipients of His salvation, cause us to find our greatest delight in Him and Him alone, for the everlasting glory of His magnificent and majestic name. Amen.