Romans 4:4-8 (NLT)
4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it:
7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sins are put out of sight.
8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”

The theme of the apostle’s message is righteousness and the forgiveness of sin that comes from faith and not works. When a person works they are given a set amount as wages for the service they perform. If one believed they could earn their way to heaven then God would be indebted to them. But instead God freely gives grace which provides forgiveness of sin and puts joy into the life of the one who has faith in Christ.

We learn in the verses above a person cannot earn grace. Grace is freely given and to earn something requires a debt to be paid. Consequently Romans 6:23 tells us “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Because of our participation in sin we earned a spiritual death. Many will say why would a loving God send someone to ******? It is because a loving God allows freedom to choose and if a person chooses to follow in sin then death is the required payment. Most of us have probably seen a movie or read a book where Satan appears and makes a deal with a person for their soul. But if you think about it when man choose sin the deal was made and our souls were given as payment. Christ though redeemed us and made full payment for all our sin. Have you found the joy in having your sins cleared? We were going down a road to destruction and because of our faith in Christ he led us to a road of freedom. Praise God for His Son Jesus Christ. Pray joy may fill your heart as you acknowledge His redeeming love.