Is a gift earned or given?

Although the Bible is full of Scriptures that tell us about God's grace (and I love each one!), one of my favorites is Romans 6:23, which says,

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

This verse caught my attention because Mormons are taught that Eternal Life is something that has to be earned.  But this verse seems to indicate that Eternal Life is a gift from God.  Now, I have received many gifts in my life, and I have never once had to pay for one of them.  This is the very nature of a gift, it is free and undeserved.

Even though Christmas gifts are supposedly based on whether we have been "naughty or nice," the truth is that even when I was "naughty," I still got the same presents as the rest of the family.  If behavior were really a determining factor in what gifts we received at Christmas, there are probably very few of us who ever should have received any!

In spite of what this verse seems to say at first glance, there is some chance that I have misunderstood its true meaning.  To gain a better understanding of this verse of scripture, I decided it would be a good idea to see what men of God have said about this verse in their writings.  Permit me to share with you some of what I found.

In the 17th century, Matthew Henry had this to say about Romans 6:23:

"The death is the wages of sin, it comes by desert; but the life is a gift, it comes by favor.  Sinners merit hell, but saints do not merit heaven. There is no proportion between the glory of heaven and our obedience; we must thank God, and not ourselves, if ever we get to heaven." (Henry, Matthew, Commentary on the Whole Bible.  McLean,  VA:  MacDonald  Publishing Company, vol. 6, pg. 407)

One of Reverend Henry's contemporaries, Matthew Poole, said this:

"The gift of God is eternal life; he doth not say that eternal life is the wages of righteousness, but that it is the gracious or free gift of God.  He varies the phrase on purpose, to show that we attain not eternal life by our own merits, our own works or worthiness, but by the gift or grace of God." (Poole, Matthew, A Commentary on the Holy Bible'  Mclean,  VA:  MacDonald  Publishing Company, vol. 3, pg. 498)

In the last century, another noted commentator, David Brown, said,

"This verse -- as pointed as it is brief -- contains the marrow, the most fine gold, of the Gospel. As the labourer is worthy of his hire, and feels it to be his due -- so is death the due of sin, the wages the sinner has well wrought for.  But eternal life is in no sense or degree the wages of our righteousness: we do nothing whatever to earn or become entitled to it, and never can; it is therefore, in the most absolute sense, the GIFT of God." (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, Grand Rapids, HI. William B. Eertmns Publishing Company, vol. 3 part 2, p. 229)

A note in my study Bible carries this comment,

"You can work for sin, but it is a cruel master.  When it pays you off, its wage is death - separation from God forever.  In stark contrast, God does not pay wages, He has a free gift to offer - eternal life. There is nothing that one can do to earn this gift.If one could earn it, it would not be a gift; it would be wages." (The Open Bible Expanded Edition, New King James Version, Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, p. 1146)

So what difference does it make if the LDS people spend their lives trying to earn their eternal life? It makes a difference because it cannot be done!  And it will be a sad day indeed when they realize that "if you will not have the gift, you must have the wages." ( Brown, John, Analytical Exposition of the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans, Grand Rapids, MI,' Baker Book House, p.119)

Please join us in our efforts to make Mormons aware of the choice which they must make, and God bless you as you do.

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