From our earliest years, we learn the principle of earning what we get—work equals wages. It’s fair, predictable, and deeply ingrained in us. But the gospel of Jesus Christ shatters that equation when it comes to salvation. Paul reminds us that Abraham wasn’t justified by his good works or moral effort, but by faith—simple, trusting belief in God’s promise.

If we try to earn righteousness, our “wages” are what we truly deserve: judgment for sin. But if we stop striving and instead believe in the One who justifies the ungodly, then faith is credited to us as righteousness. Forgiveness, eternal life, and peace with God are not earned—they are given.

Grace upends our instinct to perform for approval. It invites us to rest in the finished work of Christ, to live and work not for God’s favor, but from it. That’s the paradox of faith and wages: what we could never earn, God freely gives.