Song of Solomon 5:13 English Standard Version (ESV) His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.

This is a poetic expression of our Lord and we might recognize our Lord in applying a smell test to what I said about the rewards of sin yesterday.

It is not gospel and there is no doctrine to be made of those comments. Those comments were a personal appraisal of my feelings and experience. That is a human perspective and God was not in it.

How I know this is because there is no glory for God to be found in it. There was no supporting scripture to vindicate those assertions. It was a human appeal.

Human appeals are often accepted because they stir something inside us. That does not make it worthy of elevating to the position of doctrine. It is teachable only from the perspective of how easy it is to be swayed by emotions.

Truth comes from a deeper place and will pass the smell test. The Holy Spirit breathes life into us and with every breath He praises the Lord. If the Lord cannot be found in what is said, see it for what it is in truth, humanity.

2 Corinthians 9:12-14 English Standard Version

¹² For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, ¹⁴ while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.

Glorify God in all we say and do.

Romans 6:23 English Standard Version (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wages are not rewards and neither are gifts. The term reward is used 43 times in the Old Testament and 37 times in the New Testament (KJV count).

Psalm 28:4 English Standard Version (ESV) Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.

This verse highlights the context of this discussion. It should be a discussion because there will be some who see things differently.

Life owes us nothing but death. There is no reward for surviving. If we take God at His Word, then Psalm 28 implies there are rewards to be had in life for what we do, both good and bad. We have been given this life in Christ and as such our focuses is on our rewards based on this relationship.

Yet we live in the world and this realm belongs to the Prince of the Power of the Air, Satan. As such he grants us rewards for our behavior which aligns itself with his influences upon us. What are the rewards for bad behavior?

The first reward for sin is an appetite for more. Sin may please us for a moment but those pleasures are fleeting and need to be experienced again and again.

The second reward of sin is dissatisfaction. Enough is not enough, we want more because our appetites cannot be satisfied.

The third reward of sin is judgement. If we cannot be satisfied in all our efforts to gorge ourselves on sin, then it has to be someone’s fault for withholding what we want.

The forth reward of sin is theft. If we cannot earn what we want, we will steal it.

Does this pass the smell test?