Sin Series: Sin Pays a Wage
Show Notes Sin Pays a Wage
Teachable Woman Podcast
Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry
Introduction: In this powerful and introspective episode, Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry tackle a foundational truth of the Christian faith: the nature and consequences of sin. Tied into the reflective season of Lent, the discussion explores how sin entered the world, how it manifests today, and the redemptive power of grace through Jesus Christ. With clarity, love, and conviction, they encourage listeners to examine their lives, understand the wages sin pays, and choose the freedom found in Christ. This is a heart-check moment filled with truth, wisdom, and practical spiritual insights.
Episode Introduction
Rev. Michele Owes welcomes the podcast family back and introduces the theme as a continuation of their previous episode, Fully Persuaded. She reminds listeners of the unwavering faith they are called to walk in, especially during Lent—a time of spiritual examination and removal of distractions. Together with Rev. Diana P. Cherry, lovingly referred to as “the sin preacher,” they delve into the hard but necessary topic of sin and how it subtly robs us, all while magnifying God’s grace and redemptive power.
7 Show Notes from "Sin Pays a Wage"
1. Sin is the Root Cause of Separation from God - “Sin is anything that separates us from God… that dishonors Him.” Rev. Michele and Rev. Diana define sin not just as bad behavior but as anything that drives a wedge between us and God’s purpose. Whether "small" or "great," sin disrupts spiritual alignment and intimacy with the Lord. The world may grade sin by severity, but God sees all sin as separation.
2. Sin Pays a Wage—And It's Always Costly - “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Sin pays us, but with loss. Rev. Michele Owes shares that payment isn’t a blessing—it’s the death of relationships, reputations, peace, or purpose. Even when it doesn’t result in physical death, sin steals life from areas that matter most. The "salary" sin pays is subtraction, not increase.
3. The Law Revealed Sin but Couldn’t Remove It - “The law had no power to stop them… it only showed them their sin nature.” Rev. Cherry explains the purpose of the Old Testament law: it was a mirror, not a cure. It revealed mankind’s inability to live righteously on their own. Sin increased in awareness, but not in control. It took Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb, to overcome sin’s hold on humanity.
4. One Man’s Sin Brought Death, One Man’s Sacrifice Brought Life -
“By one man's sin… all were affected. But by one man's death, we are redeemed.” The episode outlines the theological foundation of original sin through Adam and redemption through Jesus. Christ came wrapped in flesh to be the acceptable sacrifice for sin. Through His resurrection, grace now reigns over those who believe. Sin may have reigned once—but grace now rules.
5. We Have Power Over Sin Through Grace - “You let not sin reign… yield not your members.” Rev. Cherry dives into Romans 6 to declare that sin no longer has dominion over believers. Through Christ, we can choose not to yield to sin. Yielding is not inevitable—it’s a decision. She reminds listeners that temptation may come, but so does a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).
6. Sin is Subtle—So Stay Spiritually Aware - “Sin is subtle… exposure creates options.” Rev. Owes emphasizes how the enemy uses subtle exposures to lure us into sin. Often, it starts with something that seems harmless. But with every exposure comes a choice. They stress the importance of spiritual discernment—knowing when to flee and avoid paths that subtract from your spiritual life.
7. The Gift of Grace Is Greater Than the Curse of Sin - “Where sin did abound, grace does much more abound.” The episode ends on a hopeful note: grace is more powerful than any sin. Through Jesus, we are not only forgiven but made new. Rev. Cherry encourages everyone to take a daily dose of grace—God's enabling power that strengthens, sustains, and transforms. Lent isn’t just about giving things up; it’s about not picking them back up again.
Scriptures Referenced
- Romans 5–8 (deep study encouraged)
- Romans 6:23 – “The wages of sin is death…”
- Romans 5:8 – “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “God makes a way of escape…”
Lenten Reflection
As you continue your Lenten journey, take time to examine what may be separating you from God. What have you laid down that you shouldn’t pick back up? This season isn’t just about sacrifice—it’s about transformation through grace.
Retreat Reminder
Don’t forget to register for the Teachable Woman Retreat in Houston, Texas at the Westin Oaks Hotel – Galleria. Join women from around the country for worship, teaching, restoration, and sisterhood. You won’t want to miss it!
Teachable Woman Podcast
Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry
Subtitle: Sin Pays a Wage
[00:00:00]
Rev. Michele Owes: Welcome, welcome, welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We are so excited to be with you today. I am Reverend Michele Owes. I am with the one and only Reverend Mrs. Diana P. Cherry. Together, we are Teachers of Good Things. Mrs. Cherry say hello.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Good morning to the podcast family. To all of you who are fully persuaded that you love the Lord, fully persuaded that you're going to follow the Lord, fully persuaded that you're not going to walk in sin, God bless you. Welcome to another podcast.
Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. Well, Mrs. Cherry just gave us the end of our last podcast that we completed, which was Fully Persuaded. We're fully persuaded of God's love, care, and protection for us, and that he will [00:01:00] forgive us of our sins. We are fully persuaded that he is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We're excited that you now have confidence, which is an assurance and reliance on him as Savior and Lord.
We are currently in the Lenten season, as one would call it, and that is the 40 days of fasting that Jesus did in the wilderness. Lent is considered a time when you and I examine our lives and remove those things that do not honor God. Identify time wasters, income wasters, and things that distract us from our walk with the Lord. We have this opportunity during Lent season to remove those things from our lives. There would be no Lent season if it were not for sin. [00:02:00] When we look at the fact that sin is the cause, not only of the death, but also of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we want to examine the cause. We want to talk about sin.
What exactly is sin? Sin is anything that separates us from God. Anything that dishonors him. It is anything that causes us not to walk in his will and in his way. In our nation, we have grades of sin, if you will. If you're involved in the legal system, you get a certain amount of time or penalty for lesser sins versus greater ones.
Rev. Michele Owes: The beautiful thing about God is that sin is sin. There is no lesser or greater with him. Sin is just sin. The scripture tells us in Romans six [00:03:00] and 23 that the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Sin pays a wage, or a salary. When we do those things or find ourselves in a position where we are not honoring God with our choices, lifestyle, and so forth, sin is paying a wage. Something dies, and it may not be a physical death. It could be the death of an opportunity or a reputation. It could be the death of a relationship or trust between two individuals. So, sin is always paying a wage. It is always taking something from us.
When we think about receiving a wage, we consider payment to be something good, but the kind of payment that sin pays is taking away from our lives. It is not [00:04:00] adding to; it is subtracting from it. It is lessening the value of. I thought there would be no better person to be with us to talk about sin than the sin preacher herself. So be sure to get your bandages, ointments, and wraps.
Rev. Michele Owes: She might break something, and you may need some anchors for your arms and legs to keep moving. But we promise you it is all in love. So, the sin preacher herself, Mrs. Diana P. Cherry, please talk with us about sin.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It is not going to be that bad. They always accused me of teaching the truth and doing a good job. But my husband always said, Dee, you left the people bleeding. You didn't give them any hope. But [00:05:00] today, I want to talk about the origin of sin and the magnitude of the impact of sin. When it first happened, the complications that sin caused haven't changed.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It's just a serious thing today with the little sin or a big sin as it was back then. I just want to paint a picture for us of sin. In the earth as a result of the original sin. When Adam disobeyed God in the garden, that was the birth of sin. Abounded and abounded and abounded, and man had no idea really.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: About sin. They just did what came naturally. They did what they wanted to do, did what felt good. Even though they had the law, [00:06:00] the law had no power to stop them. In fact, the law was given so that man could see that they were powerless to do anything about their sin nature. Sin was abounding in the earth because the word of God says that by one man's sin, all became sinners.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Can you imagine one person did something that impacted us even now? That's the power of sin. One man's sin cause sin to enter the earth. By that one man's sin, Romans five, teaches us that sin entered and sin abounded. But thanks be to God. God loved us so much. He made us in his image and his likeness, and he wanted a stop to sin.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And so what he did was he wrapped himself. Sinful flesh in the form of his dear [00:07:00] beloved only son Jesus Christ, and sent Jesus in the earth to be the propitiation. That word simply means the, that which was acceptable to God, whatever had to take the sin away, had to be sinless. Therefore, God sent his word.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Put it in the wound of a virgin who was without sin, and as a result of her receiving the seed of the word of God, she gave birth to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, his only begotten, righteous son. And so Jesus came into the earth. And Jesus lived and showed us how we could live because Jesus was 100% human, 100% divine.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So Jesus' example shows us that we can live on earth and not sin. So Jesus lived, he was crucified, and the word of God tells us by one man's [00:08:00] sin. If sin came upon all of us, but by one man's death, we are all redeemed from the curse of sin. I want to tell it like a story. Today, you and I are no longer bound by sin because of what Jesus Christ did.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We have been made free from sin. I want to encourage everybody to read Romans chapters five and six. Seven and eight, all of Romans is a sin teaching, and I love Romans. You know, I love Romans. I love the word of God.
Rev. Michele Owes: I do know.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: The Word of God tells us in view of what was happening in the world. God commended, Romans 5:8, God commended; demonstrated, showed his love toward us, while we were yet sinners. Jesus Christ died for us, not because of anything we had done, but [00:09:00] because God wanted us restored to him. During the Lenten season, I encourage all of us to examine our lives. What is it that's keeping us from a great, inseparable relationship with God?
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Sin means to miss the mark. What are we doing that is causing us to miss the mark? Is there a relationship in our lives that shouldn't be? Are there habits, hobbies, activities, and gambling? That's so prevalent today that it's causing us to miss the mark. And I want to encourage you, during the Lenten season. Christ died for us.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It seems so simple to me that the least we could do would be to live for him. So I wanted to paint a picture of why we had to have Jesus to come. He came because [00:10:00] of sin, and now that he has come, he has died. The word of God tells us that as sin reigned until death unto death, even so grace might rain through righteousness unto eternal life by Christ Jesus.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So sin did rain. Until the law, the law couldn't stop it. Moses couldn't stop it. The leaders couldn't stop it. The priest couldn't stop it. So sin was in the earth, and then the law entered. The law was given to see how much sin was in the earth. But the good news is that Jesus Christ came. He died and he's redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We are no longer bound by sin because God's word says where sin did abound, grace does much more [00:11:00] abound. So, grace is the prescription. Grace is the antidote. Take a massive dose of grace every day. God's grace suffices to heal, strengthen, and keep us. I want us to know that as we've given up certain things during the Lenten season, we don't have to pick those things back up.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Because we now have grace through the word of God, we have grace through the death of Jesus Christ. Sin does not have to reign in our bodies. So the word of God and I, I love Roman six. I like to have fun with it. Verse six says, knowing this, verse nine says, knowing that, verse 11 says, likewise, reckon, and verse 12 says, let not therefore so if we know, if we know this, that he was crucified for us, if [00:12:00] we know that.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He died for us. Then verse 12, let not that, let means that you, it implies the subject, implies you, you let not sin, therefore reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof. And then it says, neither yield when we yield. I'm writing my autobiography and I'm talking about something that happened in my life.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I had a child out of wedlock. It's because I yielded, and I'm dealing with that in the book. I don't have any secrets. Anybody can be tempted to yield, but we don't have to give in. Temptation and yielding are two different things, so I want to encourage us. We don't have to sin. We don't have to be like the world.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We don't have to look like the world. We can be strong Christians. In Romans 6:17, which is like the [00:13:00] theme of our entire ministry, “ But God be thanked that ye were, say I were a sinner. I am not any more. Ye were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed. From the Heart, that form of doctrine was delivered to you, the word of God. The word of God delivered us from that.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We're delivered. We don't have to be bound anymore. I really want to encourage you. I'm not going to leave you bleeding.
Rev. Michele Owes: Before you do that, Mrs. Cherry, before you encourage us, I want to share that sin is subtle. The Bible talks about how Eve was convinced to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and then gave it to her husband. The Bible also tells us [00:14:00] that the serpent was and is subtle. That subtlety gives us exposures, and exposures create options.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.
Rev. Michele Owes: It's a process that we start at point A, and before we know it, we're at point Z. You were sharing that sin does not have dominion over us.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.
Rev. Michele Owes: Ultimately, at the end of the day, it is a choice whether to continue, even if there has been an exposure, it is still our choice whether or not we continue down that path. And so remembering that sin is subtle. When the enemy exposes something to us that may not have ever been in our area of influence, why is he exposing it? And then where is it going to take me? Does it add to [00:15:00] my life in Christ Jesus? Or will it subtract from my life in Christ Jesus? So we now have cute words for sin. We say, we slipped, we made a mistake. We say that we fell. But ultimately, it was a plan that was executed with our cooperation. And we must remember that we cooperated and made the choices to continue. So, you know, Jesus died for the fact that we were sinners and he became the sacrifice, the just and fit and right sacrifice for all of our sins. But he did that to free us from sin, not so we could continue slipping, falling, and making mistakes. But the Bible says that there is a sin that death so easily besets us. all of us have, all [00:16:00] of us, the Bible tells us, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And then there is the sin that does so easily beset us, the one that is so familiar with us. The one that we can call the repeater, if you will, but it does not have dominion over us. The cure is still that same choice and to walk in the grace that is given to us through Christ Jesus, because grace came with Jesus Christ. Carry on.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm not going to leave anybody bleeding today. This is not a preaching message. I hope I leave everybody hopeful today. Sin is powerful. Sin spreads worse than Covid. Think about the fact that sin reigned from the time that Adam sinned in the garden until Jesus Christ came.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: By [00:17:00] his death he overcame sin. And now we are free from sin. Now, when we choose to sin, it's because deep down within we desire to do it. And just like Eve in the garden. She, I believe, Eve knew, but she allowed herself to be exposed to the word of God. She was in a chatting conversation with him, and I don't believe that the first time the devil tempted Eve, but she gave in.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's just my belief. These are my thoughts based on. Things that I feel that God has blessed me to believe and to know, but I believe that that exposure. And I know my son and I always give him credit for it, but my son talked years ago and I have it throughout my book. That exposure does create options, and we do make 00:18:00 choices out of our options, and our choices are long-lasting and life-changing.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We can make a choice, but we cannot choose the consequences of the choice. And so really, I. I wanna encourage everybody to just stir up the gift of God on the inside of you. You have the grace of God. If you are born again Christian. Try God to say, God, I can't do this on my own. I have tried. I've tried to give up this habit, this activity, I cannot do it, but I'm gonna give it to you.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm gonna ask you, please God, by your grace, take it away from me. And that's what I did when I decided to give up drinking in October of 1980. And I haven't had a drink since. And it's not that I was an alcoholic, it's just something I didn't think I needed for my body. I wanna encourage everybody as you're coming to the end of your lenton fast.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Pray to [00:19:00] God. If it was something you gave up that was sinful, that you know it's not good for your body. It doesn't have to be sinful. Pray to God to strengthen you through his grace, and I know God, I know that he will do it. If you ask him with a sincere heart, God is able to strengthen you. The grace of God is stronger than.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Any force in the earth realm, the grace of God will keep you. God's grace will never lead you to a place where it cannot. He cannot keep you. God will never allow you to be tempted beyond that which you can handle. But with each temptation, it makes us stronger for the next temptation. So. This, this message.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: What you don't know is there was something that preceded this. It's another joke between Reverend oes and me, but this message is totally different from what she or I knew from a previous [00:20:00] exposure that we had. But I just wanna encourage you, you can do this. We are free from sin.
Rev. Michele Owes: Yes,
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Christ died so that we don't have to continue to rise to sin.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And I, I really wanna just encourage you because the word of God says the things that we did when we were sinning we're ashamed of them Now. But thank God we are free of them now. You're being made free from sin. You become servants of God. You have your fruit unto holiness, and the end is everlasting life.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So as we celebrate his resurrection from the dead, celebrate your resurrection from sin. Amen.
Rev. Michele Owes: Hey, that is an excellent way to bring that to a close. I also want to share with us that when there is [00:21:00] temptation, there is always also a way of escape. God has always provided a way of escape.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Oh.
Rev. Michele Owes: a way of
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.
Rev. Michele Owes: We just have to look for it.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.
Rev. Michele Owes: We just need to take a second and look for the way of escape that God has made for us.
Rev. Michele Owes: We may find ourselves in some situations that we were, we went along, God has made a way of escape so that we're not tempted above what we ought. In other words, we ought to get out.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right.
Rev. Michele Owes: Look for that way of escape.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right, like one of one, one of our evangelists said one time this lady was after him. He said he picked up his grace and ran. But you know, I wanna share this. God will make a way of escape, but read about it. I think it's in Corinthians with the temptation. With what you are tempted with, he'll make a way of escape.
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So read the scripture for yourself and be strong in the Lord. The world needs you. The world needs me. The world needs us to be [00:22:00] holy and to be distinctively different from the world in all we do and all we say in all we think and in how we dress.
Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. We have come to the end of this podcast. We're excited once again to share with you. We want to remind you of our retreat, the Teachable Woman Retreat, which is back here again in Houston, Texas, at the Western Oak Hotel in the Galleria. We are excited that many of you are registering now.
Rev. Michele Owes: You're encouraging our hearts even today, and we trust that God will do something magnificent while we're together to show you how much we love you. We have a bring we have a Bring seven promotion. And that brings seven means. If you bring seven women who were not registered with us last year, your registration is free. That gives you a chance to share what you learned. Talk about the retreat and the wonderful time we had [00:23:00] to interest more women in participating in what we are doing. Go to teachable woman.com website and you'll find more details there. We look forward to seeing you in July. See you on our next podcast.
Rev. Michele Owes: We
Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Love you. God bless you.
