Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Very useful verse:
This verse has much truth put into a few words and has been used of the Holy Spirit to bring numerous people to the awakening of their conscience to their need of salvation thru Christ. It presents this gospel very succinctly and plan for all to understand. The key to this may be the use of the small word “but” showing the sharp contrast between being lost and saved.
Wages versus Gift:
Wages are something that must be earned; the wages of employment follow directly from having performed the work. We expect to be paid for the work we perform for an employer and often seek to receive the highest wages possible for the work performed. The passage says the wages of sin is death and can be related to the pronouncement upon Adam and Eve in the garden – “the day you sin you will surely die”. This death that came upon mankind involved spiritual death first, then physical death and ultimately eternal death. (Gen 3:19; Eph 2:1; Rev 20:14) The wages will be reckoned according to our opportunities to receive God’s grace (Lu 12:47-48), the amount of light we had in this life (Matt 11:21-24) and the amount of wickedness we have performed (Rev 20:12).
The gift of God is free and underserving (Eph 2:4, 5, 8, 9; Acts 15:11; Ro 3:24). The opposite of working for something is that it is given to us w/o any merit of our own. The Gift of God follows directly from His own character. He is a loving God who graciously showers His gift upon all who will acknowledge their need and accept His gift.
Sin versus God:
We might say, “Sin versus the sinless One”. We could say that sin is the opposite of godliness or godly living. Sin is an action (transgressions 1 Jn 3:4, missing the mark of God’s standard all have sinned and come short . Sin begins with our thinking, reasoning and desires (Matt 5:28; Josh 7:21; James 1:14-15).
Sin is the deed that merits the wages, while God is the Being Who gives the gift. Sin is the wrong action, thought and attitude; God is a person, active and loving. Sin takes but God gives.
Death versus eternal life:
Conscious existence in separation from God versus conscientious existence in communion with God. Sin brings spiritual death which places people in ignorance of God, His love and understanding (2 Cor 4:3-4; 1 Cor 2:14; Eph 4:17-18), Sin brings eternal separation from God (Lu 16:26). Eternal life is in the Person of Jesus Christ living within the believer (1 Jn 5:11-12) in the Person of the Holy Spirit. The choice is clearly displayed for all to see and believe – the Holy Spirit of God awakens us bu5t we are responsible for the reaction.