Rom 6:23

Romans 6:23

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

There is a clear contrast between the consequences of sin and following Jesus. Let’s have a look at this verse from different angles:

Background:

The book of Romans, or the “Letter to the Roman Church”, was written by Paul while he was in Corinth, around 57-58 AD. Along with some of the other letters written to other churches and individuals, like 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Philemon, 1 & 2 Corinthians, it is believed to be some of the earliest writings, even predating the Gospels. 

The tone of the letter is much different to some of the other letters Paul wrote. Some believe it is because Paul did not establish the church in Rome, like the other churches such as Corinthians. So instead of addressing specific issues in the church, he discusses more theological aspects than practical ones. 

Romans is therefor also considered to be the most significant regarding theology and doctrine. It is the last of the letters Paul wrote, and it almost appears to be a summary of Paul’s beliefs. (1)(2)

W-analysis:

Who: Identity 1 – commits sin and receives wages, 

Identity 2 – pays the wages, 

God, 

Identity 3 – receives the gift, 

Jesus Christ

Where: -

What: Wages, gift

When: Present tense “is”, not “will be”, nor “was”. 

Why: Wages as payment, 

How: by sinning you receive wages of death, through Jesus you get the gift of eternal life

Both the wages and the gift is received now, here on earth, and it has eternal consequences. You cannot accept the gift directly from God, it has to be through Jesus Christ. That is because Jesus is the gift, you accept Him as your Lord and Saviour to be saved (2 Cor 9:15, Eph 4:7, Rom 10:9).

Greek analysis:

wages= S3800: rations for a soldier, his stipend or pay, wages

sin = S266: offence, sin

death = S2288: literal or figurative death, deadly, death

gift = S5486: (divine) gratuity, deliverance, (spiritual) endowment, religious qualification, miraculous faculty, (free) gift

eternal = S166: perpetual, eternal, forever, everlasting, world (began)

life = S2222: life (literally, figuratively), life (-time)

Definitions:

Wages

a) a fixed regular payment earned for work or services, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis.

we were struggling to get better wages

b) carry on (a war or campaign).

it is necessary to destroy their capacity to wage war

Gift

a) a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present.

wedding gifts

b) a natural ability or talent.

he has a gift for comedy

c) give (something) as a gift, especially formally or as a donation or bequest.

the company gifted 2,999 shares to a charity

Contrast:

For   the   wages   of   sin     is   death

but   the     gift      of   God   is   eternal life   through Jesus Christ our Lord

for vs but

wages vs gift

sin vs God

death vs eternal life

The default is sin, therefor it is stated as “for…” – it is the “status quo”. The “but” means that it can change, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

You earn wages – you receive a gift

Sin is pitted against God, which means that it represents the Devil. He will also receive his wage of death (Matt 25:41)

Physical death was the result of the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, and it doomed the rest of the generations of life on earth to a physical death. But it is also a spiritual death – until you accept Jesus, you are spiritually dead. And, at the very end, there will be another death, the second death, that awaits as the ultimate wage for sin: the lake of fire (Rev 20:14-15)

Eternal life is received by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. This, just like death, starts on earth. You have eternal life the moment you are saved. Even though your physical body will die, your spirit and soul will live forever, in a beautiful place that Jesus has prepared for you (John 14:2-3, 1 Cor 2:9).

Context:

The whole chapter is about laying down your life and taking up Jesus’ life as your own. Before we knew Christ, our lives and our bodies belonged to sin, we did sinful things. But now that we have accepted Christ, we need to be servants of God, not of sin. To do His will, not our own. 

Discussion:

“the wages of sin is death”

Wages implies work for a master/manager/boss. By sinning you are not “living your own life the way you want to”, you are actually doing exactly what the devil wants you to do: sinning. You can only serve one master (Matt 6:24). And there are only 2 masters: God and the Devil. If you are not serving God, you are serving the devil.

 

If you think you are serving yourself and your own self-interest, you are serving the devil. The devil is the default setting in this world. You have to choose to serve God. If you don’t make that choice, you are serving the devil. 

And you are most definitely getting paid for it: death. This death is literally or figuratively. Just like the death that Adam and Eve suffered was not immediate physical death, the death that is the payment for doing sin, is a spiritual death. With an eternal burning in the lake of fire that awaits everyone that did not choose Jesus Christ (Rev 20:15).

Wages is also expected. I do work, I expect to get paid for it. There is an understanding, and usually an undertaking, too. A contract. I do this for that. You don’t get wages for free, you work for it. You don’t get wages before you did anything either. You first have to do what is expected, and then you will get payment. 

And although you can refuse it, for whatever reason, you will still get something for your effort. Whether it is pleasure, or torture of yourself – you will get something.

Wages are also according to what you deserve. You only get paid for the work you did, you don’t get paid for the work others did. And you don’t get paid more or less than agreed upon for the same amount of work. 

“gift of God is eternal life”

You don’t ask for a gift, you don’t pay for a gift. A gift is something you get from someone, for whatever reason. It is given by the person, because they wanted to. And nothing is expected in return. 

Giving a gift and expecting something in return is not a gift. It is a down payment. An exchange. So, don’t give something and expect something in return, and call it a gift. You are lying to yourself and putting the other person in an uncomfortable position. You are forcing that person to give you something. Their motive will not be one of love, or gratitude, just like yours wasn’t. 

The same goes for giving to God. If you are giving to God because you are expecting Him to repay you, you are not cheerful in giving (2 Cor 9:7). If you give, God will give (Luke 6:28), but not if you give BECAUSE He will give. God is not a supermarket or a bank: you cannot think you are “depositing” gifts, and then go to the ATM and “withdraw” as and when you see fit. 

From your side, as from His, it must be given because you want to.

God gives us this gift, freely, not because we deserve it, not because we “deposited”, but simply because He wants to. You don’t have to do anything. You cannot do anything to deserve it. You are also not getting it because you are cute, or special, or better, or pretty, or smart, or good, or obedient, or because you serve Him, or because you can speak in tongues, or because you have accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour. 

This gift is available for EVERYONE. (2 Pet 3:9)

The only action required on our part, is to accept the gift. Because you can refuse a gift. There is no compulsion, you don’t have to accept any gift you are given. You can refuse it. 

And when you accept this gift, you have eternal life. In heaven, with God. But your eternal life starts here on earth already – His kingdom, here on earth. When you accept His gift, and you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are going to heaven. You have received eternal life. 

To walk in His kingdom here on earth, you must lay down your old life, your old sinful ways, and walk in His word, according to His will. The battle we face after accepting Christ, is the battle against the darkness, against the devil, and against our own flesh (Eph 6:12, Rom 7:14-15).

“through Jesus Christ our Lord”

You cannot accept this gift in any other way, than through Jesus. Like previously explained, that is because Jesus IS the gift. His death on the cross is the gift to us. He paid the ultimate price for our sins. His blood washes us clean (1 John 1:7) and we are righteous because of Him (Rom 5:17).

You cannot get to heaven through anyone else. Currently there are people spreading the sentiment that we are all serving the same god, we are just calling him different names, whether God, Yahweh, Allah or Mohammed, it is the same god. And no matter who you pray to, be it Allah or Mary, you are still praying to the same god. 

This is a false teaching. The Bible is very clear that salvation can only come through Jesus Christ. No other name carries salvation, no other deity is equated with God (Phil 2:10, John 20:31, Deut 6:4, Mark 12:29). 

For worldly proof that the name of Jesus is the only one that matters, just look at movies and series. Do they ever use the name of Allah or Mohammed in vain? Why not cheapen their names? It is because they are not worth attacking. The name of Jesus is attacked, and cheapened, so that people will be blinded to Its actual power. By using the Lord’s name in vain, you are committing sin and by condoning the use of the Lord’s name in vain (watching movies and stories, etc. that is using the Lord’s name in vain), you are committing sin (Ex 20:7). 

And the wages of sin is …

Salvation is indeed free. 

But to walk with God, to follow Jesus, asks your life (Rom 6).

Sources:

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

(1) Spark Notes

(2) Britannica

PDF: Rom 6:23