Genesis 38:7 vs Romans 6:23: Sin's outcome?
Compare Genesis 38:7 with Romans 6:23 regarding consequences of sin.

setting the scene

Genesis records a real family, the line through which Messiah would come. Romans is Paul’s Spirit-inspired letter spelling out the gospel. Both books, though separated by centuries, agree on the same sobering reality: sin brings death.


Genesis 38:7 – a personal case study

“Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.” (Genesis 38:7)

• One verse, yet weighty. No details of Er’s sin are given; the Spirit simply declares it “wicked.”

• The consequence is immediate and physical—Er dies at God’s hand.

• This is not random; it is judicial. The Creator acts as righteous Judge (cf. Deuteronomy 32:4).


Romans 6:23 – a universal principle

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

• “Wages” implies something earned; sin pays out exactly what it promised.

• “Death” encompasses physical death (Genesis 3:19), spiritual separation (Isaiah 59:2), and eternal judgment (Revelation 20:14).

• The verse also introduces God’s gracious counter-offer: the unearned “gift” of eternal life through Christ.


shared truth: sin equals death

Both passages agree:

• Sin is objective rebellion against God’s holiness.

• Death is God’s just response—whether instantaneous like Er or ultimate like the final judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

• No one escapes this law unless God intervenes (Ezekiel 18:4; James 1:15).


different angles, same message

Genesis 38:7 shows the principle in narrative form—one man’s life cut short. Romans 6:23 states the doctrine—every sinner faces death unless redeemed. The story is the picture; the epistle is the explanation.


death: three dimensions

• Physical – bodies return to dust (Genesis 3:19).

• Spiritual – fellowship with God broken (Ephesians 2:1).

• Eternal – the “second death” for the unrepentant (Revelation 21:8).

Er experienced at least the first; Romans warns of all three.


the gracious alternative

Thanks be to God, Romans 6:23 does not end with death:

• “But the gift of God is eternal life.”

• This gift comes solely “in Christ Jesus our Lord” (John 14:6; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

• Where sin pays wages, grace offers life unearned.


living in light of the warning

• Take sin seriously; its end is always death (Proverbs 14:12).

• Flee to Christ for the “gift” Er never sought (John 3:16).

• Walk in newness of life, no longer slaves to sin’s paycheck (Romans 6:4–6).

How can we identify and avoid behaviors that led to Er's fate?
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