How does Romans 6:23 connect with John 3:16 regarding eternal life?

Key verses side by side

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

• John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

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Two unchanging realities: Wages and Gift

• Wages: what we earn by sin—spiritual death, separation from God.

• Gift: what God freely gives—eternal life.

• Romans 6:23 states the problem (sin earns death) and the provision (life in Christ).

• John 3:16 reveals the motive behind the gift—God’s love—and the means—belief in His Son.

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How Romans 6:23 sets up the need John 3:16 answers

1. Humanity’s predicament

- “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23).

- The just “wage” is death (Romans 6:23a).

2. God’s provision

- A “gift” we cannot earn (Romans 6:23b).

- Given through the sacrificial “only Son” (John 3:16).

3. Human response

- We receive the gift by “believing” (John 3:16).

- Salvation is “by grace…through faith…not of works” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

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Grace through faith: Additional witnesses

• John 1:12 — “As many as received Him…He gave the right to become children of God.”

• Titus 3:5 — “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”

• 1 John 5:11-12 — “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life.”

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Eternal life: Quality and duration

• Present possession—“whoever hears My word…has eternal life” (John 5:24).

• Unending security—“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish” (John 10:28).

• Fellowship with God—“this is eternal life, that they may know You” (John 17:3).

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Living response

• Acknowledge sin’s wage and God’s gift.

• Trust personally in Christ’s finished work.

• Walk “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4), living out gratitude for the gift already received.