What is the meaning of Romans 6:23?

For the wages of sin is death

“For the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23a)

• “Wages” pictures a paycheck—something earned. Sin never pays in blessings; it always pays in separation and loss (Romans 3:23).

• From Eden forward, God warned that sin produces death (Genesis 2:17). Physical death came to Adam, and spiritual death spread to all (1 Corinthians 15:22).

• James 1:15 echoes the same pattern: “Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

• Death here is comprehensive—physical, spiritual, and eternal (Revelation 20:14-15).

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but the gift of God is eternal life

“...but the gift of God is eternal life...” (Romans 6:23b)

• A gift contrasts wages; it is unearned, flowing from grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• God’s gift reverses sin’s penalty, replacing death with life that never ends (John 3:16).

• Eternal life is present today (“whoever hears and believes...has eternal life,” John 5:24) and future in its fullness (Revelation 21:3-4).

• This life is not just endless existence; it is fellowship with God, knowing Him intimately (John 17:3).

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in Christ Jesus our Lord

“...in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23c)

• The gift arrives only “in” a Person; Christ is the living conduit of grace (John 14:6).

• His cross satisfies sin’s wages on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).

• His resurrection secures eternal life, proving death is defeated (Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3-4).

• “Our Lord” underscores personal surrender; eternal life belongs to those who trust and follow Him as Master (Romans 10:9-10).

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summary

Sin pays what it promises: death. God offers what we could never earn: eternal life. Both outcomes hinge on a relationship—serving sin or resting in Christ Jesus our Lord. The verse stands as a clear, concise gospel: earned judgment versus unearned life, all decided by what we do with Jesus.