“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” –Romans 6:23
Wages–a payment, recompense, or reward. We usually think of a reward as something desirable or good, but in the context of this verse, the term is more synonymous with recompense, which has to do with paying a debt. This verse is my earliest recollection of learning the word, wages, and so for many years I only associated the term with paying for something I’d done wrong. The first clause in this verse is about as straightforward as can be; thankfully, it doesn’t end there. It really just states the reason why the second half is so critical–we’d have no hope were it not for the “gift of God” mentioned in part B.
A few chapters prior to this one in Romans (3:23), Paul wrote, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” This verse sets the stage for what Paul says here regarding the wages of sin. None of us are exempt from this consequence, and this is what makes our faith so relevant to everyone, though not everyone is willing to acknowledge the existence of sin or God or both. The premise that we are all sinful is blatantly obvious; just look anywhere in history and in current events, and most conspicuously, in our own hearts. We all are flawed; even the “best” person we know sins.
So what about part B? What can we do about our dismal fate? WE can’t do anything ourselves, but God in His love for us provided a way out–a means of salvation. He gave His only Son to pay those wages we can’t pay. Jesus is the only one Who could pay this debt because He is sinless. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:21(NLT), “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” The challenging part for many of us is the concept that it’s a gift; the only way to salvation is accepting that gift. I pray even before you are born, little one, that you will accept this gift in your younger years, when childlike faith can open your heart to the most precious gift you will ever receive.