The following scripture draws a contrast between something earned or due to be paid and something not earned or freely given. Let us examine this and see how it applies to my topic.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 KJV

The word “wages” is translated from the Greek word OPSONION (Strong’s G3800). It refers to that part of the soldier’s support given in place of pay [i.e. rations] and the money that he is paid (Luke 3:14). It is also a metaphor for wages: hire or the pay of sin.

The word “gift” is translated from the Greek word CHARISMA (Strong’s G5486). It refers to a favor someone receives without any merit of his/her own.

This means that death is the pay for sin but eternal life is unmerited favor through Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, telling them they had been freed from sin and it’s pay. He explained that they should not yield to sin since they were under grace.

This also means that sin still affects the recipient of eternal life and may even affect this unmerited favor. Why else would Paul caution them and us so fervently. He said anyone who yielded to sin was a servant of sin and that sin led to death. We discussed this death in the previous post: WILL GOD LET PEOPLE GO TO HELL.

Paul asked a most important question: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Romans 6:1 KJV.

Paul had previously told them: “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21 KJV. He was saying the law came so that the wrongdoings might be multiplied. He also said where sin had multiplied (abounded) grace had increased beyond measure (did abound). He used two different Greek words for these two words.

Now in 6:1 he was asking them if they thought they had a license to sin since grace increases beyond measure when sin is multiplied. He answered with: “God forbid” and issued a command in 6:12-16.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”