Reading Romans 6:23
If you have a Bible, I’m going to ask you to turn to Romans chapter 6, the book of Romans, please. Chapter 6 is in the New Testament — after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John comes Acts, and then the book of Romans. Romans chapter 6. We’re going to read one text this evening — one text of Scripture: Romans chapter 6, verse 23.
Romans chapter 6 and verse 23.
Romans 6:23. Still some pages turning — it’s always good to see the verses, the words, in the Word of God. Romans chapter 6, verse 23:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Let’s read that together again:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
We trust that God will add His blessing to the reading of His precious Word.
Why Romans 6:23 Is So Clear
It is something that impresses me time and time again when it comes to the Word of God: as you read through the Word of God, the clarity of the text of Scripture — the clarity. Sometimes you come to an expression throughout your day and you find it’s a little confusing. You have to wonder, what exactly is this saying? What exactly are we to learn or ascertain from this statement? But when you come to the statements of the Word of God, the verses of Scripture, they’re marked by tremendous clarity. You get the clarity of this text tonight — how clearly God communicates: the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It’s a clear text.
Wages and Gift: The Contrast in Romans 6:23
But there’s something else about this text I want you to think about: it’s a text that is full of contrasts. Wages are contrasted with a gift — completely different things. Death is contrasted with everlasting life, eternal life. Sin is contrasted with a Saviour. Could I ask you tonight, what part of that verse do you fall in? It’s a verse full of contrast.
I look over this audience tonight. I’m not quite sure how I would view it, but I know how God views it. God looks down and sees this audience tonight here at Ottawa Gospel Hall as one marked by tremendous contrast. There are people in this meeting who are marked by the wages of sin — that’s death. And there are others in this gospel meeting who belong to the other part of the verse: the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There was a moment when they received the gift. There was a moment when they trusted the Saviour.
Could I ask you tonight — do you have such a moment in your life? A moment when you turned from your sins and trusted the Lord Jesus Christ?
A Personal Testimony: Trusting Christ in Newfoundland
I can go back — I was mentioning yesterday how beautiful Newfoundland is, and I got some amens for that. There’s a part of Newfoundland that’s particularly beautiful: it’s on the west coast, a little town called McIver’s. In McIver’s there’s a little parcel of ground called Aunt Lucy’s Garden. Twenty-five years ago, as a boy of seven, I sat in a gospel tent in McIver’s, Newfoundland — beautiful landscape, the mountains in the background, the Blow Me Down Mountains with snow on the peaks. Yet amid all that beauty and scenery, I got a glimpse of something that night in that gospel meeting: I got a glimpse of the ugliness of my sin, the reality of my need before God. And that night, on July 4th, the year 2000, I came to know Jesus Christ as my Saviour.
I was lost. In my lost condition I was helpless, and I was deserving of hell. And yet in that condition, I learned that He came for me. He loved me, and He gave Himself for me. Down through the twenty-five years that have passed, I still ask myself the question — why? Why should He love me?
So could I ask you tonight: do you have the gift of God that is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord? Do you have the Saviour tonight?
What Romans 6:23 Communicates
The last thing I want you to notice about this text is its communication — what this text is communicating. There are three great things this text communicates.
The first thing I want you to consider is that it tells us about life’s greatest problem. What’s your greatest problem? Young boy in this meeting tonight, older ones who have joined us, maybe a young girl here tonight — what’s your greatest problem in life? Maybe folks listening online, at home, wherever you are, whatever your background is — what is your greatest problem? The problem highlighted in this text, my greatest problem and your greatest problem, is the problem of sin.
What Is Sin? Life’s Greatest Problem
S-I-N. What is sin? That’s a good question. Standards down through history have fluctuated and changed — one culture has one standard, another society has a different one. But God’s standard hasn’t changed. What God thought about sin 6,000 years ago is still true today.
Sin is disobedience against God — our actions against God. But it’s more than just our actions; it’s our attitude toward God. Our sinful attitude. First John chapter 3 and verse 4 says sin is the transgression of the law — literally, sin is lawlessness. Sin is rebellion. It’s an attitude that says, “I want to do my own thing, I want to go my own way.”
Isaiah 53:6 says it this way — and I was telling a man just today, not too far from here, walking down the road. I sat on the bench next to him, and we went over Isaiah 53:6 together:
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way.”
We have an attitude of rebellion against God. That’s what sin is. Sin is not just our actions — it is our attitude. And that’s why God demands repentance: a change of attitude. He wants us to view sin the way He views it.
Sin’s Delight Is Temporary
How does God view sin? God says the wages of sin is death.
I think about sin, and in some way sin is marked by its delight — the delightfulness of sin. You might say, “I didn’t think you gospel preachers believed that sin has delight.” Well, the Word of God says in Hebrews 11:25 that Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Sin has delight. Sin is a pleasurable thing. In fact, sin entices people — it draws people in, and it captivates people. But while sin is a delightful thing, that delight only lasts for a season.
Sin Is Deceitful
Sin is a deceitful thing. Sin leaves us empty, disappointed, and wanting more. Sin is very deceptive — Jeremiah 17:9 tells us the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
Sin Is Destructive
Sin is a destructive thing. We don’t have to look very far — we don’t even have to look outside the four walls of this building tonight — to see the destruction of sin. Families ruined because of sin. Friendships tattered because of sin. A society reeling to and fro because of sin. We see the brokenness of sin all around us. Have you ever considered the greatness of the problem of sin, friend? Your greatest problem is your sin, and sin is the problem.
Sin Is Deadly
We learn in this text that sin is a deadly thing. James 1:15 tells us that sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. One of the things we’re commissioned to do as gospel preachers is to preach faithfully the Word of God. I think of the people in this gospel meeting tonight — many of you I don’t even know, I don’t know your names, and I’d love to know you more. But we have to tell you: sin will take you down into a lost eternity. It’s a deadly thing.
What Does ‘The Wages of Sin Is Death’ Mean?
That brings me to the next point — not just life’s greatest problem, but life’s greatest peril. The wages of sin is death. It’s death.
There’s a lifetime represented on that chart. Every one of us in this gospel meeting tonight is either on the broad road that leads to destruction or on the narrow way that leads to life. But notice this: both those on the way to heaven and those on the way to hell have to face death. You find death addressed in the Word of God in more than one way.
Death can be seen as that which is physical. Many of us know people who have physically died — sad occasions where we’ve stood at a graveside and watched as a body was lowered into the earth. But this verse isn’t talking about physical death alone.
The Bible also speaks about spiritual death. Death always speaks of separation — when someone you love physically dies, they are separated from you. The Word of God says that we are all dead in trespasses and sins. There’s a sense in which every one of us is born into this world separated from God — spiritual separation.
But this verse is speaking of more than our spiritual condition. It says the wages of sin is death — this is talking about the eternal consequences of sin. It’s contrasted with eternal life, life linked with Christ, life linked with God. Mind you, it is a tremendous thing to have life from God — a real thing to be in relationship with Him and to know Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. If you miss everything else I’ve said tonight, don’t miss this: salvation is a real thing. It’s real to be saved, real to have everlasting life, to be in the very family of God.
But life’s greatest peril is this: if you die without the Saviour, you will experience death that is not just physical and not just spiritual, but eternal — eternal separation from God.
Wages Are Earned
I want you to think about wages for a minute. What are wages? Some of you here maybe haven’t begun to work yet, so you don’t really know what it is to have wages. But the first thing about wages is that they’re earned. You work for them.
I remember when I was a boy in the small town of Steady Brook, just outside Corner Brook, I put my phone number in the community mailbox, and if people wanted work done, they could call my home number. Sometimes I’d get a call, and I’d go over to that person’s house for whatever work they needed — raking leaves, picking weeds from a garden, mowing a lawn. And after the work was done, I received the wages I had earned. Wages are earned.
Wages Accumulate
You work long enough and you’ll find that wages are accumulated too — it’s not just that a job is done and you get paid; sometimes you have to wait two weeks, and after two weeks you get your paycheque. Those wages accumulate. We read in the Word of God, Romans chapter 3 and verse 5, that there are people who are treasuring up wrath unto the day of wrath. Wages are being accumulated.
Wages Are Received
Let me ask you, friend — how much in wages has accumulated in your life? The Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 21 that those who are not saved will be judged according to the things written in the book. Wages that are earned, wages that are accumulated, and wages that are received.
You miss things in life — you miss great events, you miss sports games, you miss family gatherings. You may miss things in life that you wanted to be there for. But don’t miss God’s salvation. Don’t miss the salvation of your soul. Don’t miss the gift of God that is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Don’t be among those who receive the wages of sin, which is death.
It’s a coming day. When Paul was preaching in Athens in Acts chapter 16, he said this: God “hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” The very One who died on Calvary’s cross to save you from your sin is the One who will be the Judge — the great white throne Judge. He will stand — nail-pierced hands and nail-pierced feet — and He will sit upon that throne that is great, that is white, set out in space. And those who had the opportunity to turn from their sins and receive the gift, yet rejected the Saviour, will on that day receive the wages of sin, which is death. Life’s greatest peril.
You know what the Lord Jesus said in Mark chapter 8? “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Don’t lose your soul, friend. Whatever it is that’s holding your attention right now, whatever has you gripped — turn from it and flee to the open arms of Christ.
What Does ‘The Gift of God Is Eternal Life’ Mean?
Do you know why? Because there is life’s greatest provision. It’s the gift of God that is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fact, the centre of this text is that lovely expression: the gift of God.
The Source of the Gift
Where does it come from? It comes from God. Everything that comes from God is good; everything that comes from God is perfect. Every good and perfect gift cometh down from above, from the Father of lights. God is the source of this gift. That causes me to wonder — I think God looked down upon a world that deserved the wages of sin. That’s the only thing I deserve tonight. I hope you understand that, friend.
We live in a day and age where people feel they deserve so much. But the only thing God owes me, and the only thing God owes you, is the wages of sin — that is death. It’s the only thing God owes you.
And yet God looked down upon a world that was full of sin, marked by guilt and condemned, and God said, “I love that world.” God said, “I love that boy. I love that girl. I love that man. I love that woman.” God sent His Son. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. We could not put words to the greatness of the gift God gave. The source of it is God Himself.
The Cost of the Gift
Mind you, that gift came at tremendous cost. I’ve bought gifts down through the years — gifts for my children, gifts for my wife, gifts for my relatives — and sometimes those gifts, depending on who they were for, came at greater expense. But God’s gift came at an infinite cost. We cannot put a value on the gift that God gave. We cannot put a numeric value on it. There is no currency that could ever amount to the value of the sacrifice of God — the sacrifice of giving His Son. That’s what it cost God: He gave His Son. What did it cost? Christ. He gave Himself.
Could I tell you, friend, about Calvary? Could I tell you about that place outside the city walls of Jerusalem called Golgotha — “Skull”? That’s where criminals were taken, where criminals were crucified. That’s where the Lord Jesus, God’s blessed Son, hung on that cross nearly 2,000 years ago. Why was He there? Have you ever asked yourself why the Lord Jesus was there on that cross that day?
The Bible says that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, and that on the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures. We know from the Bible why Christ was there: He was there for our sins — the wages that we deserved. He took the judgment; He His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree. Listen to what the Bible says in 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
Who Is the Gift For?
I could tell you about the source of this gift, the sacrifice of this gift — but could I tell you about the scope of the gift? You might say, “Who is it for?” You might say, “Surely, with all that I’ve done, Tim, surely this gift isn’t for me. God isn’t offering me this gift.” Yes, He is. This is a gift offered to every single individual. If I could tonight, I would look every person in the eyes and tell them: this gift is for you. It’s for you.
God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. God is not longing for sinners to perish in their sins — God is longing for sinners to be saved from their sins. That’s what God is longing for tonight. God desires all men to be saved — men and women, boys and girls. It doesn’t matter what part of Canada you’re in, doesn’t matter what part of the globe you’re found in — God desires all to be saved. This is a gift, friend, that is being offered to every single person.
A Personal Choice
Could I close this part of the meeting with the selection of the gift? You see, salvation is a choice. Your parents can’t make the choice for you. Your siblings can’t make the choice for you. Your friends can’t make the choice for you. This is a personal choice — a choice you must make.
A Closing Story: Wages or Gift?
Some may have heard this story from a number of years ago. There was a gentleman standing in the UK, preaching the gospel in the street — an open-air meeting. In those days people gathered around and listened to the preacher on the street. His text that night was Romans 6:23: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Walking down the street came a lady by the name of Mary, walking with her husband. As they walked, they stopped — they saw the crowd and heard the man preaching. They said, “Let’s draw near and listen.” So they stopped and listened. “The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Mary thought to herself, I never heard anything like this before. She wanted to stay, but her husband said, “No, let’s keep going, Mary.” Mary said, “No, let’s stay and listen a little longer.” They stood and listened again, and once more the text came ringing out: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Finally the husband had had enough and said, “Mary, let’s go.” Mary said, “Why? Why do we have to go?” The man was insistent, and — kind of mockingly — he said, “Mary, listen: I’ll take the wages, you take the gift.”
Let me ask you tonight in this meeting: what will you take from this meeting — the wages or the gift? You have a choice. What will you take tonight?
Mary and her husband walked off. Mary went to bed that night, and her husband went to work — he worked in a mine. Sadly, when that man went to the mine that night, there was an explosion, and he perished that night. While that man was in the mineshaft receiving the wages, Mary was on her knees at her bedside. Do you know what she was thinking about? The wages of sin is death. How can I be saved when the wages of sin is death? And with that, the Spirit of God brought to Mary’s mind the end of the verse: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Do you know what Mary did that night? She received the gift. She trusted Christ. Mary was saved from her sins.
Let me ask you tonight: how will you leave this meeting? The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Take the gift — and leave the wages with Christ on the cross.
