Romans Chapter 6 Vs. 23

Slaves to Righteousness

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

For the wages... Greek: opsonion, recompense, wages. Here; Luke 3:14; 1Cor. 9:7; 2Cor. 11:8. Divine justice is under obligation to give sinners their wages or be in debt to them forever (Luke 12:5; Rev. 20:11-15).

gift of God... Eternal life is a free gift (Rom. 5:15-18; Eph. 2:8-9; John 10:28). People merit hell, but not eternal life. Jesus Christ alone procured it and gives it freely to all who believe (John 3:16; 6:27; Rom. 3:24).

This verse describes two inexorable absolutes:

Spiritual death is the paycheck for every man’s slavery to sin; and

Eternal life is a free gift God gives undeserving sinners who believe in His Son.

The wages (the Gr. word opsōnia originally meant a soldier’s pay) of sin is death (eternal death here, in contrast with “eternal life” in Rom. 6:23). This death is eternal separation from God in hell, in which unbelievers suffer conscious torment forever (Luke 16:24-25). This is the wages they have earned and deserve because of their sin (cf. Rom. 5:12; 7:13). By contrast, the gift (charisma, “grace-gift”) of God is eternal life (cf. John 3:16, 3:36). Eternal life is a gift that cannot be earned (cf. Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5). But believers have been set free from sin (Rom. 6:18, 6:22) and are no longer slaves to it (Rom. 6:6, 6:20) but are “slaves to righteousness” (Rom. 6:16, 6:18-19; cf. 6:13). Because they are alive to God (Rom. 6:11) and have eternal life (Rom. 6:23) they should present themselves to Him (Rom. 6:13, 6:19) and live accordingly, not letting sin master them (Rom. 6:6, 6:11-14, 6:22).