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

This one (singular) verse is one of the most misquoted and misinterpreted passages of Scripture in the New Testament related to the gospel of our salvation. They do teach that we who are born into this world with sin natures will die in our sins if we do not believe in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, which is true. But then they say that the (“free”/not in Greek) gift of God forgives the sins of all who profess faith in Jesus Christ which then promises them eternal life with God, but regardless of lifestyle lived.

They add in the word “free” to make it sound as though all they have to do is to profess faith in Jesus Christ and now all their sins are forgiven and that heaven is guaranteed them upon death, end of story, and that nothing is required of them other than a profession of faith in the Lord. But if they read all of Romans 6, they should see that the “gift of God” is not just forgiveness of sins and a promise of eternity with God based on a profession of faith in Jesus Christ only. It is deliverance out of our slavery (addiction) to sin.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:6,12,16,20-23 NIV)

Our salvation (God’s gift to us) is deliverance out of our addiction to sin, and it is a new life in Christ Jesus in death to sin and in living to God and to his righteousness in walks of surrender to his will in obedience to his commands. All this comes from God, but it must be lived out in our daily lives in the power of God as we cooperate with God’s work of grace in our lives. For his grace is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives (Titus 2:11-14).

And yet we have so many people today professing faith in Jesus Christ who are convinced that a profession of faith in the Lord is enough to seal for them forgiveness of all sins and eternal life with God but while they continue in deliberate and habitual sin against our Lord. Many of them are addicts to pornography, sexual immorality, adultery, idolatry, homosexuality, lying, cheating, stealing, drunkenness, and many other habitual sins. But they believe that God has saved them and so they are good to go to heaven.

And some of these addicts to sinful practices are pastors of church congregations, or they are elders or deacons or other people of influence within the gatherings of the church. And in some cases they are leading their flocks to believe that they will not be judged of God for continuing in deliberate and habitual sinful practices, in direct defiance to our Lord and to his commands. And so they put a stamp of approval on those within the church gatherings who are living in sin, giving them a spiritual blessing.

But we can’t live in the world of sin, knowingly and deliberately choosing what is sinful by habit, and be those who know God, who love God, who are called of God to his service, and who have the hope of eternal life with God. As Romans teaches us, if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord’s commands, we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God. So, the gift of God is deliverance from addiction to sin and the empowerment of God to walk in obedience to his commands in daily life.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; Acts 26:18; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Your Love Offering

An Original Work / September 13, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Thank You, Lord, for Your love,
Dying on a tree,
So we’d be forgiven,
Live eternally.
Thank You for Your kindness,
Your love offering,
When You shed Your blood,
So we could be set free.
Thank You, Lord, for Your cross,
Dying for our sins,
So we’d live in vict’ry,
Purified within.

Thank You, Lord, for Your life
You gave for our sin,
Giving us a new life,
We’re made whole within.
Thank You for Your mercy.
You paid what we owe.
When we turn from our sin,
Your grace freely flows.
Thank You, Lord, for conq’ring
Death and sin and hell,
So we’d walk in freedom,
With You now to dwell.

Thank You, Lord, that You will
Soon come for Your bride.
Perfectly You made her
To with You abide.
Thank You for Your Spirit;
Our God, three in One,
Giveth us salvation,
Through God’s only Son.
Thank You, Lord, for Jesus!
He’s our King of kings!
He will reign forever!
Our praise to Him bring!!

The Gift of God
An Original Work / March 24, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love