Commentaries:
God could see—in His wisdom He knew—that man would sin. Because the wages of sin is death, how could God extricate man from this dilemma? How would He continue His purpose?
There is an interesting aspect to this when we consider the word "wages." The apostle uses this term because in his day they did things in much the same way as we do. One does not work for a person for a lifetime and then receive his wages, but rather he works a specified period of time—a week, two weeks, a month—and receives his wages on a regular basis. Today, it is common to receive wages every two weeks.
This should give us a better understanding of this verse. Since a wage is something that we earn and the wages of sin is death, the apostle—and therefore God—is telling us is that we will receive these wages—the penalty of sin—not just at the end of our lives. The penalty of sin is meted out on a regular, just as wages are. In other words, we will be affected by the penalties of sin all the time. It is what we are earning.
God looks at these things in an interesting way. We can begin to see the scope of what God is doing, with Passover opening up a new avenue. Salvation is not something that we receive at the end of our life. Actually, it is something that begins whenever we accept the blood of Jesus Christ. Whenever we begin on the process of salvation, of true freedom, we begin to receive salvation on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. In other words, our liberty, our freedom, is progressive. Like the penalties of sin, freedom or salvation does not come all at once.
It is not that we earn it—please do not misunderstand. It is something given. Grace is a gift of God, and it is not something that happens only once but constantly. God is always giving because it is His nature, His way. He is giving us of His life constantly. Christ says, "I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." God wants us to begin to receive His salvation right here and now by living the abundant life. It is a wonderful concept.
We need to expand our thinking in regard to Passover because the solution to God's "predicament" regarding human sin begins immediately upon our acceptance of the blood of Jesus Christ. Salvation is much bigger in scope, involving far more than just the end of the process.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Awesome Cost of Salvation
A wage is payment for work. Death, then, is what we "earn" as a result of committing sin. This is not eternal life in hell fire but death, the complete annihilation of one's life.
God offers eternal life to those who are willing to meet His conditions. Therefore, salvation—being delivered from the consequences of sin—is receiving the gift of eternal life. Though some think that we already have an immortal soul, the Bible makes it plain that the only way we can receive eternal life is to receive it as God's gift.
Earl L. Henn
Basic Doctrines: Salvation
The apostle John defines sin as the breaking of the law (I John 3:4). Paul states that the effect of sin is death (Romans 6:23). He also shows that both sin and death have been a factor in human existence since the start (Romans 5:12-14). The inescapable conclusion is that God's law, His definition of right and wrong, has been in effect since the very beginning! Because His law was in effect, God has ascribed sin to man from the beginning. Without law, there would have been no sin, and thus no death.
Martin G. Collins
The Ten Commandments
One of the most basic truths in God's program involves the fact that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The death we are intended to understand is the second death. There are only two ways to satisfy this basic truth: First, all humans must be paid that wage because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Second, another, an innocent One on whom death has no claim because He never sinned, must pay that wage in our stead, substituting His death for ours.
We find both aspects applied to practical Christian life in Romans. Paul writes in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." It is essential that we thoroughly understand that Christ died, not merely as a benefit, but for us, that is, in our place. His death substitutes for our well-deserved death, which we earned through sin. Earlier, the apostle had written in Romans 4:1-5:
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
When confronted by such scriptures that cannot be broken, our only possible conclusion is that the sin-debt that each person owes to God absolutely cannot be worked off. It is so huge and serious that an already sin-defiled person cannot pay it off. Once a person sins, his debt is absolutely irredeemable by anyone or any action except through death. Either each individual pays for himself, or Christ pays in his place. These are the only acceptable payments.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Christian Fight (Part Four)
The Holy Spirit delivers us from death and leads us to the gift of eternal life. We inherit mortal life through Adam, but God gives His Spirit to endow eternal life on His faithful and obedient children. Since the Spirit is God's gift, neither are we born with it, nor can we earn it.
Martin G. Collins
The Holy Spirit
God says that the "wages" of sin—that is, what you "earn" for transgressing God's law—is death. He does not say that the unrepentant sinner will live eternally in some sort of torment but that he will die.
Earl L. Henn
Basic Doctrines: The Fate of the Wicked
If a man pays this wage for his own sins, he dies and the chance to gain access to God and eternal life is lost. This leaves God with three alternatives:
- He could simply let each person die for his sins
- He could, like an indulgent grandfather, overlook sin and grant mankind access to Him, all the while hoping for the best.
- As His holy justice demanded, He could allow the death of another to substitute for the payment of sin for the sinner who wanted access to Him and met the conditions.
But this last choice, the one God chose, presented another problem. The substitute had to be a sinless human being, since God cannot die and only a man who lived a sinless life would qualify. Why? Because if the substitute sinned, his death would pay only for his own sins. In addition, this person had to be of such importance and stature in his own right that his vicarious death to pay for other men's sins would never have to be repeated. Once this substitute gave his life, it would apply to all mankind for all time!
John W. Ritenbaugh
Amazing Grace
Not a single person would be alive if God responded to sin as carnal man wants to respond to sins that directly affect him. Consider that, in the scenario of killing in self-defense, the one killing is judging that his life is more important than the life he is willing to snuff out. One sinner accounts his life to be of more worth than the life of another sinner. Would God make the same determination?
David C. Grabbe
Does Scripture Allow for Killing in Self-Defense?
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Romans 6:23:
Genesis 2:1-3
Genesis 2:7
Genesis 2:7
Genesis 3:1-4
Genesis 3:4
Genesis 3:4
Genesis 3:4
Genesis 3:4-5
Genesis 3:7-21
Genesis 6:7-9
Exodus 12:8
Exodus 20:8-11
Exodus 21:15-17
Leviticus 4:20
Leviticus 4:26
Leviticus 4:31
Leviticus 4:35
Leviticus 16:20-21
Leviticus 26:25
Leviticus 26:45
2 Samuel 12:9-14
Psalm 111:10
Psalm 111:10
Proverbs 13:6
Proverbs 14:12
Ecclesiastes 3:16-17
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
Ezekiel 18:4
Matthew 6:9-13
Matthew 8:2
Matthew 13:45-46
Matthew 13:45-46
Matthew 17:15
Matthew 17:19-21
Matthew 23:23
Mark 1:40
Luke 4:33-34
Luke 5:12
Luke 7:41-50
Luke 16:19-31
John 8:2-11
John 8:44
Romans 1:18-22
Romans 2:13
Romans 2:14
Romans 3:25
Romans 5:12-14
Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23
Romans 7:4
Romans 7:9
Romans 7:19-23
Romans 9:19-24
Romans 10:1-3
Romans 11:19-22
Romans 13:1-5
2 Corinthians 3:7
2 Corinthians 13:5
Galatians 2:10
Galatians 3:16
Galatians 3:29
Galatians 4:4
Galatians 4:7
Galatians 6:7-8
Ephesians 2:1
Colossians 2:13-14
2 Timothy 3:1-5
Hebrews 2:14-15
Hebrews 2:14-15
James 1:15
2 Peter 2:4
1 John 3:4
1 John 5:16-17
Revelation 2:14-15
Revelation 6:1-8
Revelation 20:10
Revelation 20:10
Revelation 20:10
Revelation 20:10
Revelation 21:4
