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

I will explain the very basic truth of salvation through grace, by using Romans 6:23 as an outline verse. Lets look in depth at each main word used in this verse and see what is being stated here. (Foot Notes)

1) The first word were going to look at is SIN What is sin? Most people will say sin is something that is bad, but sin is more than just that. Sin is doing what is evil, instead of what is righteous. Sin separates the sinner from God, "But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2) Anything that is against God, His will, or His commandments is sin; no matter which way you look at it. So, sin is the opposite of righteousness. So, who has sinned? According to Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned(1) and fall short of the glory of God.” So we all have sinned, no one is innocent. Sure you might say that you have tried to live a good moral life, but have you ever: cussed, hated, lied, stolen, or just even had a bad thought go through your mind at any point in your life? Then you have sinned. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us...If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8, 10) God is righteous and holy, He can not simply overlook our sin, nor can He sweep it under a rug and pretend He does not see it.

2) The next word were going to look at is WAGES What are wages? Wages are what you earn by doing something, or “a fitting return.” If you go to your job and work then you expect to get paid your wages, right? Well, what if you worked for a full two weeks and when pay day came they said, “Sorry we do not owe you any wages.” This would frustrate you right? Why? Because it is the law that you get you wages, it is automatic. It comes with the job, they have no choice to decide whether or not to give you your wages. The same then is true here, for sin. What are the wages of sin?

3) The wages of sin is DEATH. If sin separates us from God, and we all have sinned; and the wages of sin is death, what kind of death is this? It is one of eternal separation from God, which is called hell. Hell is ultimate separation from God, “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction(2) from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

This is not good news. If we all have sinned, and the wages of sin is death; and that death leads to hell, then we all are condemned to hell. Man has tried to find his own solution to this problem in many different ways:

A. Good morals. You try to be: honest, truthful, kind, unselfish, compassionate, loving, generous, and try to follow the golden rule. This sounds good, but it does not take away your sins, nor the wages of your sins. In the end your morals will not save you, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6) “I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.” (Isaiah 57:12).

B. Good works: You always give donations to the less unfortunate, and you always help out and get involved in volunteer programs. However, God does not weigh our good (good works) versus our bad (sin) on a balance scale, to decide whether or not we go to heaven or hell. We cannot outweigh out our bad (sin) by doing more good (good works). “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

C. Religion/the Law: You go to church every Sunday, you always tithe, your an active church member, you try to follow the ten commandments, and you even read a devotional every night. Man has tried to follow strict laws in order to get into heaven. However, no man has ever been able to this, nor will any ever be able to. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) If you have broken even one point of the law (by even the smallest sin), but keep everything else in the law, then you are still guilty of breaking all of the law(3) . “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Galatians 2:21) If the law was capable of saving man, then when Christ died on the cross for us, it would of been pointless.

D. Philosophy: You can philosophize all day about the world, but it will never save you from your sins. Philosophy will not help you after you die, nor will it change the truth or facts, no matter how good it sounds. It is the eternal things that matter. “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
(Proverbs 14:12)

None of these ways will work. This is the bad news.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT JESUS DIED TO PAY THE PRICE OF ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND REPENT OF THEIR SINS IN THE SIGHT OF GOD , PRAISE GOD