Paul's Epistle to the Romans, Practical Sanctification

 (22)Practical Sanctification

Romans 6:13-23

 

13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Being a Christian is a matter of bondage or freedom. Who is your master, Jesus Christ or the old life? You are not under the authority of Moses (v. 15), but that does not mean you have freedom to break God’s moral law (8:1–5). Yield yourself to the Lord; He is the most wonderful Master, and the “salary” He pays lasts forever.

13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin. The third and final principle in living a sanctified life is the negative principle, And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, and a corresponding positive principle is, but present yourselves to God. As those who have been justified, we are not to allow our members (i.e., our hands, our feet, our tongues, etc.) to become the instruments or weapons of unrighteousness. By knowing of our justification and reckoning ourselves dead to the penalty of sin, we are to continually keep ourselves from yielding to sin. But, on the other hand, we are to once for all, as the Greek implies, yield to God. Although we will still sin, by yielding ourselves to God, we will never again be caught in the trap of continuing in sin. Our life and all that we have will be given over to the One who has spiritually raised us from the dead.

Your members. The parts of the physical body, the headquarters from which sin operates in the believer—“But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27).

The third key word in this chapter—PRESENT. It refers to a decision of the will. The same word is used in Romans 12:1—“ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”  This is a presentation of yourself for service. The reason most of us get in trouble is because we present ourselves to the old nature. We must not present the members of our body to sin, to be used as weapons or tools of wickedness. Our obligation is to turn-over control of our members to God, to be used in the cause of righteousness. After all, we have been raised to life from death; and, as we are reminded in 6:4, we should walk in newness of life. The redeemed man knows that his body is the temple of God’s Spirit, and that evil powers are denied even the right of temporary entry.

But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Why should we present ourselves to God? Because we are looking at life from a new perspective, since we are in Christ and have dedicated ourselves to God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

For sin shall not have dominion over you. Paul’s concept of sanctification is not a daily dying to one’s self. Rather, it is being mature enough to rest wholly on the finished work of Calvary, knowing that we have been justified there, daily reckoning that work to be finished, and constantly yielding ourselves to be used of God. When one is obedient to these commands, the believer finds himself on a road climbing progressively toward the resurrection life of the Lord. For those who seek sanctification in this manner, the Lord has a definite promise: For sin shall not have dominion over you, that is, the person who is under grace. The believer has died to sin. He has received the indwelling Holy Spirit as the power for holy living. And he is motivated by love for the Savior, not by fear of punishment. Grace is the only thing that really produces holiness. As Denney says, “It is not restraint but inspiration that liberates from sin; not Mount Sinai but Mount Calvary which makes saints.”

For you are not under law but under grace. Now, another reason is given for why sin shall not have dominion over us as believers. The first reason was that our old man was crucified with Christ (6:6). The second reason is that we are not under law but under grace. Sin does have the upper hand over a person who is under Law. Why? Because the Law tells him what to do, but doesn’t give him the power to do it. And the law stirs up dormant desires in fallen human nature to do what is forbidden. It’s the old story that “forbidden fruit is sweet.”

We are no longer under the Law, but that does not mean that God has abrogated His moral law. “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat. 5:17-19). But the Law cannot be kept, so it curses. The whole Old Testament—the Law, the Prophets, and the writings (e.g. Psalms)—certainly brings the knowledge of sin, when understood in the light of Christ’s teaching and the teaching of the apostles after His death and resurrection. When writing to the Galatians, Paul had this to say: “…that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)” (Gal. 3:11-13).

Then, why was the Law given? What good is it? The Law was given to control the old nature and to show man his sinfulness. As a believer, you are not to live by the old nature. You have a new nature, and you are to yield yourself or present yourself to God. What a glorious, wonderful privilege it is to present ourselves to Him!

Grace. Unmerited and free favor and mercy shown to sinners by a sovereign God with a view to their salvation. It is most effectively demonstrated in certain aspects of God’s relationship with his creation, the Incarnation itself being an act of grace. Grace operates in the calling of believers to faith.
Law. Mosaic law of the Old Testament—Ten Commandments. There were other laws that God gave to the Israelites, such as the Sabbath Day laws, but here Paul is referring only to the Mosaic Law

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

What then? Shall we sin? The antinomian argument of verse 1 is now repeated but with a significant difference. In verse 1 the question was, Shall we continue in sin? This dealt with the principle of continuation in sin after the believer recognizes he is dead to it. But now the question is, “Shall we sin just a little?” Here he does not speak of a life-style of sin, but a person’s occasional excursion into iniquity. Paul knew that this question was likely to be asked, because our societies and governments don’t know any other way to restrain man, except through laws and their penalties.

Because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! The verse could be rephrased like this: “Because we are not under law but under grace, isn’t it permissible to fall into sin once in a while?”  Those who are afraid of grace insist that it gives them the liberty to sin. Paul meets this erroneous idea head-on by asking the question, then flatly denying it. We are free from the law but we are not lawless. By the Law, Paul means any and every commandment of God. Grace means freedom to serve the Lord, not to sin against Him. Paul’s disgust is seen in his typical answer, certainly not! God cannot condone any sin at all.

There were some Christians who believed that they were saved by grace, however, they thought that grace needed an assist from the Law to accomplish its goal of saving a sinner, and living the Christian life. But the Christian life doesn’t consist of following certain rules and regulations. Someone may ask, “Then what is the Christian life?” The Christian life is two things:
1. Being obedient to Christ. Do you love Him? That is the important thing. He says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Identification with Christ is positional sanctification, as we have already seen in Topic 21. That is basic. But obedience to Christ is also basic and that is practical sanctification. It’s just as simple as that. It is not how you walk, but where you walk—are you walking in the light, walking in fellowship with Christ?
2. Communication with Christ. It is important that we keep the communication lines with Christ open at all times. In prayer, there is two way communication—you talk to Him, and He talks to you. Therefore, spend some quiet time and listen for that still, small voice; that is Jesus.

In his letter to the Galatian believers, Paul made it clear that there are three ways in which you can live:
1. You can live by Law. To live by Law, means that you are living by a set of principals and by the old nature.
2. You can live by license. Paul was granted license (authority, permission) from the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem to round-up Christians and take them to prison. If you are a Child of God, you can’t do as you please; you have to do as Christ pleases. You must present yourself to Him
3. You can live by liberty. When you know Jesus, you know the Truth and the Truth will set you free. You are free to serve Him, but not to sin. You live by being obedient to what the Bible says. This is practical, a great deal more practical than you may realize.

Sin. Sin can be defined as lawlessness (1 John 3:4) or the transgression of God’s will, either by omitting to do what God’s law requires or by doing what it forbids. The transgression can occur in thought (1 John 3:15), word (Matt. 5:22), or deed (Rom. 1:32).

Sin. Sin has also be defined as:
1. Act or thought that deliberately violates divine law and offends holiness.
2. Falling short of the mark (or missing the mark) of righteousness required of a believer.
3. Any of the various failings and shortcomings as well as lusts and evil desires to which the human race is subject as a result of original sin.

16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

Do you not know? Once again, here is something we need to know.

That to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom, you obey. Every person who is living is a bond servant to someone or something. It could be that you are serving Satan himself. Because of our very nature, we are servants to someone or something.

Some viewed salvation as deliverance only from the consequences of sin and its penalty, rather than deliverance from its power as well. Paul uses the analogy of the slave market to illustrate this casual attitude toward sin, and to show that the sanctified believer dare not even occasionally fall into sin, let alone continue to commit the same sin over-and-over again. His point is, that if you start to obey sin, you are thereby admitting the mastery of sin in your life. Paul builds on our Lord’s words, “No man can serve two masters” (Mt 6:24). He is saying here that the one, who is your master, is the one you are obeying. Don’t say Christ is your master if you are living in sin; He is not your master. He leads you into the place of liberty. “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)—free to do what? You will be free to live for Him, free to obey Him. And the Lord Jesus said, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). Yielding to the mastery of sin brings death; yielding to obedience to Christ brings righteousness.

Whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? The immediate effect of sin is slavery; its ultimate outcome is death. “…when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15). If we sell out to sin, we become slaves of sin, and eternal death lays waiting at the end of that road. If, on the other hand, we choose to obey God, the result is a holy life. Obedience to God is the measure of devotion to Him. Sin’s slaves are bound by guilt, fear, and misery, but God’s servants are free to do what the new nature loves. So why be a slave when you can be free?

The Greek word translated “slaves” is the same word Paul used to describe himself as a “bondservant” of Christ—“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God” (Rom. 1:1). There are two kinds of service which are completely incompatible: sin and righteousness are alternate forms of obedience, and we must choose between them, since it is absolutely impossible to select both of them, and we can’t avoid the issue even by procrastination. To each of us comes the command, “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” (Josh. 24:15). And we cannot halt between two competing claims. The character of every life is determined by the kind of loyalty that rules it, and in the moral realm there are only two possibilities: we are for either for “the good or the evil side.”

In general, the meaning of this verse, and in fact of the whole chapter and to 7:6 is: Just as a change in masters makes an utter difference to the slave, since the slave always belongs entirely to whoever owns him, so entrance into Christ makes an utter difference in the believer—old things are passed away” and “all things are become new.”

Now that brings us to a personal question. Is Christ really our master today? Just because you do not murder, you don’t lie, you don’t do other things the Mosaic Law prohibits, doesn’t mean you are living the Christian life. It may mean you are living a good life, but that is all. The Christian life is one where we obey Christ.

17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. In modern day language, it could be said: “Thank God that you, who were at one time the servants of sin, honestly responded to the impact of Christ’s teaching when you came under its influence.” The Roman Christians had given wholehearted obedience to the gospel of grace to which they had been committed, including all the doctrine Paul teaches in this Letter. Paul was always mindful that God is to be thanked, that these Roman believers obeyed from their hearts the traditions or “patterns of teaching” which were embodied in Christ Jesus. Because of Him they have been made free from service to sin and, in turn, have become the servants of righteousness. Freedom from service to Satan is, by definition, bondage to the Lord, who loved us and gave Himself for us.

But God be thanked. In verse 17 we, who were formerly servants of sin, have a reminder of the deep gratitude we should have for the deliverance from sin that we and others have received. Paul was overcome with gratitude and he burst forth with praise and he thanked God.

Paul said, “You obeyed from the heart.”  The Roman Christians have become obedient from the heart. In other words, they had responded to the Gospel with obedience—obedience that came from the depths of their being. This brought a decisive change in their lives. Before they responded to the Gospel, they had been slaves to sin. But they “obeyed from the heart” (inwardly and genuinely, not merely externally) and believed the Gospel.

Form of doctrine. In the Greek, the word for “form” refers to a mold such as a craftsman would use to cast molten metal. Paul’s point is that God pours His new children into the mold of divine truth—“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). New believers have the innate and compelling desire to know God’s truth—“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 12:2).

You were delivered. It’s true that the doctrine of grace was delivered to us, and we by the grace of God believed. But that’s not what Paul says; his statement is stronger. It is not the form of doctrine that was delivered to the Romans, but a doctrine (the Gospel) into which they were delivered—or cast, as in a mold. In other words, as one commentator states it, “The teaching to which they had heartily yielded themselves had stamped its own impress (impression) upon them.”

18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

The phrase free from sin does not mean that they no longer had a sinful nature. Neither does it mean that they no longer committed acts of sin. The context shows that it is referring to freedom from sin as the dominating power in life. In other words, when you were in the world, when you were lost, you obeyed sin. It was natural for you to do that. Another thing we need to understand is that, when you have been saved, you have a new nature that can obey Christ. Paul went through the experience of being a new Christian, as we will see in Chapter 7. He discovered two things: first, that there was no good in his old nature—“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find” (Rom 7:18); and second, that there is no power in the new nature. We think that now that we are Christians we can walk on top of the world. We can’t. We are just as weak as we have ever been before. This is the reason we have to walk by faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can produce the Christian life, as we shall see.

You became slaves of righteousness. Correct doctrine should lead to correct duty. Responding to the truth that they had been set free from sin as master, they became slaves of righteousness. They had a new position in Christ; they trusted him and now are in Him. Then they trusted themselves all together to Him. Then they consented to be His property. They are His bondservants and slaves of His truth, and shinning through it, on them, is the glory of both His grace and His claim.

We do not abstain from sin, because of fear of the Law; but we abstain from sin because of the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit in the heart—“who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life” (Heb. 7:16). God does not want us to sin, but if a believer does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, who did no sin—and He pleads our case; He is our Propitiation. “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2).

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. In verse 18 the apostle spoke of slaves of righteousness, but he realizes that those who live righteously are not actually in bondage. Righteousness is not slavery, except when we are thinking and talking as lost men do. Those who practice sin are slaves of sin, but those whom the Son sets free are free indeed. Jesus (said), “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin… (but) if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:34, 36).

But why does Paul say he speaks in human terms? There are several reasons given by the various commentators that center around the condition of the hearers, such as:
1. Their imperfect state enfeebles their spiritual perception.
2. They had poor judgment.
3. Their spiritual apprehension was weak.
4. Their humanness and their difficulty in grasping divine truth.
5. The weakness of their flesh (weak in their natural selves)—in other words, because of their intellectual and spiritual difficulty in understanding truth when it is stated in general terms.

For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. Now he counsels them to yield themselves to holiness with the same gusto they once yielded themselves to uncleanness. When they were servants of sin, it was their master. Now that they are servants of Christ, righteousness must be their master. They cannot serve the master of righteousness and dabble in sin at the same time. Before their conversion the believers had surrendered their bodies as slaves of all kinds of uncleanness and to one kind of wickedness after another. Now they should dedicate those same bodies as slaves of righteousness, so that their lives would be truly holy. They were set apart from the practice of sin, and set apart to the practice of righteousness to obtain sanctification—“…when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thess. 2:13).

Our Lord Himself (and scripture generally) teaches that only those who know the truth, and walk in the truth are truly free. The Jews in John 8:32-36 rebelled when our Lord told them, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”  Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” There is true freedom only for the person who is “in Christ.”

Slaves. I think Paul explains why he is using the imagery of slaves and master—he is speaking in human terms; that is, he is using a familiar illustration from everyday life, that the Romans were familiar with. Slavery was common in the Roman Empire. Out of the 120 million people in the Roman Empire, half were slaves. Many Christians were slaves. And the little epistle of Philemon reveals that freedom was a prized possession, and hard to obtain. Truth often needs to be illustrated in order to be understood. Therefore, Paul must speak in a way that those who have little faith and little knowledge of God and scripture will understand. He said that he spoke in “human terms.”  He doesn’t mean that he is not speaking by inspiration, but he is speaking in a manner that they will understand.

20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.

When they were slaves of sin, the only freedom they knew was freedom from righteousness. They didn’t think of serving Christ then; they weren’t interested in that. They were free from Him. It was a desperate condition to be in—bound by every evil and free from every good!

There is no middle ground: We are either sons of God or sons of the devil. We either have a divine nature, or we are controlled by the old nature which brings death. If we have received the new nature given by Almighty God when we believed on His Son Jesus Christ, then we have One within us who is greater than he who is without (1 John 4:4). Therefore, we are conquerors, victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Our members are not captured by lust, but we are delivered through the power within (the Holy Ghost) who leads us into paths of right living for His (Jesus”) name’s sake.

21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? Paul now directs a stinging question to those who would dare to practice sin. He asks what fruit (or benefit) has been produced from their sin. Did any good to yourself or others come from it; any lasting satisfaction? Paul challenges them (and us) to inventory the fruits of an unsaved life, fruits in those activities of which believers are now ashamed. Before they believed, they were not only free from Christ, they were fruitless. They did as they pleased. The only fruit was shame. Sinners can produce only bad fruit—“You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them” (Matt. 7:16-20). Marcus Rains Ford has drawn up an inventory of the fruit of an unsaved life; there are seven of them:
1. Faculties (intellect) abused.
2. Affections prostrated (exhausted).
3. Time squandered.
4. Influence misused.
5. Best friends wronged.
6. Our best interests violated.
7. Love outraged—especially the love of God.

Or to sum it up in one word—SHAME. Besides the other forms of retribution brought on by sin, there is also shame. The believer is now ashamed of the things he did before he was saved. This shame pierces the soul, and weighs down the children of God, as they think how they have dishonored God, and the ingratitude they showed Him. Paul knows very well that sin always promises more than it can deliver. None of sin’s fruit is worth having, and the final result of being a slave to sin is the ghastly horror of death.

For the end of those things is death. “Every sin,” writes A. T. Pierson, “tends to death, and, if persisted in, ends in death (eternal death) as its goal and fruit.” Throughout his letters, Paul was uncompromising in his emphasis on the consequences of doing wrong.

22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God. Conversion changes a man’s position completely. Now he is free from sin as his master, and he becomes a willing slave to God. The result is a holy life now, and everlasting life at the end of the journey. This verse refers to that life in its fullness, including the glorified resurrection body. For those who are freed from the bondage of habitual sin and who are servants of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. There is a drastic contrast between the outcome of the two bondages; one to sin and the other to Christ. Bondage to sin has shame as its by-product. Bondage to Christ has as its by-product the status of being positionally holy, and in the process of becoming conformed to the image of Christ. This is biblical sanctification. Bondage to sin has as its end death. Bondage to Christ has as its end everlasting life.

It is just as natural for a sinner to practice sin as it is for water to run downhill or for the sun to rise in the morning; but it is equally unnatural for born again children of God to practice sin. They do not…because they are new creations; they have become servants of God, bondslaves to righteousness, they possess the divine nature and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they live righteous and holy lives through the divine nature and the divine power that abides within their bosom. It is a life with new quality, a life touched with kinship with the life of God.

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The outcome of enslavement to sin is quite different from that of obedience to Christ. Remuneration (compensation, wage, or salary) is the principle by which we become heirs of death (both spiritual and physical). Sin always pays a wage, and that wage is a drastic one; it is bitter and frustrating. But just as remuneration is the principle by which we become heirs to death, unmerited favor (grace) is the principle by which we become heirs to eternal life. Death is earned; eternal life is purely a gift that brings peace and joy. Eternal life is in no way the wages of righteousness, because we do absolutely nothing to earn it or to be entitled to it

Here in this last verse of Chapter 6, the apostle presents these vivid contrasts:
Two masters—sin and God.
Two methods—wages and free gift.
Two aftermaths—death and eternal life.

Notice that eternal life is in a Person, and that Person is Christ Jesus our Lord. All who are in Christ have eternal life. It’s as simple as that! You can only be saved by faith in Him. You are to live by faith. You are to walk moment by moment by faith. You cannot live for God by yourself any more than you can save yourself. It requires constant dependence on Him, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. We quote this verse as we witness to the lost, and rightly so; but Paul wrote it originally to believers. Although God forgives the sins of His children, He may not stop the painful consequences of sin. The pleasures of sin are never compensated for by the wages of sin. Sinning is not worth it!

Our Lord. This is Paul’s way of saying that the Lord belongs to us as we belong to Him. We have made Him our Lord by our act of commitment. His lordship extends to the manner in which we live our lives.

Penalty for sin. The penalty for sin is death, both spiritual and physical. The moment Adam sinned, he died spiritually: in that sense, everyone is born dead in sin—“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). Physical death is described as separation of the body and Spirit—“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:1)—is the ultimate result of sin. People who die in their sin (in an unsaved state) will have to face a “second death” portrayed by a “Lake of Fire”—“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). The only escape from this second death is to receive the gift of eternal life in the person of Jesus Christ. No man or angel ever got away with sin.