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When Scripture says “the wages of sin is death,” it means that sin earns something—just like a worker earns a wage. Sin always pays out a result, and that result is death. Not only physical death, which entered the world because of sin, but also spiritual death—separation from God, the source of all life.

A helpful way to picture this is a courtroom scene.

God is the perfectly holy and righteous Judge. We stand before Him, not as innocent people who made a few minor mistakes, but as those who have broken His law in thought, word, and deed. Sin is not a light matter in His sight—it is cosmic treason, a rebellion against the very One who created us. In a human courtroom, the seriousness of the penalty is determined by the seriousness of the crime. In God's courtroom, the seriousness of sin is measured by the holiness of the One whom it is committed against.

Because of this, the verdict is just and unavoidable: guilty. The penalty, according to divine law, is death—the “wage” that our sin has rightfully earned. It is the spiritual death of being cut off from God, and ultimately eternal separation from Him.

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ stepped into that courtroom as our substitute. He didn't argue against the charges—He took the penalty upon Himself. At the cross He bore the full weight of the sentence we deserved. The death penalty was carried out, but not on us—on Him. The Judge’s righteous standard was satisfied, and mercy was extended to the guilty because the innocent died in their place.

So when we trust in Jesus, the verdict over our lives is changed. We are no longer condemned criminals awaiting execution—we are forgiven children welcomed into the Father’s family. The “wages” we once earned have been paid in full by Christ, and now we receive the gift of eternal life, not because we deserved it but because He purchased it for us.

The Good News of the Gospel

The good news—what Christians call the Gospel—is revealed especially in the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), which tell the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and record His teachings.

The Gospel proclaims that the one true and holy God created us in His image so that we might know Him and live in fellowship with Him. Yet we sinned, turning away from God and separating ourselves from His presence.

But in His great love, God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ—fully God and fully man. Jesus lived a sinless life, fulfilled God’s law perfectly, and died on the cross in our place, taking upon Himself the punishment for the sins of all who would repent and trust in Him. On the third day He rose bodily from the grave, demonstrating that God the Father accepted His sacrifice and that His righteous wrath against sin was satisfied. Now He calls every person to repent, to turn from sin, and to trust in Christ alone for forgiveness. Whoever does so is born again into a new life—one that leads to eternal life with God. That truly is good news.

Why Does This Matter?

Because we have all sinned. Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death”—the just consequence for our rebellion against a holy God. We have broken His moral law, and therefore we need a Savior. Our response must be to put our faith in Jesus Christ, who paid our sin-debt in full through His sacrificial death.

Who Is Jesus Christ?

Christians confess that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the eternal Son of God. He is both fully God and fully man, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He offered Himself as the substitutionary—and sufficient—atonement for the sins of humanity. He rose again bodily on the third day, appeared to many over forty days, and then ascended into heaven, where He now reigns.