Romans 6:23 New International Version (NIV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You would think that based on this verse that if I sin, I just die, but that is not the case. This death is not a physical death, but a spiritual death.
When we sin, we become separated from God and the only way back is through Jesus. Once you are saved, you have the gift of eternal life, but that does not mean you can do what you want. Rather we are required to live a life that is free of sin.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it, but it is not. Does this mean that as soon as you sin that you are damned? No, but rather as soon as you realized you have sin you are supposed to confess our sins:
1 John 1:9 New International Version (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
While you are sinning, you are being separated from God. How does it feel? My guess is not great, but I am not you.
The problem is as I have stated in the past, that sin is alluring and living a sinless life is viewed as being boring. Lets face it, Satan is a master in the art of deception in making you think that obeying God is not required and definitely not fun.
So if the wages of sin is spiritual death, what happens when you physically die? You are alive, but you end up with Satan being tormented forever first in Hell, then in the Lake of Fire.
Doesn’t that just sound wonderful? Being tormented forever in the Lake of Fire does not sound much like something that I want to experience for eternity.
While I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination and I know that I sin on a regular basis, I also know that Jesus Christ is the son of God who came to earth to die for my sins and on the third He arose to ascend into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God. Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior who left me a set of instructions on what I am supposed to do and how I am supposed to live.
Will you live or die spiritually?