Romans 6:23 – The Wages of Sin

Those who love their sin, yet still consider themselves Christians work diligently in justifying that sin.  The Bible is clear as to those iniquities that God abhors and will judge.  In fact He lists the transgressions in Revelation 21:8 that cause Him to judge severely:

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

There’s no wiggle room here.  If someone is a practitioner of these sins, he will experience the eternal flames of torment.  In this list, sexual immorality is lumped with other sins, and there seems to be no separation as to the degree of wickedness associated with it.  Sin is sin, and it will be judged.

One could argue, however, that sexual immorality and idolatry are in classes by themselves.  Scripture is filled with God speaking through the prophets to condemn idolatry, i.e. the following of gods other than Yahweh.  In fact, God likens this sin of idolatry to sexual immorality, i.e. adultery or fornication.  That would indicate that sexual immorality contains a special kind of transgression against God.  We see that in 1 Corinthians 6:14-20:

And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Because the body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit upon regeneration, to commit sexual immorality after coming to Christ is a direct assault against God and is effectively spitting in His eye.

How is it then that someone can call himself a “gay” or homosexual Christian?  When God looks upon mankind, He loves everyone, but He doesn’t love their sin.  There is no question that this is why Jesus came to earth.  He redeems mankind from its sinful nature.  By dying on the cross, Jesus took ALL of our sins upon Himself that we might be set free.  Freedom from sin comes through the acknowledging of our sin, repenting, believing that Jesus is God and can cleanse us of our transgressions, and calling upon Him to save us.

This requires us to let go of the sin that so easily entangles and to give it to God.  We do this in the way that Paul outlines in Romans 6:11:

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

If we’re truly saved, then the sin of our former life should be dead to us.  By becoming truly born again, we are alive to Christ.  The two conditions cannot coexist.  Paul goes on to say the following in Romans 6:12-14:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

This grace does not give us license to go on sinning.  Paul asks whether we should continue in sin because we’re under grace?  He emphatically says no! (Romans 6:15)

If that’s the case, which it is, what is it about sexual immorality that those who “identify” as gay Christians don’t understand?  If we are new creatures in Christ Jesus, which again we  who are truly saved are, then such a creation cannot continue sinning without severe consequences.

Do those who call themselves Christians and still practice homosexuality somehow believe that this practice doesn’t fall under the condemnation of sin?  Apparently so.  The things I’ve read in this regard are that they think because Jesus didn’t specifically use the term “homosexual” that He didn’t condemn it.  They also try to argue that since we’re under the New Covenant, the Old Testament condemnation against homosexuality is null.

Those are specious arguments and so vacuous as to be laughable if this wasn’t so serious.  Jesus did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them.  Of course the moral law from the OT is still valid.

Paul makes a definitive statement that those who want to continue transgression against God for the pleasures of a day would be well to heed.  He famously says in Romans 6:23:

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

In other words, if you sin, you die, just as the passage above from Revelation 21:8 declares.

If any of us know someone who pretends to be a Christian while still being a practicing homosexual, we have a duty.  Our job is to lovingly correct him.  This is not judgment, it is a Biblical directive according to James 5:20:

let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

If we love in the Name of Christ, we must at least try to show that same love to someone still deceived by his sin.  Perhaps he will turn from his wicked ways and become truly saved.  Following that true salvation experience, he will not sin again in that manner.