Life or Death: The Choice Is Yours

Remembering the Power of Our Baptism

When I open to Romans chapter 6, I’m reminded of how easy it is to forget the significance of our salvation. Paul begins with a rhetorical question: “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1). The Christians in Rome were struggling with the idea of grace. They thought, “If grace comes through sin, then the more I sin, the more grace I’ll receive.”

But Paul’s answer is clear: “By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:2).

In baptism, we reenacted the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We chose to die to sin, to bury that old way of living, and to rise into something brand new. That wasn’t just a symbolic act—it was a defining moment of transformation.

I think about Israel in the Old Testament. They celebrated Passover every year so they wouldn’t forget how God delivered them from Egypt. They built monuments to mark important events so future generations would never lose sight of what God had done.

We need that same spirit of remembrance. If we’re not careful, we can drift into routine and forget the excitement, the joy, and the commitment of that first moment we chose Christ. But Paul urges us: don’t forget. Don’t lose sight of the new life you entered into when you went down into those waters.

The Wages of Sin

Later in Romans 6, Paul lays out one of the clearest and most sobering truths in all of Scripture: “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a).

Think about that word “wages.” Wages are what you earn for what you do. If I go to work and put in the hours, my paycheck is my wages. In the same way, sin pays out wages—and what you earn from sin is death.

That death is not just physical. The very first time death was mentioned in Scripture was back in Genesis. God told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the forbidden tree, they would surely die. They didn’t drop dead on the spot, but they were immediately separated from God. That’s the essence of spiritual death: disconnection from the source of life.

And just like Adam and Eve, when we choose to sin, we choose separation. That separation eventually leads to physical death as well.

It’s important to be honest here. As Christians, we are not perfect. We stumble, we sin, we fall short. Even Paul called himself the chief of sinners. But there’s a difference between occasionally stumbling and living a life defined by sin.

If I claim Christ, my identity is not “sinner.” My identity is “Christian.” Yes, I still sin, but that’s not what defines me anymore. The danger comes when I stop caring about God’s standard altogether, when I say, “I see the path of Christ, but I don’t want it.” That’s when my life becomes defined by sin—and Paul says the wages of that life are death.

The Gift of God

But Paul doesn’t leave us with only bad news. He goes on to say: “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).

Notice the contrast. Death is earned, but eternal life is a gift. You can’t earn eternal life. You can’t do enough good works to pay for it. It’s given freely by God, but it came at a tremendous cost—the life of His Son, Jesus Christ.

That’s hard for us to wrap our minds around. In this world, nothing is truly free. If something costs me nothing, it still costs someone else something. That’s true of our salvation. It costs us nothing, but it cost Jesus everything.

Eternal life is not just about living forever someday. It’s about being reconnected to God right now. It’s about living in His presence and experiencing His Spirit in our daily walk.

But just like with any gift, you have to choose to receive it. Imagine your parents buying you a gift at Christmas. They’ve paid for it, they’ve wrapped it, it’s sitting under the tree—but unless you show up and take it, you’ll never enjoy it. God has already purchased salvation for you. It’s sitting there, waiting. The question is: will you accept it?

Washed, Sanctified, and Justified

Paul says something similar in 1 Corinthians 6. He lists out sins that keep people from inheriting the kingdom of God—sexual immorality, idolatry, greed, drunkenness, slander, and more. It’s not a pleasant list, but it’s honest.

Then he says something powerful: “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

That’s what makes the gospel so incredible. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done—if you’re in Christ, you are no longer defined by that past. You’ve been washed clean. You’ve been set apart for God’s purposes. You’ve been declared righteous because of Jesus.

That’s the transformation we celebrate. That’s why we remember our baptism. That’s why we rejoice in grace.

Which Side Are You On?

At the end of the day, Paul boils it down to a choice: life or death. The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life.

Every one of us has to answer: Which side am I on?

If you’re living outside of Christ, then hear me—your gift is waiting. Jesus already paid for it. Eternal life is yours if you’ll receive it.

If you’re already in Christ, then live like it. Don’t forget the joy and excitement of that first moment when you chose Him. Don’t let your walk become routine. Eternal life is not just a future promise; it’s a present reality.

And here’s the hope: because of Jesus, death has lost its sting. Our physical bodies will die, but our lives will never end. One day, this world will fade, but we will rise again just as He did.

So, I leave you with Paul’s question: Which side of this verse are you on? And what will you do with it today?