Romans 6:23: What Death Means and Why It Is Earned
Romans 6:23 answers the question of death's meaning by calling it a wage, the settled payment sin owes, and then sets against it a gift no one earns. The verse gathers up the two roads Paul has just traced rather than standing alone as a slogan.
Romans 6:23: What Death Means Here
Romans 6:23 defines death as what sin earns, the settled wage of a life given over to it. The verse's weight falls on the contrast between a payment owed and a gift freely given in Christ Jesus.