Salvation is something that happens to us, not something we can accomplish ourselves. Paul described salvation as a free gift and said, “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18). Among the many things that happens automatically when a person accepts God’s free gift of salvation is the complete removal of guilt of any sins that have been committed against him (Romans 3:24-25). As a result of this transaction, Paul encouraged believers to “walk in newness of life” and “not serve sin” (Romans 6:4, 6).

Paul’s exhortation to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4) was meant to challenge believers to make themselves living testimonies to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Greek word Paul used that is translated life, zoe (dzo-ay’) refers to life in the absolute sense (G2222). Zoe is derived from the word zao which has to do with the recovery of physical life from the power of death (G2198). Paul made it clear that eternal life was the result of receiving God’s free gift of salvation. He stated, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21, ESV).

Serving sin is what we do when we allow addictions to dictate our behavior. Paul said our old man, the person we were before we were saved, was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6) and “he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7). The Greek word Paul used that is translated freed, dikaioo (dik-ah-yo’-o) means to render or regard as innocent. Dikaioo is related to the process of reconciliation in the sense of being justified by Christ’s death on the cross. “‘Justification’ being the legal and formal acquittal from guilt by God as Judge, the pronouncement of the sinner as righteous, who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ” (G1344). What Paul was saying was that being freed from guilt should make us want to stop sinning.

Paul contrasted the results of sin and God’s free gift of salvation in order to show the absurdity of living in sin after having received salvation. He asked, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16, NKJV). Paul concluded his argument by stating, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The primary reason Paul gave for overcoming the addiction of sin was its guaranteed payment of death, conscious existence in separation from God (G2288). Paul compared the wages of sin to the gift of God in order to emphasize that salvation could not be earned through acts of righteousness.