You earn death. Not the first death, but the second. Yes, there are two deaths. The first death is the one of the flesh returning to the dust and the breath returning to God, and all thoughts ceasing until the last trump when Christ returns to call all those that are His to be with Him in heaven. The second death is the death there is no resurrection from because you are completely and utterly no more- not even dust, not even a breath returned to God. The second death will come upon all of those who are not called to be with Christ when He returns. We don't earn the first death, that is ours from the moment we are born- the death sentence of this fragile flesh form wracked with so much potential for illness, disease, accidents, sicknesses, injuries, deformities and so on. We do earn the second death, the eternal death. We earn that death by embracing a life of sin which is self-focused. We earn that death when we refuse to accept the free gift offered to us which is eternal life in Christ. A gift is offered it isn't forced upon us. The gift is ours for the taking. When we accept that gift we are accepting the truth that our salvation is something we cannot give to ourselves, we cannot earn it for ourselves, we cannot buy it for ourselves. We must accept the gift, and when we accept this gift we are accepting all that the gift is! We take the gift and this gift becomes a part of our life, this gift becomes our life. We take our focus off ourselves and put it on the gift that is now our life- our eternal life.
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Distressed by the threatenings of the law which we have broken, we flee for refuge to Christ, who is "full of grace and truth." There we find freedom from sin. In him we not only find grace to cover all our sin, but we find the righteousness of the law because he is full of truth, and the law is the truth. Ps. 119:142. Grace "reigns" through righteousness (or obedience to the law), unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Wages of Sin. In the second chapter we learned that those who reject the goodness of God are treasuring up to themselves wrath. Now wrath comes only on the children of disobedience. Eph. 5:6.
Eph 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Those who sin are laying up wages for themselves. "The wages of sin is death." Sin has death in it, therefore "sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." There can be no other end to sin than death, because sin is the absence of righteousness, and righteousness is the life and character of God.
Persistent and final choice of sin is therefore choice of complete separation from the life of God, and so from all life, since he is the only source of life. Christ, who is the wisdom of God, says, "All they that hate me love death." Prov. 8:36. Those who suffer death at last will be only those who have worked for it.
The Gift of God. But we do not work for eternal life. No works that we could do would make the smallest part of payment towards it. It is the gift of God. True, it comes only through righteousness, but righteousness is a gift. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them." Eph. 2:8-10.
"O how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men!" Ps. 31:19. When people sin, God gives them only what they have bargained for. But if any yield themselves as servants of righteousness, he provides the righteousness for them, and gives them eternal life with it, all as a free gift. "The way of the transgressor is hard," but the yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden is light.'
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