Romans 6:23 in High Definition

The following article is taken from the book, Top Ten Bible Verses in High Definition. To buy click here.

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Key: [CAP] = Should be Capitalized, [ML] = Misleading, [OD] = Outdated, [T] = Wrong Tense, [WT] = Wrong Translation, [X] = Not in Greek, [-] = Greek Word not Translated

KJV

For[OD] the wages of [-] sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal[WT] life through[WT] Jesus Christ[WT] our Lord[OD].

ESV

For[OD] the wages of [-] sin is[X] death, but the free gift of God is[X] eternal[WT] life in Christ[WT] Jesus our Lord[OD].

High Definition

BV and BKJV

You see, the wages of the sin is death, but the gift of God is life that spans all time in the Anointed King Jesus, our Master.

The Improvements

for -> you see

Using "for" to start a sentence is outdated. People do not speak that way today. This verse is explaining the previous verses.

[no word] -> the

The Greek text has a definite article ("the") before "sin": "the sin". The KJV and ESV do not translate this definite article.

is -> is

This verse does not have any verbs in it even though it has two clauses. This is common in Greek but not allowed in English. Two present state of being verbs ("is") must be added. They should be in italics to show that they were added.

eternal -> that spans all time

The adjective eternal is aionios in Greek. Aionios and the noun it comes from, aion, are often misunderstood and mistranslated.

Aion is the span of time of something. The span of time (aion) of the earth (mentioned several times in the Bible) has a beginning and an end. It is not eternal. The span of time of God does not have a beginning or end and is eternal.

English does not have a good word to express the adjective of aion (span of time). The closest I have come up with is "that spans time" or "that spans all time."

through -> in

The common Greek word for "through" (KJV) is dia. Dia is not in this verse. The Greek word here is en (in), "in Jesus" not "through Jesus".

Christ -> Anointed King

Many think "Christ" is the second name of Jesus. It is not. It is what He is.

"Christ" is a transliteration of the Greek word "christos"; just as "messiah" is a transliteration of the Greek word "messias" which is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word "mashiyach". They both mean the same thing and should have the same translation into English: anointed king.

The coming of the Anointed King was predicted hundreds of years before Jesus throughout the Old Testament. The Jews anticipated this Anointed King to deliver Israel from its enemies. Jesus is that Anointed King. He is the rescuer of the world who will someday rule the world.

Lord -> Master

"Lord" is an old way of saying "master". The KJV and ESV hide the meaning of "lord" by not translating the Greek word (kurios) consistently. Usually they translate kurios as "lord" but in passages that make it obvious that kurios is "master" (Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1), they translate it as "master". It should be translated as "master" all of the time because that is what kurios and lord are.

The Big Picture

The sixth chapter of Romans starts out with a question: "Should we stay over in the sin so that the generosity might increase?" In other words, "Is it alright to sin?" Romans 6:23 is the last verse of the chapter and the end of the answer to this question.

The verses before Romans 6:23 tell how you once were slaves to sin, but you obeyed the right way and became slaves of the right way and of God. The fruits of the sin (that you once were slaves to) ended in death (verse 21), but the fruit of the right way (that you now are a slave to) is for sacredness and the end is life that spans all time (verse 22).

Be a slave to sin, get death. Be a slave to God, get life.

You see, the wages of the sin is death, but the gift of God is life that spans all time in the Anointed King Jesus, our Master.