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The intrusion of legalism into Christian theology has lead to a misunderstanding of sin and death. Since, according to legalism, sin is basically a transgression of the law, the breaking of the rules and a falling short of the universal divine standard, sin is considered to be a crime against God, and the penalty for these crimes is spiritual, physical and eternal death. Until the penalty is executed at the last judgment, man is under the burden of an objective guilt or condemnation which must be satisfied by the execution of the penalty. But in addition to this objective guilt there is a subjective guilt of a bad conscience, which may or may not correspond to the objective guilt. This objective guilt has been conceived in terms of a debt which man owes and/or as demerit on man’s record.

This is not the Biblical concept of sin. From the Biblical point of view, sin must be understood and defined in terms of the true God and not just in terms of the law. Sin must be defined as any choice that is contrary to faith and trust in the true God. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23). Since sin existed before the law of God was given, sin must not be just a transgression of the law.

“For until the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed where there is no law”    (Rom. 5:13).

That is, in the period before the law, “sin was in the world.” Men were sinning and sin existed where the law did not exist. Therefore, sin must be more than just a transgression of the law. If sin is just a transgression of the law, then all would not have sinned before the law was given, since all did not have the law. And not only those before Moses did not have the law, but also the Gentiles did not have the law.

“When the Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law”    (Rom. 2:14).

But all have sinned ( Rom. 3:23). Therefore, sin is not just a transgression of the law.  The Greek word translated “have sinned” in Rom. 3:23 means “missing the mark.” The mark is not the law as the divine standard, but God Himself. Man misses the mark when he puts his trust and faith in a false god, a substitute for the true God. The falling short of the glory of God in the last part of Rom. 3:23 does not mean falling short of the standard of God’s perfection given in the law. The Greek word here translated “falling short” means “to be in want of” or “to be in need of”. [1] In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, this same word is used in Psa. 23:1. “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.” (See also Mt. 19:20; Mark 10:21; Luke 15:14; 22:35; John 2:3; I Cor. 1:7; 8:8; 12:24; II Cor. 11:5, 9; 12:11; Phil. 4:12; Heb. 4:1; 11:37; 12:15). The glory of God in the Old Testament is the manifest presence of God. Therefore, according to Rom. 3:23 man does not have this presence of God; he is in want or need of it. In other words, he is spiritually dead, separated from God’s presence. And all have sinned because they are spiritually dead (Rom. 5:12d ERS). Thus Rom. 3:23 should be translated,

“All have sinned and are in need of the glory [the presence] of God.”    (Rom. 3:23 ERS)

The legalistic concept of death is a misunderstanding of the Biblical concept of death. In the Scriptures, death is not always the result of each man’s own personal sins. All men have received spiritual and physical death from Adam (Rom. 5:12) but not eternal death. Man is not responsible for being spiritually dead because he did not choose that state. He received spiritual death from Adam just as he received physical death from Adam (Rom. 5:13-14). But man is responsible for the god he chooses. The true God has not left man without a knowledge about Himself (Rom. 1:19-20). This knowledge about God leaves man without excuse for his idolatry. He knows that his false gods are phonies. But this knowledge does not save him because it is knowledge about the true God, and not a personal knowledge of the true God which is life eternal (John 17:3). But even though man is not responsible for being spiritually dead, he is responsible for remaining in the state of spiritual death when deliverance from it is offered to him in the person of Jesus Christ. If he refuses the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, he will receive the wages of his decision, eternal death ( Rom. 6:23). If a man refuses the gift of spiritual and eternal life in Christ Jesus and continues to put his trust in a false god, remaining in spiritual death, then after he dies physically, at the last judgment he will receive the results of his wrong decision or sin, eternal death, separation from God for eternity.

Rom. 6:23 says nothing about the penalty of sin, that is, that sin must be punished. True, the result of sin is eternal death. But that does not mean that sin must be punished before the sin can be forgiven. If the sinner repents and turns from his idolatry and to the true God in faith, he will be freely forgiven. If he does repent and believe, he will not still be liable to be punished for his sins.

Romans 6:23 does not mean that sin must be punished and that death is the penalty of sin. The meaning of this verse must be determined by considering its context, the previous verses from 15 to 23.

“^6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?  May it not be!  ^6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, his slaves you are to whom you obey; whether of sin to death or of obedience to righteousness?  ^6:17 But thanks be to God that you were slaves of sin but you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered; ^6:18 and having been freed from sin you became slaves of righteousness.  ^6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.  For as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness unto sanctification.
^6:20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  ^6:21 Therefore, what fruit had you then, because of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.  ^6:22 But now having been freed from sin and having been enslaved to God, you have your fruit to sanctification and the end eternal life.  ^6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”    (Romans 6:15-23)

The context of this verse is not the law-court but slavery. Sin is personified as a slavemaster. Verse 14 says sin will no longer have dominion or lordship (kurieusei) over the Christian, because he is now under grace. Verse 16 speaks of yielding oneself as a slave — either to sin or to obedience [to God]. Verse 17 speaks of having been slaves to sin but now ( verse 18) being slaves of righteousness. Verses 20-21 asks what return did they get from the things that they did as slaves of sin. Paul says that the end of the slavery to sin is death. Verse 22 says that the end result of being a slave of God is eternal life. Then in verse 23, Paul summarizes his argument by saying that the wages of sin, that is, the wages paid by sin as a slavemaster, is death. But God does not pay wages, but gives a free gift, eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

It is very plain from verses 17 and 18 that the slavery of sin was a past experience for the Christian. He has now changed masters. If he had remained under his old master, sin, that master would have eventually paid off in only one kind of coin, death. But since they have changed masters, they are not now in a position to collect wages from the old master, sin. And it does not say the they get wages from their new master, God. But from God they get a free gift, something that could not be earned, eternal life. What kind of death did they receive from their old master? Eternal death, eternal separation from God, is the wages of sin. That eternal death is meant here is clear from the second half this verse: “…but the gift of God is eternal life…” Paul is not talking here about spiritual or physical death but only of eternal death, the end result of the slavery of sin.

Romans 6:23 says nothing about the penalty of sin, that is, that sin must be punished. True, the result of sin is eternal death. But that does not mean that sin must be punished before the sin can be forgiven. If the sinner repents and turns from his idolatry and to the true God in faith, he will be freely forgiven. If he does repent and believe, he will not still be liable to be punished for his sins.

“^18:21 But if a wicked man turns away from all his sins which he has committed and keeps all my statues and does what is lawful and right, he shall live; he shall not die.  ^18:22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness which he has done he shall live.  ^18:23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked,
says the Lord God, and not rather he should turn from his way and live? … ^18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,
says the Lord God; so turn, and live.”    (Ezek. 18:21-23, 32; see also Ezek. 33:11)

Here is the error of legalistic understanding of death. It says that sin must always be punished even if the sinner repents and believes (trusts) God. This contradicts the plain and clear teaching of God’s Word (Ezek. 18:21-23; 33:10-20; Lam. 3:31-33; Isa. 55:6-7; II Chron. 7:14; II Pet. 3:9). Do not misunderstand what I am saying here. I am not saying that God does not punish sin. He does. This is not the error. The error is to say that God cannot forgive sin before or until he has punished sin. The error is that God must always punish sin before sin can be forgiven. That is, that before God can in love forgive the sinner, He must of necessity punish the sin. This is false. Man needs to be forgiven but paying the penalty of sin is not forgiveness. When sin is punished, it is not freely forgiven. The punishment of sin is the execution of the consequences of sin; forgiveness is free dismissal of the effects of sin. If sin is forgiven, it is not punished. Forgiveness through punishment is a contradiction.

According to this legalistic theology, this necessity is grounded in the justice of God. This justice requires, it is said, that the penalty must be paid before guilt can be removed. The guilt of sin cannot be freely forgiven, but it only can be taken away by paying the penalty, which alone can satisfy God’s justice. His justice demands that sin must be always punished. According to this legalistic theology, God is not free to forgive the repentant sinner until the sin is punished. God’s freedom is thus limited and his love is conditioned by his justice. As we will see later, this legalistic concept of justice is a misunderstanding of the righteousness of God.

The legalistic preoccupation in Christian theology with death as the necessary penalty of sin has distorted the Biblical concept of spiritual death as separation from God and of eternal death as eternal separation from God. Separation from God is far more serious than the penal consequences of sin as God is more important than the law. But not only is death misunderstood but life is also misunderstood as the reward for meritorious works. Life as fellowship and communion with God, a personal relationship to God, is lost sight of in the legalistic preoccupation with the law and its meritorious observance.

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