For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NIV
In order to maintain the Holiness of God, God cannot allow sin into His presence. He, being in very nature Holy, cannot tolerate any sin--none at all. I remember a story that a friend of mine tells about his “snow white” dog. They always thought their dog was whiter than anything they had ever seen, until their dog went out into the snow one day. Their dog began to look almost brown compared to the snow.
That is the way it is with even the smallest of sin. We are no longer pure. And, God must deal with that sin. We have poison ivy throughout our yard. When we pull that weed we must destroy it completely. If we just throw it on the ground, then it will sprout again. God determined from the beginning, when He laid out the rules for Adam and Eve, that sin would have a consequence, and that consequence is death.
Because man is born into sin, man is also sentenced to death. In Brazil this term is confusing. They recognize that everyone dies, so that is of no fear to them. You must understand that this death, however, is not just disposing of a warm body. This is eternal death. Everyone born will go on to eternity. Some will live on in eternal death, and some will live on in eternal life.
You need to know that your sins have already condemned you to eternal death. The sentence is already written. Praise God for the promise of eternal life, which is available through Jesus Christ.
