Romans 6:23:  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The gemstone pictured above has a unique characteristic.  It appears that there are two stones pictured, but in reality there are two pictures of the same stone.  The name of this gemstone is alexandrite and it has the unique quality of changing color depending on the light source in which it is viewed.  Green in daylight, alexandrite turns red in incandescent light.

This gemstone has been chosen to represent the Bible Gem Romans 6:23 because this Bible Gem also displays two contrasting 'colors'.   In the 'light' of sin it displays Eternal Death.  In the 'light' of Jesus Christ it displays Eternal Life.  At the moment, we want to examine this Gem in the 'light' of sin.  In the Gem Drawer "Laying Hold of the Great Exchange" we will examine this Gem under the 'light' of Jesus Christ.

By saying the "wages" of sin is death, Paul is illustrating that anyone who sins has earned Eternal Death.  That is to say she or he has "worked" for it.  Anyone who sins has earned eternal death through his or her own choices; choices which violate the commands of God.  The consequence of any sin, no matter how trivial we try to make it, no matter how good our excuse, no matter how many other commands we have kept; is the forfeit of eternal life.