The above verse often is preached to unbelievers. While it always is true that the wages of sin is death, the context reveals that Paul is speaking of those who, having been baptized in water, then choose to continue in sin. They die spiritually. They slay their own resurrection from the dead.

That God has given us the gift of eternal life means:

God has washed away our sins of the past through the blood of the cross.

God has invited us to become one with the crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection of Christ.

God has given us the body and blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Christ has been born in us.

Now we are authorized and competent (unlike the unbeliever) to choose to be the slave of righteousness. If we keep on choosing to be free from sin and to serve God we bear the fruit of holiness. The end product of our choosing to serve righteousness is eternal life. Being the slave of righteousness is the path and the only path to eternal life.

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end [result is] everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

This is how we receive the gift of eternal life.

If we continue in sin we will die spiritually.

Know ye not [Christian], that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

Let us see where we are now. We are looking to the blood of Jesus for our righteousness rather than to the Law of Moses. But we have been informed that if we choose to continue in sin we will die spiritually.

How do we know when we are sinning if we no longer are looking to the Law of Moses including the Ten Commandments? How can we choose righteousness when we have no standard by which to measure righteous behavior?

Chapter Seven of Romans. Paul once again addresses Jews.

Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? (Romans 7:1)

Paul tells the Jews and us Gentiles that because we have died with Christ and our new man has been married to Christ we now are free legally from the Law of Moses.

Paul then reminds the Jews how unsatisfactory the Law proved to be when the sincere worshiper was seeking to be righteous. The worshiper loved the moral law of God but he discovered that another law, the law of sin, was operating in his flesh. The Law of Moses condemned him to death because the law of sin in his body was driving him to keep on sinning. Yet in his inner nature he desired to be righteous and to live in God's sight.

To be continued.