Why do we need salvation? Pt 2: We need transformation
Romans 6:22-23 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 5:12, 19 12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— 19… through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 8:1-2 1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Philippians 1:6 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Wages of sin…gift of God
When Paul writes in Romans 6:22–23, he lays out the contrast that defines the Christian journey. Paul is not only speaking about external behaviors here but about an inner condition. When Adam and Eve sinned, they passed that sin on to their progeny and eventually to us. Humanity’s problem is not merely that we occasionally stumble into sin—it is that our very nature is corrupted by sin. Left untouched, our natural inclination leads to death.
The word wages remind us that death is earned. It is the paycheck that comes with sin. If we were to stand before God with only our nature as it is, unchanged and unredeemed, then death—eternal separation from Him—would be our due compensation.² Transformation is not optional; it is necessary. It is the only way out of the deadly cycle.
But Paul immediately places beside this dark truth the brightest hope: the gift of God. The beauty of the gospel is that while death is earned, life is given. This is a fundamental shift from human striving to divine grace. We cannot work our way into new life; it is bestowed upon us in Christ.³ The transformation of our nature begins not with our effort but with God’s generosity. The gift does not simply improve us; it makes us new. As Paul reminds the Corinthians, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”⁴
Thus, the first step in acknowledging that our nature needs transformation is realizing that our natural wages are not life but death. Without intervention, we get what we deserve. With Christ, we are given what we could never deserve—eternal life. Transformation is the shift from death’s paycheck to God’s priceless gift.
Disobedience and obedience
Paul earlier leads to the roots of human brokenness (Romans 5:12,19). Adam’s disobedience did not only affect him personally; it affected the entire human race. His sin seeped into our spiritual DNA. Every person is born into a nature inclined toward rebellion against God. This reality might feel unfair, but Paul balances it by pointing to Christ, the second Adam. Through one man’s obedience, righteousness is made available. The transformation we need is not simply behavioral correction but a fundamental reorientation from Adam’s legacy to Christ’s. Think about it: disobedience and obedience are not just actions but allegiances. To remain in Adam is to remain trapped in a cycle of sin and death. To be in Christ is to be transferred into His obedience, His righteousness. Transformation changes whose story we live in.
Obedience, then, becomes more than following rules—it becomes a reflection of a new nature. As Ezekiel prophesied, God promises, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.”⁷ Transformation moves us from the old heart of disobedience to the new heart of obedience. In Christ, obedience is not a heavy burden but the fruit of a changed life.
No one stands condemned
Romans 8:1–2 proclaims one of the most liberating truths of the gospel. Because of Christ, spiritual death, which is the natural consequence of our inclination toward sin, is not imputed to us. Our nature apart from Christ is bent toward sin, and sin brings condemnation. It is like a law at work within us—a gravitational pull toward rebellion and judgment. But Christ breaks that cycle. Notice Paul says “now.” Transformation is not only future hope; it is present reality. Right now, in Christ, we are declared free.
This freedom is more than a legal declaration; it is a transformation of our identity. No longer are we condemned sinners awaiting a sentence. We are beloved children walking in newness of life.5 To live under condemnation is to live chained to guilt and shame. To live in Christ is to live in the Spirit’s liberating power. That does not mean the believer never struggles with sin. Paul himself admits, “I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”6 Yet the difference is that in Christ, sin no longer defines us. Condemnation has been lifted. The law of sin and death has been replaced by the law of the Spirit of life. Transformation is not the absence of struggle but the presence of victory.
When our nature is transformed, we begin to see ourselves as God sees us—no longer condemned but justified, no longer slaves but free. This new identity fuels a new way of living.
A good work carried to completion
Finally, Paul reassures believers in Philippians 1:6: The comforting reality of transformation is that it is God’s work from start to finish. The transformation of our nature is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Justification—the moment we are declared righteous—happens instantly. But sanctification—the process of being made holy—unfolds over a lifetime. God is not done with us yet.
This truth protects us from two dangers: pride and despair. Pride whispers, “I can transform myself; look at how far I’ve come.” Despair whispers, “I’ll never change; I’m too broken.” But Paul silences both by pointing us to God’s faithfulness. It is His good work, not ours, and He will bring it to completion.7 The imagery here is of a craftsman finishing a masterpiece. We may see only half-painted strokes or rough edges in our lives, but God sees the finished canvas. Transformation assures us that God’s Spirit is continually shaping us, conforming us to the image of Christ.8
This confidence does not make us passive. Instead, it motivates us to cooperate with God’s work. As Paul says elsewhere, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). Transformation is a partnership: God works in us, and we live it out.
The promise of completion gives us hope. The struggles of today, the battles against sin, the discouragements we face—none of these are the end of the story. God is not finished with us yet. Transformation means we are in process, moving steadily toward the day when we will be fully conformed to Christ.
What about me?
“Our nature needs transformation.” This is the consistent witness of Scripture. Left to ourselves, our nature earns us death, because the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life. Adam’s disobedience trapped us in sin, but Christ’s obedience opens the door to righteousness. Once condemned, we now stand free in Christ Jesus. And the good work God began in us will be carried to completion.
Transformation is not about self-improvement. It is about new creation. It is about God taking our broken, sin-stained nature and making it new in Christ. And because this is God’s work, we can rest confident that He will finish what He started.
We are accustomed to rules and regulations so it might be easy to fall into the trap of thinking if we do this and don’t do that we will have eternal life. That is incorrect thinking. Jesus has already done all the work and by accepting Him as our Savior the result of that work is imputed to us. Believer, just relax. If God is convicting you of some sin repent, ask for forgiveness, hit delete, and move on.
Footnotes
Douglas J. Moo, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996), 398.
John Stott, The Message of Romans (Downers Grove: IVP, 1994), 186.
2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV.
Ezekiel 36:26, NIV.
N.T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part Two (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2004), 36.
Romans 7:19, NIV.
Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 85.
Romans 8:29, NIV.