Question 10 :: What is the penalty for our sin?

Answer: 

The penalty of sin against an eternal God is eternal death.    

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Children: 

The penalty of sin is death. 

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Genesis 2:16-17 

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” 

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Commentary: 

God placed two perfect people in a perfect garden setting within the perfect world He created.  He issued just one rule, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). 

Death is the penalty of sin.  But Adam and Eve did not immediately die… right?  It is not simply death in this life, which they eventually experienced as a result.  Sin causes spiritual death, eternal exclusion from the presence of a righteous and holy God. 

The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was a constant reminder, connecting sin with its penalty (death). 

Because we are all guilty of sin and deserving of eternal separation from God, no mere human would be able to stand justified before God except by His own plan or redemption and reconciliation. 

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Further Study: 

Genesis 3:13-20; Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 1:9; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13