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Romans 6

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Dead to Sin, Alive to God 1–11

1
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? ​
2
God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? ​
3
Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ​
4
We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. ​
5
For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection;
6
knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin; ​
7
for he that hath died is justified from sin. ​
8
But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him;
9
knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over him.
10
For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11
Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. ​

Yielding Our Members to God 12–14

12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof: ​
13
neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. ​
14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace. ​

Slavery to Righteousness 15–23

15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid. ​
16
Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? ​
17
But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered;
18
and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.
19
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness unto sanctification. ​
20
For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
21
What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22
But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life. ​
23
For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Romans 6

Verse 1

Shall we continue in sin — The objection grows from 5:20, 'where sin abounded, grace did much more abound'; 'abound' here is pleonazo, the verb of 'the offence might abound' in 5:20. The charge was already raised in 3:8, 'Let us do evil, that good may come?' The answer takes the rest of the chapter, beginning with 'God forbid' in v.2.

Verse 2

God forbid — This is the KJV's refusal of a false conclusion, and it is used in Romans at 3:4, 3:6, 3:31, 6:2, 6:15, 7:7, 7:13, 9:14, 11:1 and 11:11. The reason offered is a fact: 'we, that are dead to sin' (apothnesko, to die). It is the fact of Col 3:3: 'ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God'.

Verse 3

baptized into Jesus Christ — Baptizo is to immerse. 'Into' marks union: 'baptized into Christ have put on Christ' (Gal 3:27); 'by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body' (1 Cor 12:13). Here the union reaches 'his death', and v.5 follows it: 'planted together in the likeness of his death'.

Verse 4

buried with him — Synthapto occurs only here and in Col 2:12, 'Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him'. Burial seals the death of v.3. 'Newness of life' (kainotes) is found elsewhere only at 7:6, 'newness of spirit'. Christ was raised 'by the glory of the Father', and believers 'walk' (peripateo) in that life.

Verse 6

our old man is crucified with him — Systauroo, crucified together, is used of the thieves (Matt 27:44) and of Paul, 'I am crucified with Christ' (Gal 2:20). The 'old man' is the one put off in Eph 4:22 and Col 3:9. 'Destroyed' is katargeo, to render inoperative, as in 'make void' (3:31) and 'loosed' (7:2). 'Serve' is douleuo, to be a slave.

Verse 7

he that is dead is freed from sin — 'Freed' is dikaioo, the verb rendered 'justified' in 3:24 and 5:1; the Greek reads, literally, justified from sin. A death settles a claim. Acts 13:39 sets the same verb beside the law: 'justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses'.

Verse 11

reckon ye also yourselves — Logizomai, to count or credit, is the verb of chapter 4: 'it was counted unto him for righteousness' (4:3). What God counts true of the believer, the believer is to count true: dead to sin, alive to God. Paul states the same pair of his own life in Gal 2:20, 'I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live'.

Verse 12

Let not sin therefore reign — Basileuo, to reign as king, is the verb of 5:21: 'as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness'. The 'mortal body' (thnetos) is the body that 8:11 says God 'shall also quicken'. The command stands over the 'lusts' (epithymia) by which sin would be obeyed.

Verse 13

instruments of unrighteousness — Hoplon is a weapon or piece of armour: 'the armour of light' (13:12), 'the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left' (2 Cor 6:7). 'Yield' is paristemi, to place at another's disposal, the verb of 12:1, 'present your bodies a living sacrifice'. The members are weapons for one master or the other.

Verse 14

sin shall not have dominion — Kyrieuo, to be lord over, is the verb of v.9, 'death hath no more dominion over him', and of 14:9, where Christ is 'Lord both of the dead and living'. It is a promise, not an order. 'Under the law' is the position described in 7:1–6; see also Gal 5:18, 'if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law'.

Verse 15

shall we sin, because we are not under the law — The second form of the objection. Verse 1 asks about continuing in sin; hamartano here is the single act, committed because grace covers it. The same 'God forbid' answers it, and vv.16–23 give the reason. Peter forbids 'using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness' (1 Pet 2:16).

Verse 16

his servants ye are to whom ye obey — Doulos is a slave. Christ states the rule: 'Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin' (John 8:34). 'Obedience' is hypakoe, the word of 'obedience to the faith' at the opening of Romans (1:5) and 'obedience of faith' at its close (16:26). There are two masters, as in Josh 24:15, 'choose you this day whom ye will serve'.

Verse 19

after the manner of men — Anthropinos, human: Paul draws on slavery as an illustration 'because of the infirmity of your flesh' (astheneia, weakness). 'Uncleanness' (akatharsia) is the word of 1:24. 'Holiness' (hagiasmos) occurs in Romans only here and in v.22; compare 1 Thess 4:7, 'God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness'.

Verse 22

being made free from sin — Eleutheroo, to set free, and douloo, to make a slave, are the pair of v.18; the freed become servants 'to God'. 'Fruit unto holiness' answers the fruit of v.21, whose 'end… is death'; here the end (telos) is 'everlasting life'. The fruit of the Spirit is named in Gal 5:22.

Verse 23

the wages of sin — Opsonion, wages, is a soldier's pay (Luke 3:14, 'be content with your wages'; 1 Cor 9:7). Wages are earned; the gift (charisma) is not: 'the free gift is of many offences unto justification' (5:16). Death came in by sin (5:12); life is 'through Jesus Christ our Lord'.