Romans Chapter 6 Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Romans 6:1-4 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
What shall we say then?
This is in response to the implications posed in the previous chapter. Sin "increased" in that the Law made us aware and personally accountable. (Romans 5:20). But God forgives us in His grace and mercy. God's grace—giving good to us when we have earned bad—cannot be overwhelmed by our own sinfulness. The more we sin, the more grace God gives. Does this mean that we can go on sinning to show evidence of God's grace? By no means! Christians should not keep sinning willfully and intentionally, at all. The verb tense of the phrase go on sinning (the present active tense) makes it clear that Paul describes the practice of habitual sin. Paul is referring to someone who remains in a lifestyle of sin, thinking that it is acceptable so that grace may increase. Instead of wanting to know how far we can continue to sin, Paul wonders how someone who died to sin could continue to live in sin. Those who are not in Christ live under the rule of sin. They cannot avoid sinning. Christ's death on the cross to pay for our sin, however, broke sin's rule over our lives. We now have the power, in Christ, to "sin less" [but not to be sinless]. We have not lost our desire to sin, however. |
1 John 5:3-5 (CEV)
3 We show our love for God by obeying his commandments, and they are not hard to follow. 4 Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory. 5 No one can defeat the world without having faith in Jesus as the Son of God. A life of persistent, willful sin is actually inconsistent with those who have truly been saved (Galatians 5:19–24; 1 John 3:6–9). |
What does it mean that we have died to sin?
All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death. This a kind of baptism that happens when the Holy Spirit comes into a person at the time he or she becomes a Christian. In that "spirit baptism," a new believer is spiritually baptized into Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:13). We enter into Christ's identity, in a sense, becoming so closely attached to Him that God gives us credit for Christ's righteousness and accepts Christ's payment for our sin. Those who come to God through faith in Christ do not merely sign some documents and get their Jesus card. A real, spiritual transformation takes place inside of us. We do not remain the same as we were before. We come to life for the first time (Ephesians 2:5), and God means for us to participate in this new life in a meaningful way. This is not only profound, it helps to explain why a life of persistent and willful sin is incompatible with a profession of faith in Christ (Galatians 5:19–24; 1 John 3:6–9). |
To be "baptized into Christ" means that we are identified with Christ, having left our old sinful lives and fully embracing the new life in Christ. Water baptism (being baptized into Christ) is a dramatization or “acting out” of the believer’s “immersion” or identification with Jesus in His death and resurrection. Something dramatic and life changing happens in the life of the believer. You can’t die and rise again without it changing your life. The believer has a real (although spiritual) death and resurrection with Jesus Christ. |
Chapter 6: 5-7 "For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin -- because anyone who has died has been set free from sin."
Crucified with Christ
Those who come to God through faith in Christ experience rebirth on a spiritual level. Through the Holy Spirit, God responds to our faith in Christ by causing us to die with Christ, spiritually, and to be buried in that same spiritual sense. We also experienced a crucifixion. Our "old self," the one that existed in sin and self-reliance before we were in Christ, was spiritually crucified in the same way that Christ was physically crucified on the cross. In response to our faith, God mysteriously, powerfully put to death our old self that was under the rule and power of sin. Does that mean we don't want to do sinful things anymore? Paul will show that the "want" to sin remains. Paul had in earlier verses been addressing a false belief that we could go on sinning because God's grace would be abundantly provided in lieu of our sin. Some even taught that it was right to sin so that grace would be evidient. But a believers life should be affected by the decision and submission to Christ to salvation . We can never be in bondage to sin again, because Christ has rescued us from that slave owner. Now we can only volunteer to sin. Now if we sin, we are simply giving in to temptations and old habits. This is consistent with other New Testament passages, which describe a saved person's life as imperfect (1 John 1:9–10), but not marked by pervasive, deliberate sins (Galatians 5:19–24; 1 John 3:6–9). |
Died to be Set Free
Our slavery to sin can only be broken by death. In the 1960 film Spartacus, Kirk Douglas played the escaped slave Spartacus, who led a brief but widespread slave rebellion in ancient Rome. At one point in the movie Spartacus says: “Death is the only freedom a slave knows. That’s why he is not afraid of it.” We are set free from sin because the old man has died with Jesus on the cross. Now a new man, a free man, lives. Raised to life with Christ Then we are raised to new spiritual life as He was raised to a new physical life by the Father. Paul means for us to understand that we are newly alive, spiritually, in Christ. That's not all, though. This verse says that since we have been united with Christ in a spiritual death like this, we will also be united with Him in a physical resurrection like the one He experienced. In other words, we will also come back to life after we die physically instead of staying in the grave. 2 Corinthians 4:14 "because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself" |
Romans 6:8-10 "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all but the life he lives, he lives to God."
Christ's death was a one-time occurrence. It can never happen again. God defeated death when Christ left behind the grave, and it can never drag Him back again. Christ submitted to death on the cross, but once He was resurrected, death no longer had any power over Him. The resurrection set Christ free from the authority of death.
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He died to pay for the sins of all those who trust in Him. He died once for all (Hebrews 9:26). It was a one-time payment for the sins of others, including past, present, and future sins. Christ does not need to go back to the cross every time someone sins again. He has finished the job of dying for the sins of humanity. It's over.
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Romans 6: 11-14 "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law but under grace.'
What does it mean to "count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus?"
In the previous verses we were told that we should no longer be slaves to sin becausee our old man is dead (vs 6). This sounds good but what does that mean practicaly? Paul tells us in verse 11 to account or to reckon the old man as forever dead. God never calls us to “crucify” the old man, but instead to account him as already dead because of our identification with Jesus’ death on the cross. The Greek word used for "count" which is sometimes translated "reckon" is 3049 logízomai. This is the root of the English terms "logic, logical" and it means to compute, "take into account"; reckon (come to a "bottom-line"), i.e. reason to a logical conclusion (decision). We are to reason what it means to have died with Christ so that "we too may live a new life" (vs 4). When we do this we are not as easily swayed by our emotions, temptations and worldly wisdom because we have committed to live differently.
In the previous verses we were told that we should no longer be slaves to sin becausee our old man is dead (vs 6). This sounds good but what does that mean practicaly? Paul tells us in verse 11 to account or to reckon the old man as forever dead. God never calls us to “crucify” the old man, but instead to account him as already dead because of our identification with Jesus’ death on the cross. The Greek word used for "count" which is sometimes translated "reckon" is 3049 logízomai. This is the root of the English terms "logic, logical" and it means to compute, "take into account"; reckon (come to a "bottom-line"), i.e. reason to a logical conclusion (decision). We are to reason what it means to have died with Christ so that "we too may live a new life" (vs 4). When we do this we are not as easily swayed by our emotions, temptations and worldly wisdom because we have committed to live differently.
The death to sin is only one side of the equation. The old man is gone, but the new man lives on (as described in Romans 6:4-5). This is something that can only be said to the Christian, to the one who has had the old man crucified with Christ and has been given a new man in Jesus. Only the person set free from sin can be told, “do not let sin reign.” The Christian is the one truly set free. The man or woman who isn’t converted yet is free to sin, but they are not free to stop sinning and live righteously, because of the tyranny of the old man. In Jesus, we are truly set free and are offered the opportunity to obey the natural inclination of the new man – which wants to please God and honor Him. The old man is dead, and there is new life – free from sin – in Jesus. Yet, many Christians never experience this freedom. Because of unbelief, self-reliance, or ignorance, many Christians never live in the freedom Jesus paid for on the cross.
A person can be “officially” set free, yet still imprisoned. If a person lives in prison for years, and then is set free, they often still think and act like a prisoner. The habits of freedom aren’t ingrained in their life yet. This is exactly the place many Christians are. They are, and have been, legally set free from their slavery to sin, yet they are unsure of that truth [or ignorant of how to live out this truth. I recall as a young girl, after giving m life to Christ, I had a real desire to live for Him. But as I grew, cultural and social influences were forces that I was unprepared to deal with. I remember being very disallusioned living in this life. I was ignorant of these truths and God's indwelling power inside me to live differently...abundantly.]
Paul shows how to build the habits of freedom in the Christian life. The following verses give practical help in living out the freedom Jesus has granted us.
A person can be “officially” set free, yet still imprisoned. If a person lives in prison for years, and then is set free, they often still think and act like a prisoner. The habits of freedom aren’t ingrained in their life yet. This is exactly the place many Christians are. They are, and have been, legally set free from their slavery to sin, yet they are unsure of that truth [or ignorant of how to live out this truth. I recall as a young girl, after giving m life to Christ, I had a real desire to live for Him. But as I grew, cultural and social influences were forces that I was unprepared to deal with. I remember being very disallusioned living in this life. I was ignorant of these truths and God's indwelling power inside me to live differently...abundantly.]
Paul shows how to build the habits of freedom in the Christian life. The following verses give practical help in living out the freedom Jesus has granted us.
Instruments of Righteousness
The Greek word translated "instrument" could also be translated as "tool or weapon". Thinking in terms of choosing to commit to be a "weapon of rightesousness" encourages us to think more strongly of taking action; where as the words "instrument or tool" can be thought of as choosing that which is useful in walking in righteousness. Regardless, we are not encouraged to live passively. We are commanded "do not let sin reign". This is a "present imperative active verb". It is not passive and it does not refer to a past action but a constant, present awareness and decision. We are to prepare our minds to recognize when we are warring against sin in our lives so that we do not let sin take a foothold and rule over us. So that we don't "obediently" follow and give in to sin as if sin is our master. In orderr to do so, we must change the way we think about ourselves. We must no longer think of ourselves as self-reliant, self-serving, independent operators that are subject to the influences of our fleshly desires and worldly thinking. Instead, as people in Christ, we must think of ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ. He commands us to engage in battle with our desires. Don't let sin tell you what to do, he writes. For the saved Christian believer, sinful desires are not the boss anymore. Christians should not give over control to those urges. ---------- The Greek word used fo instrument is G3696 hóplon and is normally used for warfare. Acts 9: 15 uses the Greek word G4632. skeuos which is a vessel to contain liquid; a vessel of mercy or wrath; any instrument by which anything is done; a household utensil; of ships: tackle. |
Brought From Death to Life
Our lives should be so affected by the realization that we were made into a new creation and died to our old life when we accepted Christ's gift of salvation, placing the full weight of our eternity on His shoulders. We, in effect, were brought from death to life. When we lose sight of this realization, we can also become numb and indifferent to areas that are not pleasing to Him in our lives. But when we live in this realization every day, we are compelled to offer ourselves to Him as a daily spiritual sacrifice and and instrument of righteousness so that we live a life that is pleasing to God and a life that serves His purposes for us. Not Under the Law but Under Grace We are not under sin's authority because we are not under the law. And since we are no longer under the penalty of the Law, we now live under the law of grace in the love of God. In some sense, being under the law revealed how powerless we were against our own desires to sin. Instead, Paul writes, we are under grace. Because of God's grace, we are no longer in bondage to sin. Because we are not just saved from something (eternal damnation) but are saved for something (eternal life) and we desire to live for and in relationship with Christ, our desire to live a life pleasing to Him will be more compelling then the draw to sin. We have this desire because the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. The Spirit does not indwell those who have not asked Christ to reign in their lives, so they are ruled by the flesh. Perhaps they are "compelled to sin"; sinning is just a natural result of not being compelled to live for God. They live for themselves and what they can get from this life alone. further consider https://www.gotquestions.org/not-under-the-law.html |
Romans 6:15-16 "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey -- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?"
If we continue to willfully sin as believers, we are either sinning by choice or we are allowing ourselves to continue to live in the bondage of a life we have been delivered from. We are saved by grace....and grace is lavish and by nature not based on what is fair ....but we shouldn't treat grace contemptuously by thinking we can live anyway we want to because sinning will not cause us to lose our salvation status. Our choices matter because we are either contributing to death or to righteousness.
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Romans 6:17-18 "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."
By sincerely committing ourselves to being obedient, we are obeying from the heart and changing our allegiance. We are meant to devote ourselves to obeying the "pattern taught"in God's Word.
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Romans 6:19-23 "I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations, just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness.
Slavery as an Analogy
Paul previously wrote that Christians have been set free from sin, and have become "slaves" of righteousness. Now he seems to suggest the concept of slavery is not a perfect description of our allegiance, in Christ, to God's righteousness as our new "master." He writes that he uses this "human term" because of the limitation in our ability to fully understand what it means to be under the authority of righteousness. As he refines the idea, Paul will make clear that Christians are absolutely under the full authority of God to be used for His purposes. However, God remains a loving Father and does not compel us to act against our will. He is always Master, and He is ever calling believers to obey Him. Paul makes it clear that God wants us to choose obedience to Him. Why else would we need to be told to do so? He commands those in Christ to present their members—bodies, minds, will, etc.—as slaves in the service of righteousness. He tells us to do this in the same way that we once presented ourselves as slaves to impurity and lawlessness. |
Slavery in Ancient Times
"Slavery" is a charged term in modern society, but it carried a very different meaning in the ancient world. The "chattel slavery" which treats human beings as animals or literal property was not the norm, in that era. Still, there were some who were enslaved in that kind of bondage, so perhaps Paul wants to be sure none of his readers picture our relationship with God in terms of a fearful or degrading experience. Rather, he acknowledges that his metaphor is not exactly a perfect fit, though he will continue to use it. Righteousness leads to holiness Those who are not in Christ are under compulsion to serve sin. They must obey their sinful desires. because the natural,man, sinful nature is the driving influence. A life such as this leads to more and more lawlessness. That is, they succeed in creating more sin in their lives and in the world. However, those in Christ are used by God to serve righteousness. This results in sanctification or holiness. The New Testament often uses the word "sanctification" to describe the process of being made holy, of becoming like Christ. God uses our service to righteousness to contribute to that process. |