The Book of Romans

Chapter 6 

Sin and grace

6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? ² Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? ³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

We begin this chapter by asking ourselves the question from the last chapter. If God's grace is more sufficient the more we sin, should we then keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His grace? Absolutely not! How can we, who have died to sin, still live in sin? As believers, trusting in Jesus, we died and was buried with Christ by baptism, meaning we have been immersed with Him into His death so we might have life.

• The word "baptism" simply means immersion. As such, we are not talking about water baptism, but immersion into Christ.
• We've been immersed into Christ's death. Because Christ was raised from the dead by the Father, we too are raised from the dead to live new lives in Christ - now and forevermore.

⁵ For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be 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 with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. ⁷ For he who has died has been freed from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, ⁹ knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. ¹⁰ For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. ¹¹ Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Since we have been united with Christ in his death, we will also be raised to life as He was. Our sins were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. In other words, we are no longer slaves to sin.  

When we died with Christ we were then set free from the power of sin. And because we died with Christ, we are trusting that we will also live with Him. Because Christ was raised from the dead, and will never die again, death no longer has any power over us because when Christ died, He died once and for all to break the power of sin. Now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. So we also should consider ourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Therefore, this is where we must have a heart change by choosing to not let sin control the way we live, nor cave into those sinful desires. Its not a matter of will power, but a conscious desire to please God by having our behavior to be honorable and holy toward Him. Because we have invited Jesus to come and take over our lives through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we now have the guidance and empowerment to be obedient to God's ways. In addition, God created us with a conscious to know God's ways, so our heart knows exactly what to do and what not to do. Then it becomes easy and almost natural to obey God in His ways. 

As you yield yourself completely over to God everyday, the Holy Spirit lets you know the you died to all past sins, and you now live a new life in Christ having the ability to overcome.

2 Cor 5:17
In anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone, and the new has come.

As you keep yielding yourself over to the Lord, The Holy Spirit reveals more and more to you on what it means to walk in the new life in Christ, and you see yourself as an overcomer and walking out God's plan for your life. Then as you look back, you will see that the way you used to live is no longer a part of your life. It is dead to you. The new life in Christ just keep getting better and better. So keep yielding yourself over to Christ and your life will completely change. Sin will no longer be your master nor the requirements of the Law, but you are living and walking under the freedom of God's grace. 

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.

So then, what is the conclusion here? Shall we keep on sinning because we have been set free from the Law? Absolutely not. Remember, we are all slaves to which or whom we choose to obey. We can be slaves to sin, which leads to death, or we can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. We are no longer slaves to sin, but now we not only have the knowledge, but the strength and power to obey God's ways. We have been set free from sin and are slaves to God's ways - His righteousness.

²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ²¹ What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Because of the weakness of mankinds human nature, the Apostle Paul has been using the illustration of slavery to help us understand what we lose by allowing ourselves to fall prey to our sinful human nature. Before coming to Christ we let ourselves be slaves to lawlessness and the impulses of our sinfulness, which has led to going deeper and deeper in sin.  The antidote then is to give ourselves over to be slaves to righteous living so that we can live holy before God as He sanctifies us in our inner man. 

When we were slaves to sin, we did not desire or feel obliged to live righteously. As such, we did not receive any fruit or benefits from that which we are now ashamed - which ends in eternal punishment. However, we are now free from the slavery of sin because we have committed ourselves over to God - being set apart to live holy resulting eternal life. As such, we are now slaves to God. Sin brings on death, but God, through Jesus Christ gives us eternal life. 

See you in chapter 7.