Passage Explorer

Romans 6

Setting the scene
Who wrote it
Paul
Who it was for
The Christians in Rome
What was happening
Dead to sin and alive to God: baptism, slavery, and freedom
Read the full background in the book overview

What’s happening

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?" Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? "We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life." If we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. "For he who has died has been freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, nor present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. "For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace." Then comes a second question: "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!" Don't you know that when you present yourselves as servants to someone, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? "But thanks be to God that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness." He speaks in human terms because of the weakness of their flesh: as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to lawlessness upon lawlessness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification. "For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now, being made free from sin, and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification, and the result of eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Why the setting matters

Paul answers the objection raised by chapter 5: if grace increases where sin does, why not sin more? His answer is that those who are in Christ have died to sin and been raised to new life, so continuing in sin makes no sense. Baptism is the picture he uses; for early Christians, going under the water was a burial, and coming up a rising. Whether the "baptized into his death" refers to water baptism, the Spirit's work, or both, is read differently by different traditions. "Our old man" (the old self) and "the body of sin" are expressions for the person under the power of sin. The language of slavery is one Paul chooses "in human terms": in the Roman world, slavery was a familiar relationship, and Paul's point is that everyone serves someone; the only question is whom. The images in the chapter are a reminder that ancient slavery was real and brutal, and Paul is using it as an analogy without endorsing it. "Wages" (opsōnia) were a soldier's pay, and the contrast with the "free gift" (charisma) is deliberate: sin pays what is earned, but God's gift cannot be earned. "Sanctification" means being made holy, an ongoing process.

Read Romans 6 (World English Bible)

Who’s in this chapter

Paul

Answers the objection that grace encourages sin.

Jesus

Died to sin once, and lives to God.

The believers in Rome

Told to count themselves dead to sin and alive to God.

Talk it through

  1. Paul answers "Shall we continue in sin?" with "May it never be." What reason does he give?
  2. He pictures baptism as burial and resurrection. What does that picture ask of someone who is baptized?
  3. "You are slaves of the one whom you obey." What is Paul suggesting about freedom?
  4. "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life." What is the difference between a wage and a gift?

Read Romans 6

World English Bible

1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; 9knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him! 10For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. 11Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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

15What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be! 16Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God, that, whereas you were bondservants of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were delivered. 18Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.

19I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification. 20For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources