What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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.
5 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. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 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. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 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? 17 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. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 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 to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Footnotes
- Romans 6:6 Or be rendered powerless
- Romans 6:23 Or through
Serving Your Sinful Nature or God
The message of this chapter is simple. Deep but simple. It’s talking about the transformation that happens when we become Christians. You cannot say you’re a Christian and continue in your life of sin. That’s not being a Christian. Jesus died to set us free from sin, not just give us a nice feeling of being forgiven for what we continue to do.
And it’s not as if Jesus died, taking our sin with Him, and that was the end of the story. He also rose again, and when we unite ourselves to Him, He raises us to new life. He breathes a new Spirit of strength and clearness of mind and purity of heart into us so that we don’t want to live in sin anymore. Our allegiance changes, and now our desire is to serve our God. That’s why Paul uses the slave metaphor.
As modern readers reflecting on the abuses of slavery, we don’t like the idea of humans serving humans in a slavery relationship. Putting ourselves in Paul’s mindset, however, we can call to mind the relationship of a willing slave to his master:
Deuteronomy 15:12, 16-17 - If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free…But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
We serve the Lord as if we’re His slave because we love Him. We know He would never abuse us or take advantage of us but, rather, He cares for us, and the work we do for Him, yes, blesses Him but is always for our own good first. It leads us to holiness and eternal life. Living in righteous obedience keeps us from obeying our sinful desires, which can only hurt us and make us less than what we are meant to be.
But even after we leave our life of sin and begin to serve the Lord, we always have a choice to sin again. In verse 2, Paul writes, “We are those who have died to sin,” but in verse 12, he warns, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Though we have died to sin, we still need to be vigilant to not let it creep back into our lives.
To help you discern what place sin currently has in your life, I invite you to read through the following guide to acknowledging and confessing your sins:
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8)
Take a moment to prayerfully consider the following questions. As you recognize any shortcomings, confess your sin to God. Remember, He already knows your heart as well as everything you’ve done, said, and thought.
And the Lord spoke all these words…
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”
Have I neglected spending time with God this week?
Have I placed other things above God? (Work, Chores, Anxieties, Hobbies, People, Money, etc.)
Have I rejected any teaching of God’s word?
Have I acted superstitiously?
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
Have I spoken of God lightly or disrespectfully?
Have I failed to treat sacred matters seriously?
Have I failed to correct those who speak wrongly of God?
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
Have I set aside a time of worship this week?
Have any of my actions kept others from observing a Sabbath rest?
“Honor your father and your mother.”
Have I shown respect to my parents?
Have I shown respect to those who are elders in the Church?
Have I neglected to care for my older relatives?
“You shall not murder.”
Have I had an abortion or encouraged anyone else to have an abortion?
Have I hurt anyone else physically?
Have I hurt anyone else emotionally?
Have I harbored anger or ill-will against anyone else?
Have I hurt myself physically?
Have I spoken negatively to myself?
Have I abused drugs or alcohol?
Have I over-indulged in food or drink?
Have I treated animals cruelly?
“You shall not commit adultery.”
Have I been unfaithful to my spouse?
Have I been sexually active outside of marriage?
Have I lusted after anyone who isn’t my spouse?
Have I viewed pornographic material?
Have I viewed other media for the sake of sexual or romantic stimulation?
Have I dressed immodestly?
Have I acted inappropriately toward anyone of the same or opposite sex?
Have I told or listened to impure jokes or speech?
“You shall not steal.”
Have I taken someone else’s belongings?
Have I taken advantage of anyone by not paying them fairly for their work?
Have I taken advantage of anyone by not giving them a fair product or service for what they paid me?
Have I infringed on anyone’s rights by viewing or listening to media that wasn’t fairly paid for?
Have I paid what I owed?
Have I made a sincere effort to meet my and my family’s financial needs?
Have I given to God’s work in the world?
Have I been a good steward of the earth’s resources?
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
Have I lied about anyone?
Have I gossiped or spoken unnecessarily about anyone?
Have I kept secret what was told me in confidence?
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:1-17).
Have I desired what God has reserved for someone else?
Have I desired what God does not desire for me?
Have I sought the Lord’s will for what He desires for me?
Have I encouraged discontent through what I’ve read, or watched, or searched on the internet?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Through the sacrifice of Christ, your sins are forgiven.
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