Romans 6 - New Life in Christ
Freedom from Sin and the Call to Righteousness
Romans 6
Believers Are Dead to Sin, Alive to God
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
for he who has died is freed from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be 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 lusts,
and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Three Questions
How does Romans 6 explain the transition from sin to righteousness?
What is the central metaphor used to illustrate spiritual transformation?
How does the concept of "slavery" shape the chapter's argument?
Question 1 - How does Romans 6 explain the transition from sin to righteousness?
Believers have died to sin through their baptism into Christ's death, signifying a break from their old life of sin. Just as Christ was raised from the dead to a new life, believers are also raised to a new life, free from sin's dominion.
This death to sin is not merely symbolic but represents a real change in the believer's identity. The old self has been crucified with Christ, breaking the power of sin.
This new life is characterized by living for God in Christ Jesus. Believers are no longer slaves to sin but have become slaves to righteousness. They are to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness.
This transition involves a choice: to obey either sin, which leads to death, or obedience to God, which leads to righteousness. Believers are urged to choose obedience, leading to sanctification and eternal life.
While believers were once slaves to sin, they are now freed from sin and have become slaves to God. This new servitude to God brings benefits, including sanctification and eternal life, in contrast to the shame and death that result from sin.
This passage emphasizes the profound transformation that occurs in the life of a believer. It is not a gradual improvement but a radical shift from the dominion of sin to the freedom of righteousness found in Christ. This transition is made possible through the believer's identification with Christ in his death and resurrection.
Question 2 - What is the central metaphor used to illustrate spiritual transformation?
The central metaphor used to illustrate spiritual transformation in the provided passage from Romans 6 is death and resurrection.
The passage emphasizes that believers have died to sin through their baptism into Christ Jesus. This death signifies a break from the power and dominion of sin in their lives.
Just as Christ was raised from the dead to a new life, believers are also raised to a newness of life. This new life is characterized by freedom from sin and living for God.
The passage uses the imagery of crucifixion to depict the putting to death of the "old self" which was enslaved to sin. This imagery emphasizes the radical nature of the transformation that takes place in spiritual conversion.
The resurrection of Christ is presented as the guarantee of the believer's own resurrection to eternal life. Because Christ conquered death, believers can also experience victory over sin and death.
This death and resurrection metaphor is further developed through the concept of slavery. Believers were once slaves to sin, but through their union with Christ, they have been freed from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
This "slavery" is not a negative concept, but rather a willing submission to the Lordship of Christ, which leads to sanctification and eternal life.
Question 3 - How does the concept of "slavery" shape the chapter's argument?
The concept of “slavery” is central to the argument in Romans 6, shaping its understanding of sin, righteousness, and Christian life. The chapter uses the metaphor of slavery to illustrate the believer’s relationship to both sin and God.
Before accepting Christ, individuals are “slaves of sin”, meaning they are under sin’s control and inevitably subject to its consequences, ultimately leading to death.
However, through baptism into Christ’s death, believers are freed from this slavery. This liberation doesn't imply absolute freedom of choice but a transfer of ownership—from being enslaved to sin, they become “slaves of righteousness”.
This new servitude signifies wholehearted obedience to God's teachings. The chapter emphasizes that this is not a forced obligation but a willing submission resulting from the transformative work of grace.
The outcome of this “slavery to righteousness” is sanctification, a process of becoming more Christ-like, which ultimately leads to eternal life.
Therefore, the concept of slavery underscores the chapter's central message: freedom from sin is not simply about breaking free from its control, but about entering a new form of service, a life dedicated to God, resulting in spiritual growth and eternal life.
Today’s Action
One action you can take to apply the teachings of Romans 6 is to consciously reject sinful habits and embrace a new way of living:
Identify and Replace a Sinful Habit: Choose a specific habit or behavior that you recognize as sinful or not aligned with your values. Make a deliberate effort to replace it with a positive, life-affirming action or habit that reflects your commitment to living a new life in Christ.
This action reflects the message of Romans 6:11-13, which encourages believers to consider themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus, and to offer themselves to God as instruments of righteousness.
Check out this podcast as the hosts do a deep dive on this topic.