Romans 6: Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Grace is no license to sin; united with Christ in his death and resurrection, believers are freed from sin's reign to live a new life for God.
Romans 6 (WEB)
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
3 Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
6 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.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;
9 knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him!
10 For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
11 Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 Neither 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.
14 For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? May it never be!
16 Don’t you know that to whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?
17 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.
18 Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.
19 I 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.
20 For when you were servants of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 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.
22 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.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6 (KJV)
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6 (ASV)
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?
3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also 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, that so we should no longer be in bondage to sin;
7 for he that hath died is justified from sin.
8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him;
9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death no more hath dominion over him.
10 For the death that he died, he died unto sin once: but the life that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof:
13 neither present your members unto sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid.
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered;
18 and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness unto sanctification.
20 For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness.
21 What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary
Paul anticipates a dangerous misreading of grace: if grace abounds where sin abounds, should we keep sinning so grace may increase? Absolutely not. We who died to sin cannot still live in it. In baptism we were united with Christ in his death and burial, so that just as Christ was raised by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Our old self was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with and we no longer enslaved to sin, for the one who has died is freed from sin. Since Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more, so we are to consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore we must not let sin reign in our mortal bodies or offer our members as instruments of unrighteousness, but offer ourselves to God as alive from the dead. Sin will have no dominion, for we are not under law but under grace. Paul then frames the choice as slavery: we are slaves of the one we obey, whether sin leading to death or obedience leading to righteousness. Once slaves of sin, believers have been set free and become slaves of righteousness, bearing fruit unto sanctification, for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Key Figures
- Paul — The apostle who insists that grace frees us from sin's power, not for sin's practice, and calls believers to live out their union with Christ.
- Christ Jesus — The risen Lord with whom believers are united in death and resurrection, who lives to God and dies no more.
- The believer freed from sin — The one who died to sin with Christ, is no longer its slave, and now offers himself to God as an instrument of righteousness.
- Sin as a master — The enslaving power, dethroned in the believer's life, whose wages are death but over whom grace now reigns.
Key Verse
Romans 6:23 (WEB)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Lessons Learned
- Grace is never an excuse to keep sinning; it frees us from sin's power.
- Union with Christ means we died to sin and rose to walk in new life.
- We are to count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, and live accordingly.
- Everyone serves a master; in Christ we have been freed to serve righteousness unto life.
- Grace does not excuse sin. "We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:2, WEB). Cheap grace contradicts the very salvation we have received.
- Union with Christ means new life. Buried with Christ in baptism, "so we also might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4, WEB). We share both his death to sin and his resurrection power.
- Reckon yourself dead to sin. "Consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:11, WEB). We live out the identity Christ has already given us.
- We serve whom we obey. "To whom you present yourselves as servants to obedience, his servants you are whom you obey" (Romans 6:16, WEB). There is no neutral ground; we belong either to sin or to righteousness.
- How does Paul answer the question, "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (6:1-2)?
- What does baptism picture about our union with Christ in his death and resurrection (6:3-5)?
- What does it mean to "consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God" (6:11)?
- How does Paul use the image of slavery to describe the two ways to live (6:16-22)?
- Where do you need to stop offering some part of yourself to sin and instead offer it to God?
- Paul rejects the idea outright: those who have died to sin cannot go on living in it (6:1-2). Grace breaks sin's reign rather than licensing it. The very logic of the gospel makes continuing in sin a contradiction of who we now are.
- Baptism pictures being buried with Christ and raised with him, so that his death to sin and resurrection to new life become ours (6:3-5). We are joined to Christ in both. This union is the foundation for every call to holy living in the chapter.
- To reckon ourselves dead to sin is to take God at his word about our union with Christ and live in light of it (6:11). It is not pretending sin is gone but trusting that its mastery is broken. Faith counts true what God declares and then acts on it.
- Paul says everyone is a slave to something—either to sin, which pays death, or to righteousness, which leads to sanctification and life (6:16-22). Freedom is not having no master but serving the right one. In Christ we have been transferred from a cruel master to a good one.
- This is a personal-application question. Invite members to identify one specific area—words, appetites, habits—still offered to sin, and one concrete way to present it to God instead. Encourage them to act from their new identity rather than striving in their own strength.