Romans 6:1-14

Alive to God in Christ

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1What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?

2Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?

3Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

4We 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 walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

6We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

7For anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.

9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.

10The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.

11So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.

13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness.

14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Paul asks whether we should continue in sin so that grace may increase. He answers that those who died to sin cannot live in it. Those baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death and buried with Him.

Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, believers are to walk in newness of life. They are united with Christ in a death like His and will be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

The old self was crucified so that the body ruled by sin might be brought to nothing. Believers are no longer enslaved to sin, and death no longer has dominion over Christ. They are to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God, and not let sin reign in their mortal bodies.

Baptism pictures a decisive change of realm. Those united with Christ are buried with Him and raised to walk in newness of life, so grace is not permission to keep treating sin as a harmless master. Paul is not claiming that Christians never stumble; he is insisting that sin's claim has been broken and must no longer be obeyed as though nothing has changed.

The body matters in this argument. Eyes, hands, habits, and desires can become instruments of unrighteousness or of service to God. A household can talk about freedom in concrete terms: what patterns are we presenting to a master, and what would it look like for our ordinary bodies and schedules to belong to the One who brought us from death to life?

Questions

1 What question does Paul reject?

AnswerHe rejects the idea that people should continue in sin so grace can increase. Grace is not permission to remain under the rule from which Christ delivers us.

2 What does baptism signify here?

AnswerIt signifies being united with Christ's death and burial and raised to newness of life. Baptism names a changed allegiance, not a decorative religious moment.

3 What happened to the old self?

AnswerIt was crucified so that the body ruled by sin would no longer enslave believers. Paul describes a decisive break whose daily implications still need to be lived.

4 What command does Paul give?

AnswerHe tells believers not to let sin reign in their mortal bodies but to present themselves to God. Freedom is offered for a new kind of service.

What This Means for Us

Paul's answer keeps grace from becoming cheap. Being forgiven does not mean calling the old patterns harmless; it means a new power and allegiance are now available.

“Do not let sin reign” is different from pretending temptation will never return. The household needs practices that interrupt old habits and make obedience possible in ordinary bodies and schedules.

Choose one recurring pattern that harms someone and make a concrete interruption: tell the truth sooner, remove an occasion, ask for help, or repair the damage before the day ends.

Prayer

God of new life, keep us from using grace as an excuse to remain captive. Make our bodies and habits available to You, and give our household practical courage to interrupt sin and practice obedience. Amen.

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