Romans 6:1-7

¹ “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? ² Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. ⁵ 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, ⁶ 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; ⁷ for the one who has died is freed from sin.”

Verse 1: Paul anticipates a potential misunderstanding or misapplication of the concept of grace. He poses the question of whether we should continue sinning in order to experience more of God’s grace. Apparently, Paul was teaching the freeness of God’s grace in Christ to such a degree that some of his hearers were concerned that he endorsed abusing God’s grace by sinning.

Verse 2: Paul emphatically rejects the idea of continuing in sin. He reminds believers that we have died to sin through our union with Christ. Our old self, which was enslaved to sin, has been crucified with Christ. Therefore, it is incompatible for us to continue living in sin because we have been made new in Christ.

Verse 3: Paul reminds the believers of their identification with Christ through baptism. When we were baptized into Christ, we were also baptized into His death. This signifies our participation in His death and burial, symbolizing the end of our old self and our union with Christ in His death.

Verse 4: Paul continues to explain the significance of our baptism into Christ’s death. Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too are raised to a new life. Our identification with Christ’s death and resurrection signifies our participation in His new life, free from the power of sin.

Verse 5: Paul emphasizes the inseparable union we have with Christ. If we have been united with him in His death, we can be certain that we will also be united with him in His resurrection. Our union with Christ guarantees our participation in His resurrection life, which is characterized by victory over sin and the power to live in righteousness.

Verse 6: Paul reiterates the truth that our old self, our sinful nature, was crucified with Christ. This was done so that the power of sin might be rendered ineffective in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin but have been set free to live in the righteousness and freedom that Christ has provided.

Verse 7: Paul concludes this passage by emphasizing the freedom we have from sin through our identification with Christ’s death. Just as physical death brings freedom from the struggles and temptations of this world, our spiritual death with Christ brings freedom from the power and dominion of sin. We are no longer bound by sin but have been set free to live in the newness of life that Christ has given us.