Romans Chapter 6 — Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Paul explains that those who have died with Christ are free from the power of sin and should now live as servants of righteousness.
1What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?
3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
6knowing 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.
7For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him,
9knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him!
10For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
11Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Therefore don’t let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13Also, do not 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.
14For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.
15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!
16Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?
17But 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.
18Being made free from sin, you became bondservants of righteousness.
19I 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.
20For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
21What 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.
22But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life.
23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Romans 6:4
“We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.”
It explains the symbolic meaning of baptism and the purpose of the believer's transformation into a new life.
Romans 6:14
“For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”
This verse highlights the shift in authority and the freedom believers find under God's grace.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
It provides a clear contrast between the inevitable consequences of sin and the unearned gift of God.
Chapter Summary
Romans Chapter 6 addresses whether the abundance of grace encourages further sin. Paul strongly rejects this, explaining that believers have died to sin through their identification with Christ's death and resurrection. He uses the imagery of baptism to illustrate being buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. The chapter emphasizes that sin no longer has dominion over those under grace because they are no longer under the law. Paul instructs readers to no longer offer their physical bodies to sin but to present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness. He concludes by contrasting two types of service: serving sin, which leads to death, and serving God, which leads to sanctification. He finalizes the chapter by stating that while sin pays a wage of death, God provides the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Paul explicitly states that believers should not continue in sin just because grace abounds. He argues that since believers have died to sin, it is logically impossible for them to continue living as if they are still under its power.
Paul uses the concept of baptism to describe a spiritual union with Christ's death. This burial signifies the end of the old self and the power of sin, allowing the individual to be raised to live a new life dedicated to God.
According to this chapter, a servant of sin is someone whose actions lead to death and shame. In contrast, a servant of righteousness is someone who obeys God from the heart, leading to sanctification and eternal life.
Paul states that the wages of sin is death, implying that death is the natural and earned result of living in sin. Conversely, he identifies eternal life not as a wage earned by work, but as a free gift from God.
Study Note
The Greek word 'kurieuō' used for 'dominion' in verse 14 refers to exercising lordship or mastery, suggesting sin acts as a legal master that has been deposed by grace.
Related Chapters
Galatians 2
Both chapters discuss the concept of being crucified with Christ and living a new life through faith.
Colossians 2
This chapter further explores the imagery of being buried with Christ in baptism.
Romans 5
Chapter 5 provides the context for the discussion of grace that Paul expands upon in Chapter 6.
Continue in the App
Get the full experience — immersive audio, instant explanations, highlights, notes, and reading plans.