ROMANS 6 - Annotated Notes
Romans 6:1 [AV]
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
ANNOTATED NOTES:
** To attentively read and re-read the core section of 5:12-21, perhaps in a couple dozen different translations, would give the reader a deep sense of both the simplicity and the significance of the basic Truths contrasting who we were and what we got through Adam, and who we are and what we now have through Jesus Christ. The contrasting concepts point to choices. One of the choices expanded upon in chapter 6 is whether to continue to walk in the bondage of sin, or to rise up to walk in the liberty of God’s grace. When a born-again believer sees God’s superabounding grace, it’s not uncommon that they mistake the liberty of grace for a license to sin (see Gal 5:13; 1 Pet 2:16; Jude 4). Chapter 6 will lay out in detail that the believer is spiritually dead to sin and alive to God - and there are blessings when a person lives in the light of that Truth.
** The English word "sin" occurs 17x in Rom 6 in the AV; "death" and related words occur 17x. "Life" and related words appear 9x.
?..?: v1 contains 2 questions - the 2nd is rhetorical in nature, where the answer is anticipated in the asking. This verse echoes the charge that was being slanderously made against Paul in 3:8, where some were saying Paul’s position was “Let us do evil that good may come”. Paul never said that, and neither is 5:20 implying it when it says “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”. Continuing in sin would allow sin to abound and reign, not grace (5:21).
continue=epimeno: abide, remain in; connotes fellowship with, having cordial relations and social intercourse with; used elsewhere of abiding in someone’s home/community (see Acts 10:48; 15:34: 21:4,10).
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:1 [WEY]
To what conclusion, then, shall we come? Are we to persist in sinning in order that the grace extended to us may be the greater?
Romans 6:1 [PHILIPS]
Now what is our response to be? Shall we sin to our heart's content and see how far we can exploit the grace of God?
Romans 6:1 [WUE]
What then shall we say? Shall we habitually sustain an attitude of dependence upon, yieldedness to, and cordiality with the sinful nature in order that grace may abound?
Romans 6:2 [AV]
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
ANNOTATED NOTES:
God forbid=me ginomai: in response to v1, this Gr. phrase communicates a loathing of something so repugnant that it should not even enter one’s thinking. This Gr phrase is translated “God forbid” 15x in the AV NT, 10x in Rom (see 3:4,6,31; 6:15; 7:7,13; 9:14; 11:1,11.) Since the new birth does not remove the sin nature within man (inherent in the body and soul), every man is going to commit a sin here or there after getting born again - that’s a given (1 Jn 1:8-9!). But to think that God gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins and to set us free from the bondage of it, and then someone's response is to intentionally abuse God's grace by sinning to their heart’s content - the Gr phrase, me ginomai, means the mere thought of that response is revolting!!
dead to sin: this does not mean we are sinless (1 Jn 1:8, 10); Romans is giving us right doctrine, right teaching - in our oneness with Christ, when he died we died with him, and we identify with him in all that his death means. Through Christ’s substitutionary death, we are dead to sin, spiritually, having been redeemed from the guilt and penalty of the sin nature. Hence, 6:11 commands us to “reckon” ourselves as “dead indeed unto sin” – that’s the renewing of the mind, where we line our thoughts up with the reality of the redemption that Christ bought for us with his sinless blood (1 Cor 6:20; 7:23). From a spiritual standpoint, in the legal courtroom of God’s justice, our relationship to sin has been completely and forever severed through the finished work of Christ - when he died, our sins died with him. Yet, it’s not uncommon that one who is spiritually dead to sin chooses to continue to live in it, still allowing sin to reign in their life. God’s will is that we not only be set free from the guilt and condemnation of sin, but also that we claim deliverance from its power in our daily walk. Eph 2:1ff gives us details of what we were saved from, and what we were ordained to walk in: v10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (also see Col 1:10; Titus 2:14; 3:8; Heb 9:14).
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION:
Romans 6:2 [COM]
No, no! What a terrible thought! We died to sin; how can we then go on living in it?
Romans 6:3 [AV]
Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
ANNOTATED NOTES:
Know ye not=agnoeo: to be ignorant, to not know or understand
baptized=baptizo (twice): within the context, and in examining other occurrences, this use of baptizo cannot be referring to John’s baptism, which was with water - but is referring to being baptized with the holy spirit in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:5; 2:38!). Also see Mtt 3:11, Lk 3:16, and Jn 1:32-34 and note how John, like Christ in Acts 1:5, used the word “but” in each case, setting one baptism in contrast to the other. John was not ignorant of the truth that his baptism with water was extremely temporary, but the baptism that would replace it was paramount in importance and permanence. As used here in Rom 6:3, baptizo means the immersing or placing of a person or thing into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment (see 1 Cor 10:1-2). God places a believer into vital union with Christ in order that the believer might have the power of his sinful nature broken and the divine nature implanted through identification with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. Rom 6:3 clearly states concerning us as believers that those who were "baptized into Jesus Christ”, were “baptized into his death", meaning what his death accomplished for us and in us. When he was buried, we were buried with him, in spiritual oneness with him. He was our substitute, in that he paid the price for us which we could never pay. But just like him, we do not remain immersed in death, as v4 will reveal, but rather are raised to walk in newness of life, having been raised from the dead with him! (see 1 Cor 12:13 and Eph 4:4-5 for the one baptism for the believer, which is being baptized with the holy spirit - a baptism which takes place the moment they are born again, receiving the gift of holy spirit). The new birth is a totally new environment in which to live (2 Cor 5:17; Jn 3:3-7). We are to leave the reign of sin and death behind, and be transformed by the renewing of our minds in order that grace might reign in our lives through righteousness by Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 5:21).
into=eis: in both occurrences, it means “all the way into”, not just toward or close to
Jesus Christ: "Christ Jesus" in the text
** Ignorance of the truths concerning redemption will cause multiple problems in one’s life, both doctrinally and practically. Christians have fought Christians to the death due to ignorance of basic biblical truths. Some groups still vehemently teach that if you're not water baptized, you're not a Christian. Yet the gospel of God’s grace as revealed in the Church Epistles teaches us that if there is even just one work that you must do to be saved, then Christ died in vain (Gal 5:2-4; 2:21). If we are ignorant of having already been baptized into Jesus Christ’s death, we’ll fall prey to the error that we are required to “DO” something in order to achieve what God has already “DONE” in Christ. The price of redemption was fully paid – it’s a denial of grace and the completeness of our salvation in Christ to think that we personally still have a little more paying to do - i.e. be baptized in water, or be circumcised, or attend church, or pay a tithe, etc. If we are ignorant of the basic truths of redemption as revealed in Romans, we will get robbed of the victorious reign in life we’ve been called to through the super-abundance of God’s grace.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:3 [AMP]
Are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Romans 6:3 [GNB]
For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death.
Romans 6:3 [PHILIPS]
Have you forgotten that all of us who were baptized into Jesus Christ were, by that very action, sharing in his death?
Romans 6:4 [AV]
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.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
we are buried=sunthapto: in the Gr it’s in the aorist tense, speaking of a 1 time occurrence in the past, and would accurately read "we were buried together"
like as: just as
from=ek: out from among; could accurately read “raised up out from among the dead”; Through our complete oneness in Christ (indicated by the word “baptized” - see note on 6:3), when he died, we died with him - when he was buried, we were buried with him - and when he was raised, we were raised with him. (Col 2:12) The spiritual reality is, we were submerged with him in his death and burial, and then raised out from among the dead with him in his resurrection. That’s where we have the victory in Christ - in the resurrection! The 1st century church went everywhere preaching the resurrection, for a reason (Rom 10:9-10; Acts 1:22; 2:24,30-32; 3:15,26; 4:2,10,33; 5:30). Because of the truth that we were raised with him, we can now walk in newness of life, a newness we have from the inside out. To submerge in water does NOTHING on the inside, and to emerge from water does NOTHING on the inside. But, to be totally submerged in Christ’s death and all that it accomplished for us, and then to emerge out from among the dead in our total oneness with him in the resurrection, that gives us the ability to walk in newness of life, a new life born within us, through the finished work of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. From the inside out, we are new creations (2 Cor 5:15,17; Gal 6:15; Eph 2:10; 4:24).
by the glory: accurately reads "by the glorious manifested power" (see Col 1:11; Eph 1:19-20)
should walk: a clearer translation would be "might walk"; this is addressing ability, not duty; it’s saying we CAN live in newness. The more we try to reform the old life, the more frustrated we become. We are instructed to put off the old and put on the new (Eph 4:22-24). We now live a new life, no longer with our old life in Adam, but with the new life in Christ - the resurrected life of him who died for us and rose again. Gal 2:20!!: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." [ESV]
newness=kainotes: speaking not of newness in time (Gr: neos), but newness in quality (the adjective form of kainotes is used in 2 Cor 5:17 and Gal 6:15); this Gr word has the connotation of something heretofore unheard of, extraordinarily superior in value and attraction, an entirely new nature, a new creation. Christ was resurrected, not resuscitated. His resurrection brought NEW LIFE for us and in us. Because of something new on the inside, we can now walk in newness. With Christ living within us (Gal 2:19-20), our lives can move from the death of the old man (sin nature) to the glorious life of the new man, Christ in us the hope of glory (Col 1:27; Eph 4:22-24).
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:4 [PHILIPS]
We were dead and buried with him in baptism, so that just as he was raised from the dead by that splendid revelation of the Father's power so we too might rise to life on a new plane altogether.
Romans 6:4 [AMP]
We were buried therefore with Him by the baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious [power] of the Father, so we too might [habitually] live and behave in newness of life.
Romans 6:4 [TLB]
Your old sin-loving nature was buried with him by baptism when he died; and when God the Father, with glorious power, brought him back to life again, you were given his wonderful new life to enjoy.
Romans 6:5 [AV]
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
ANNOTATED NOTES:
if: accurately translated “since"
have been=ginomai: have become; it’s in the perfect tense in the Gr, speaking of a past complete act and its abiding results
planted together=sumphutos: united together with, of joint congenital origin; that which is innate or naturally born in something; As born-again sons of God, we were united with Christ in the likeness of his death. Thus, when he died, in like manner, we died in him. We are united together with him through congenital origin in the new birth.
shall be=eimi: in this usage, it’s not a reference to something still off in the future, but rather a usage that speaks to certainty of sequence or causal connection. If one thing happens, then the other thing happens with it. If you and I were standing on US soil with the border into Canada right in front of us, and I said, “If you cross that border, you shall be in Canada”, I wouldn’t be referring to something that’s going to take place in the future - I’d be referring to a certainty of sequence, or causal connection between one thing and another. At the very moment you cross the border, it follows that you ARE in Canada. Since we have been united with Christ in his death, it is an absolute certainty we ARE united with him in his resurrection. The same certainty of sequence is used in Rom 10:9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (the causal connection is set, as a sequential certainty - the very second you “confess…believe”, you ARE absolutely saved).
** Romans began with Jesus Christ being marked out as the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead (1:3-4). We cannot receive new birth salvation without believing God raised him from the dead (10:9-10). Not only was Christ raised from the dead, but through our joint congenital origin with him in the new birth, we were raised to new life with him in his resurrection! The right doctrine that Romans is laying out is that we HAVE resurrection power innate within us - it’s ours to believe and utilize (see Eph 1:19-20!; Phil 3:10). 2 Cor 13:3-4 speaks to this power: “The Christ you have to deal with is not a weak person outside you, but a tremendous power inside you. He was 'weak’ enough to be crucified, yes, but he lives now by the power of God. We are weak as he was weak, but we are strong enough to deal with you, for we share his life by the power of God.” [PHILIPS] This power of God is a family likeness, having come from the same Father, born with the same divine DNA, endued with the same power from on high (Luke 24:49!).
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:5 [NEB]
For if we have become incorporate with him in a death like his, we shall also be one with him in a resurrection like his.
Romans 6:5 [WST]
For in view of the fact that we are those who have become permanently united with Him with respect to the likeness of His death, certainly also we shall be those who as a logical result have become permanently united with Him with respect to the likeness of His resurrection,
Romans 6:6 [AV]
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.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
our old man: this term is the FOS Metonymy, the change of one noun for another related noun; “man” is put for “Adam”, referring to the nature all men received from Adam through our first birth, a nature that brings with it sin, guilt, shame, condemnation, death – all of which was crucified with Christ. We are now partakers of the divine nature via the new birth (1 Pet 1:23; 2 Pet 1:4). Jesus Christ’s crucifixion on the cross didn’t empower us to improve or reform our old sin nature. Our sin nature was crucified with Christ and is declared DEAD - and a dead man is no longer answerable for his sin. Our sin nature is hence devoid of power in our lives, with the new nature via the spirit of God bringing an entirely new life to be lived. (see Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10)
is crucified=sustauroo: the Gr is in the aorist tense, and is accurately translated “was crucified"; it is an accomplished reality, DONE. Gal 2:20 contains this same truth, and was written when the believers got away from the right doctrine given here in Rom 6: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”[ESV]
body of sin: not referring to the physical body, but rather to sin as an organized power, the totality of the sin nature. In this phrase, “sin" is figuratively being pictured as having a body that can be crucified, and in the next phrase it’s personified as a tyranical ruler that enslaved us. These figures or images communicate truth in a divinely inspired manner, leaving us with a mind-picture that more emphatically impresses than the literally-stated truth ever could.
might be destroyed=katargeo: to be made ineffective, inactive, or idle; to be made inoperative as a controlling power, paralyzed; As illustration, if a man were paralyzed from the waist down, he would still have legs, but they would be inoperative, devoid of power in propelling him in a walk. That’s an accurate depiction of how we are to render our sin nature - yes, we still have a sin nature residing within us, but through Christ’s crucifixion it was stripped of its power over us, paralyzed, made inoperative as a controlling power.
henceforth: from now on
serve: more accurately translated "be enslaved to"; When a man dies, he is dead to anything and everything he used to be in bondage to, dead to anything that was held over his head in that previous life. A man dead to sin is acquitted from the guilt of sin, freed from its bondage, so that from that time on he need never be a slave to the tyrant of sin again. In our oneness in Christ's death and burial, our old life ended, and in our oneness in his resurrection, our new life began. It’s CHRIST IN YOU -- walk in newness of life! (Col 1:27; Rom 6:4; 7:6)
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:6 [WEY]
This we know - that our old self was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our sinful nature might be deprived of its power, so that we should no longer be the slaves of sin.
Romans 6:6 [PHILIPS]
Let us never forget that our old selves died with him on the cross that the tyranny of sin over us might be broken--for a dead man can be said to be free from the power of sin.
Romans 6:6 [NEB]
We know that the man we once were has been crucified with Christ, for the destruction of the sinful self, so that we may no longer be the slaves of sin, since a dead man is no longer answerable for his sin.
Romans 6:7 [AV]
For he that is dead is freed from sin.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
is dead: has died; not referring to those who die a physical death, but to us who are united with Christ in his death, our oneness with Christ through his substitutionary death for us on the cross, per v3-5; If physical death paid the price for one's sin, then every one who has died is justified before God - in which case Christ’s death was meaningless. It was the ransom payment of his sinless blood that redeemed us.
freed=dikaioo: justified, rendered righteous, declared to be just; dikaioo occurs 40x in the NT, 38 of which are translated some form of “justify” in the AV. When a man condemned to death for wrong-doing is executed, at the time of death he is freed from that sin, the penalty has been paid, justice has been served. When we died in Christ, God’s righteous requirements were met - we were acquitted from the guilt of sin and released from its bondage. It’s stranglehold was broken. In his resurrection we were given a fresh start, with a spotless record.
sin: not sins (the fruit), but sin (the root), speaking of that nature which we inherited from Adam, which includes the guilt, shame, condemnation, etc. that comes along with the root, sin.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:7 [NLT]
For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
Romans 6:7 [WEY]
for he who has paid the penalty of death stands absolved from his sin.
Romans 6:7 [TCN]
For the man who has so died has been pronounced righteoues and released from sin.
Romans 6:8 [AV]
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
ANNOTATED NOTES:
if: accurately translated here as “since”
we be dead with: "we died together with"
shall live with him: see note on “shall be” in 6:5 for how the future tense is used to convey a certainty of consequence – if one thing happens, the other immediately follows with certainty. “we shall also live with him” is true right now concerning our spiritual oneness and identification with Christ, which enables us to participate in his resurrection life here and now. In Christ, we died to sin, and we live to righteousness. Sin’s dominion over us has been broken. We, as justified saints, can walk in day-to-day victory that is ours through the resurrected Christ. We believe such a truth because the Word of God declares it to be true.
** Even though this verse, within its context, is speaking of our union with Christ in the here and now, the phrase just so happens to be true concerning our participation in life with Christ after his return and for all eternity. Without Christ being raised from the dead, there would be no hope for the dead in Christ to be raised when he returns (1 Cor 15:12-17; 1 Thes 4:13-18). But with his divine conception, his sinless life, his death as a sacrifice for sin, and his resurrection, every born-again believer has the guaranteed certainty of identification with him now, as well as life in and with him throughout all eternity.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:8 [NLT]
And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
Romans 6:8 [TLB]
And since your old sin-loving nature “died” with Christ, we know that you will share his new life.
Romans 6:8 [MSG]
If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection.
Romans 6:9 [AV]
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
being raised: should read "having been raised"
dieth no more: Christ willingly paid the full ransom price of redemption when he died once (see Heb 7:27; 9:12, 26, 28; 10:10-12). Christ’s death, without Christ being raised from the dead, would leave us still under death’s dominion. Our surety, our confidence in this life we live with Christ in us (Col 1:27), is based on the truth that the price of redemption has been forever paid and that the risen Christ will never die again. Sin had its reign unto death in our lives at one time, but now grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord (5:21)!
hath..dominion over=kurieuo: has rulership over, has lordship over, to be lord over, have power over; Death had dominion over him for 3 days and 3 nights (the #3, biblically, signifies completeness), but Christ's resurrection is the proof that death's dominion over him has eternally been broken. It’s true for Jesus Christ, and since we have oneness with him in his redemptive death on the cross, it’s true for us as well. Death is not our lord, and has absolutely no dominion over us (see Rom 8:38-39; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Heb 2:14-15).
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:9 [PHILIPS]
We can be sure that the risen Christ never dies again--death's power to master him is finished.
Romans 6:9 [NLT]
We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
Romans 6:9 [GNB]
For we know that Christ has been raised from death and will never die again—death will no longer rule over him.
Romans 6:10 [AV]
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
he died=apothnesko (twice): both occurrences are in the aorist tense, indicating a one-time action in the past
once=ephapax: once and once only, once for all; indicates finality; He died to sin’s claims, its demands, its penalty - and when he did, he finished the payment and settled the account so perfectly that it never needs to be paid again, by anyone. One man brought sin and death, and one man brought righteousness and life, once for all. (see Heb 7:27; 9:12, 26-28; 10:10)
he liveth=zao (twice): in contrast to “he died”, which was a one-time action in the past, both occurrences of zao are in the present tense, indicating a continuous action (see Heb 7:22-25; 13:8). The FOS Anadiplosis is employed by God in this verse to draw attention to a significant truth (Anadiplosis, or Like Sentence Endings and Beginnings, is when a word or words occur at the end of one clause and immediately recur at the beginning of the next clause). In the Greek, by using zao to end the next to last clause and begin the last clause, attention is drawn and emphasis is delivered by the uniquely repeated phrase. The 1st part of the verse acknowledges the significance of his death (the manner in which he died, willingly, in subjection to God’s will, as a sinless sacrifice, taking the guilt of sin upon himself - once for all). But with the structure of the sentence, the pointing out of the past tense event of his once-for-all death, followed by the FOS in the Gr with zao repeated, to draw our attention to a present tense, continuous action - the divinely designed emphasis is on the true finality of "HE LIVES unto God"!! It’s not emphasizing the humiliated one, the suffering and once dead Jesus -- but rather the exalted one, the ever-living and glorified Christ. HE LIVES!! (and in verses to come, WE WITH HIM!!)
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION:
Romans 6:10 [LIT - with emphasis added]
For in dying as he died, unto sin he died once for all; but in living as he lives, HE LIVES unto God.
Romans 6:11 [AV]
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
Likewise=houto: so, in like manner, in the same way; v10 states that Christ died unto sin once, and lives unto God. In like manner, we are to think of ourselves as dead unto sin and alive unto God. It’s through our oneness with Jesus Christ that we are who we are and have what we have.
reckon=logizomai: to consider, conclude, calculate, reckon; this Gr verb is in the imperative mood, making it a command – the very 1st imperative mood command given to the born-again believer here in Romans. There can only be one 1st, and we can be assured God has a reason for what command He puts 1st. Note that it’s not a command for us to do great works, or to modify our outward behavior in some fashion. Trying to perform works in order to achieve this position before God would be an act of futility and self-centered vanity, a flatout denial of Christ’s perfect and complete work. The Christian walk begins not with what we do, but with who we are as a result of what He did for us. Verse 11 is a command on how we are to think about ourselves, reckoning ourselves in light of Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf, a perfect work for us and IN US. We are to conclude that we have died unto sin, and ARE NOW ALIVE unto God in the same manner as Jesus Christ is! His position before the Father is our position before the Father. We don’t have to DO anything to achieve this position in our lives. The work has been DONE, the price has been paid, Christ has died and is risen, and we are forever united with him in an unbreakable relationship with God as our Father. This way of thinking, by command, is not based on the fleeting emotions of a religious experience or on some continuous program of self-improvement. It’s based solely on the indisputable declaration of God's Word here in Romans about who Christ is in us and who we are in Christ. Because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ, we are dead to sin and alive unto God. CONCLUDE that it’s DONE! That’s the beginning of the Christian walk.
our Lord: omitted in Gr texts
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:11 [NEB]
In the same way you must regard yourselves as dead to sin and alive to God, in union with Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11 [GW]
So consider yourselves dead to sin’s power but living for God in the power Christ Jesus gives you.
Romans 6:11 [WIL]
So you too must consider yourselves as having ended your relation to sin but living in unbroken relation to God.
Romans 6:11 [MSG]
From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.
Romans 6:12 [AV]
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
therefore: this conjunction ties v12 to the previous verse’s command; first, v11, then what follows; Without first concluding that Christ's perfect work has been completed for us (dead to sin, alive unto God through Jesus Christ), obedience to subsequent commands will be nothing more than submitting to legalistic rules and regulations, i.e. law. The Christian walk is NOT about what we do for God, but about who we already are as a result of what He has done for us. If we don’t declare Christ’s work of righteousness on our behalf as complete, we’ll attempt to do the work ourselves in order to complete it. Obedience because I AM righteous, and obedience in order TO BE righteous, are a million miles apart. The former is genuine - the latter a dangerous counterfeit that has all the outward appearances of the genuine, but inwardly sinful flesh still reigns.
reign: exercise kingly power, rule as a king, have dominion; in essence, the command of v12 is to "let not sin continue to reign", or "stop allowing sin to be lord in your mortal body, because you now have a different Lord in your life". God has declared that the dominion of sin over us has been broken - the sin nature has been deposed. We are now dead to sin, hence it has no power over us. We are to think and act accordlngly, allowing grace to reign through the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we walk in light of who God has made us to be by His grace, transformation in our lives becomes axiomatic (see Gal 5:16) (also see note on 6:6 for “might be destroyed”).
mortal body: the part of us subject to sickness and death; our new birth spirit is not subject to sin and death, but rather gives us righteousness and eternal life.
lusts=epithumia: longings, desires; here, in context, they are sinful desires, cravings that are contrary to the deliverance we have in Christ Jesus.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:12 [WST]
Stop therefore allowing the sinful nature to reign as king in your mortal body with a view to obeying it [the body] in its passionate cravings.
Romans 6:12 [AMP]
Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.
Romans 6:13 [AV]
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.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
yield=paristemi: to present, to cause something to be or to serve as, to place one’s self at another's service; this word appears 5x in this chapter (v13 twice, v16, v19 twice); it's also used in 12:1 where God beseeches us to “present” (paristemi) our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God; The 2nd “yield” here is in the aorist tense, meaning a one time, once and for all commitment. In light of Christ’s once and for all sacrificial death on the cross for us, we are to make a once and for all commitment to yield all that we are and all that we have in serving God. It’s not unlike a marriage commitment. A Christian couple makes the verbal commitment to each other, once and for all, when they declare their marriage vows before God. Then, in their daily decisions and actions they honor and live by the commitment they made. To be sure, we daily surrender afresh to our Lord Jesus Christ, but even that is based on our once and for all confession of Rom 10:9-10 (see Eph 5:31-32).
members=melos: includes any and all members or parts of the physical body, as well as all mental faculties; some references to bodily members include Ps 101:3 (eyes); Prov 4:23 (heart), 24 (mouth and lips); Prov 17:4 (ears); Mark 9:43 (hands), 45 (feet); 1 Thes 4:3-4 (sexual organs); 1 Cor 6:15,19-20 (whole body). Since Christ paid the full price for our redemption, why not utilize our full faculties as implements of righteousness - with what we say (lips), what we do (hands), where we go (feet), what we look at (eyes), what we listen to (ears), what we think about (heart), and every other free will function of our minds and bodies (Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27).
instruments=hoplon (twice): tools, armor, weapons, implements with which something is effected or done; Since we are dead to sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ, instead of expending our physical and mental abilities in service to the old sin nature, we yield all of who we are and what we have at the pleasure and service of God, since He is the One who raised us up from the dead, made us righteous before Him, and gave us a new life to live to His glory. God asks not for us to give our lives for Him - He asks us to live our lives for Him. It was Jesus Christ, man’s Redeemer, who presented himself as a sacrifice unto death, in our place, so that we could present ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him who raised us from the dead. Rom 12:1: "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.” [AMP]
righteousness: justness or righteousness, according to God’s established standard of justice and righteousness, not our own
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:13 [AMP]
Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.
Romans 6:13 [WST]
Moreover, stop putting your members at the disposal of the sinful nature as weapons of unrighteousness, but by a once-for-all act and at once, put yourselves at the disposal of God as those who are actively alive out from among the dead, and put your members as weapons of righteousness at the disposal of God,
Romans 6:13 [AMP]
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Romans 6:14 [AV]
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
shall..have dominion over=kurieuo: to have rulership or lordship over, to lord over; Sin is not to rule as lord over us. Our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, has defeated sin through his death on the cross, stripping sin of its power over us.
under the law=hupo nomos: one cannot be legally under a law which is no longer in existence, and Rom 10:4 states “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth”. Any set of legalistic demands, whether the OT Law, or the 1st century form Paul predominantly dealt with requiring circumcision, or one of the many current-day systems of self-righteousness that demand the performance of a work or works on man’s part in order to obtain salvation - every and any form of law serves only to bring man back under the rulership of sin. Law does not and cannot remedy the sin problem - it can only give the sin nature strength (1 Cor 15:56), causing sin to abound (Rom 5:20).
under grace=hupo charis: grace, Gr charis, is God’s undeserved divine favor; It is God, Who is love, at work on our behalf, not because of us but in spite of us. By definition, it cannot be earned. It is grace that brings absolute freedom to any believer, freeing them from all forms of law and legalism. The reality of Christ dying for us when we were the ones deserving death, that realization brings us under grace. Grace now reigns in our lives through Christ Jesus who gave his life for ours. The Law could never give us life, but Christ did (see Gal 2:21; 3:21-22!) There is one word that describes the OT Law – DO. But nobody could DO it, so by law they were subject to condemnation and death. Why would anyone want to revert back to a system of condemnation and death (2 Cor 3:7-9), when a glorious life of grace has been given to us?!
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:14 [NLT]
Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
Romans 6:14 [AMP]
For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God’s favor and mercy].
Romans 6:14 [MSG]
Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.
Romans 6:15 [AV]
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
shall we sin..?: are we to sin..?; Freedom FROM sin, spiritually, does not authorize freedom TO sin, practically. Being 100% responsible to God for our free will choices, we don't deliberately commit acts of sin with the rationale that we are under grace. We are free to live "under grace”, not free to live sinfully "under the cover of grace". This verse's question is similar to the one in 6:1, and reflective of the statement falsely attributed to Paul in Rom 3:8. In the absence of law, grace obviously presents an attractive environment for the sin nature to exercise freedom to reign. But freedom becomes bondage when grace is abused. Paradoxically, grace presents the optimum environment to exercise true freedom, the liberty to serve the One True God with love and obedience, faithfully and gratefully. Grace is the greatest motivator, of the highest magnitude, in inspiring one to walk in love and light. (see Gal 5:13; 1 Pet 2:16)
God forbid=me ginomai: translated “God forbid” 15x in the NT, 10x in Rom; see 3:4,6,31; 6:2; 7:7,13; 9:14; 11:1,11. It is rightfully an expression of extreme horror, where the mere thought of the proposal is revolting. A literal translation: “Let it not even be thought of”.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:15 [PHILIPS]
Now, what shall we do? Shall we go on sinning because we have no Law to condemn us any more, but are living under grace? Never!
Romans 6:15 [CEV]
What does all this mean? Does it mean we are free to sin, because we are ruled by God’s wonderful kindness and not by the Law? Certainly not!
Romans 6:16 [AV]
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?
ANNOTATED NOTES:
servants=doulos (twice): servant, bond slave, one who gives himself up to another’s will; This is a major concept in this section, as doulos or some form of it is used 8x in v16-22. The truth is, every individual in the world serves a master. Who or what one will serve is one's own free will choice. Israel, at one time, was under the mastership of the Egyptians, held in bondage as slaves. After they were miraculously freed from the bondage of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, they were still serving a master, but they had willfully changed the master they would serve. Ex 8:1: “And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me.” When their enslavement to Egypt was broken, they were free to serve the One True God who had brought deliverance to their lives. Not unlike Israel’s change in servitude following deliverance, 1 Corinthians states concerning us: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's” (6:20), and “Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants [doulos] of men.” (7:23) (PLEASE review the note on ROM 1:1 for doulos - it gives valuable background on this core concept)
obey: whoever or whatever you obey, that’s who you serve or are a bond slave to; we can either serve another person’s will and be enslaved by them, or we can be enslaved to our old sin nature by being obedient to our own will (doing what we feel like doing, when we feel like doing it, how we feel like doing it), or we can serve God by being obedient to His will and the new divine nature born within us. We have to choose one, as it is certain we cannot serve 2 masters (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:13). In the absence of a conscious choice, the default, from birth, is to serve self, the sin nature.
death: this usage of “death” is not referring to spiritual death or to physical death. Spiritually, the believer has already passed from death unto life (Rom 5:17; 1 Jn 3:14; Rom 8:2). Physically, all believers, no matter how obediently they live, will succumb to physical death if the Lord Jesus Christ doesn't return first (1 Thes 4:13-18). Death, in its usage here, refers to the state of separation from God and the misery brought about by sin - where one’s thoughts are alienated from God (Rom 8:6). All separation from God can be termed as "death." Thus this term aptly describes the state of the believer who continues to render obedience to the sin nature. Such a believer is enslaved to sin, in bondage to guilt, fear, shame, misery, and death. A doulos of Jesus Christ, as Paul was (1:1), is totally and absolutely free to do what the Word and the new nature directs - true freedom, to walk in love (for God is Love - 1 Jn 4:16), and to walk in light (for God is Light - 1 Jn 1:5). (Also see Eph 5:1-2, 8-11 and Jn 8:32-36)
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION:
Romans 6:16 [NEB]
You know well enough that if you put yourselves at the disposal of a master, to obey him, you are slaves of the master whom you obey; and this is true whether you serve sin with death as its result; or obedience, with righteousness as its result.
Romans 6:16 [NLT]
Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.
Romans 6:16 [MSG]
You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits.
Romans 6:17 [AV]
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.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
servants=doulos: see note on 6:16; before yielding our hearts to God with love and obedience, we were, unknowingly from our first birth, slaves to sin, i.e. our sin nature; This verse is not suggesting God should be thanked that we once were slaves to sin, but rather He should be thanked that, given that starting point, we have now come to obediently believe the right doctrine concerning who we are in Christ in the new birth.
obeyed: this is not something we did out of fear of damnation, but out of thankfulness for salvation – salvation by God’s grace, not man’s works
from the heart: in biblical usage, “heart” in this verse is speaking of the center of one’s personal life; the heart is where believing takes place (Mark 11:23; Prov 4:23), where God’s love was shed abroad within us (Rom 5:5). God desires loving obedience to come from our hearts, our innermost being, not out of obligation but out of thankfulness (see Eph 6:5-7)
form=tupos: example, pattern, model
doctrine which was delivered you: more accurately, “doctrine to which you were delivered”; It’s the Word of God that is alive and powerful, and will transform our lives as we believe (Heb 4:2,12; Rom 12:2). By our free will decision to simply believe what the Word of God says, we bring our lives into subjection to the doctrine (the right teaching, the right way of believing) regarding how we were raised from the dead to our new life in Christ Jesus. In that sense, it’s the Word believed that does the work - God and His Word is the change agent, not us. True change in a believer’s life takes place from the inside out, because of what God has done for us, not what we do for God.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:17 [NKJV]
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
Romans 6:17 [AMP]
But thank God, though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient with all your heart to the standard of teaching in which you were instructed and to which you were committed.
Romans 6:17 [MSG]
All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master,
Romans 6:18 [AV]
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
Being then made free: could accurately read "Having been emancipated”, or “Having been liberated”; This is a continuation and conclusion to the preceding statement, not a new one.
sin: speaking of the sin nature; Because of Adam’s free will choice, we were born into slavery to the sin nature. But in Christ, we have been spiritually emancipated from the slavery we were born into, in order to yield free-will servitude to another Master. Paradoxically, this free-will servitude to our Liberator brings true freedom to our lives as we walk in newness of life. When Christ was raised, victorious over sin and death, we were raised with him in the same victory. We are now free from the tyranny of the old sin nature in order to serve the new nature born within, a nature that allows us to stand righteous before God.
righteousness: justness or righteousness according to God’s established standard of justice. We were given the gift of righteousness by God’s grace (5:17). We ARE righteous, so we live and serve accordingly.
** Being emancipated from sin does not mean the believer no longer has a sin nature, for that nature is inherent within the body and soul of man. Nor does it mean the believer is no longer capable of committing acts of sin (1 Jn 1:8-10), which is empiracally obvious. Being emancipated from the tyranny of sin means that the sin nature need never be allowed to exercise lordship over us again as the dominating power in our lives. We have a different Lord, and because of Jesus Christ’s finished work of redemption, our freedom from the power and penalty of sin has been paid for in full, once and for all. All that is left is for us to live and serve in that liberty (Gal 5:13). Gal 5:1 accurately reads, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free…” [NASB]. We HAVE been set free - now we are to walk in the light of it. It’s worth repeating: "It was for freedom that Christ set us free”!
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION:
Romans 6:18 [WEY]
You were set free from the tyranny of Sin, and became the bondservants of Righteousness—
Romans 6:18 [AMP]
And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action).
Romans 6:18 [TLB]
And now you are free from your old master, sin; and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness.
Romans 6:19 [AV]
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.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
after the manner of men: using the slave/master relationship in this verse and its context (v16-22) was effective because all those in Rome were familiar with the concept of being enslaved or free. The phrase “servants to righteousness” does not imply that they would literally be in bondage to righteousness, but rather illustrates (in terms they could grasp, after the manner of men) the clear choice between a master and lord that enslaves (sin), or a master and lord that liberates (Jesus Christ). The former is a master that rules in cruel tyranny, the latter a master that rules in gracious liberty. Since it is categorical that everyone serves someone or something (even if that someone is one’s self), then the illustration of choosing one’s master is simple. The choice is simplified even further by presenting only 2 choices to pick from: the old nature (sin) or the new nature (righteousness).
infirmity: weakness; talking about the natural limitations of man, inherent within the body and soul
flesh: this term is sometimes used in the Scriptures to refer to the physical nature of man and animals (see Gen 7:15-16; Lk 3:6; Jn 3:6; 1 Pet 2:24). It is also used to refer to the old nature born within mankind, which is characterized by sinfulness, weakness, and death. It is this usage that is being referred to here. The believer still has to deal with the infirmity or weakness of the old nature within, as he endeavors to walk by the new spirit nature (Gal 5:16-17).
yielded/yield=paristemi: see note on 6:13
members: see note on 6:13
servants: see note on 6:16
uncleanness: impurity
iniquity unto iniquity: lawlessness that is ever-increasing into more lawlessness
righteousness: justness or righteousness according to God’s established standard of justice and righteousness, not our own
holiness=hagiasmos: sanctification, separateness from that which is common; it's from the same Gr word translated “sanctified” and “saint”; Spiritually, we are already holy and sanctified saints (1 Cor 1:2, 30; 6:11), but God would have us demonstrate that holiness in our walk of obedience. Our day-to-day lives should display the holiness that we already have within and thus represent who and what we are in Christ by God’s grace. We have already been sealed with that holy spirit of promise that was given to us (Eph 1:13; 1 Thes 4:7-8). Since we have received the gift of holy spirit by grace, we are to place our physical members and mental faculties into the service of righteousness, displaying holiness.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:19 [AMP]
I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification.
Romans 6:19 [MSG]
I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
Romans 6:20 [AV]
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
servants=doulos: see note on 6:16
sin: referring to the sin nature inherited from Adam, which every man is born with and is a slave to until they get born again and take on the new nature, spirit.
free=eleutheros: freeborn, free, exempt, not bound by an obligation
from: with regard to
righteousness: justness or righteousness according to God’s established standard; Sin is every man’s master, at birth, and thus every man renders service as a slave to his master, sin. We had no accessibility to true righteousness through our first birth, and in that sense were free from it, freeborn, having no obligation to serve righteousness.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:20 [ESV]
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
Romans 6:20 [WEY]
For when you were the bondservants of sin, you were under no sort of subjection to Righteousness.
Romans 6:20 [CEV]
When you were slaves of sin, you didn’t have to please God.
Romans 6:21 [AV]
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
fruit=karpos: fruit, result, benefit, that which is harvested (see Gal 6:7-8)
end=telos: the Gr word that refers to the final end, not the beginning of the end but the end of the end; also used in v22
death: before being born again, we were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1) and nothing that we did could bring forth fruit unto life - our final destiny was death, eternally. This is in contrast to v22, where we NOW can yield fruit in a life that is not destined to end in death, but everlasting life.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:21 [NIV]
What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death!
Romans 6:21 [PHILIPS]
Yet what sort of harvest did you reap from those things that today you blush to remember? In the long run those things mean one thing only -- death.
Romans 6:21 [AMP]
But then what benefit (return) did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None] for the end of those things is death.
Romans 6:22 [AV]
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
being made free: having been emancipated
become servants=douloo: see “servants” note on 6:16; this is the last of 8 uses of doulos or some form of it in v16-22.
fruit=karpos: see note on 6:21
fruit unto holiness: in constrast to the “fruit unto death” implicitly referred to in v21 and explicitly referred to in 7:5
holiness=hagiasmos: see note on 6:19
end=telos: same Gr word as used in v21; the final end, the end of the end
the end everlasting life: in contrast to the “end” spoken of in v21, i.e. “death”. Since we have been emancipated from the slavery of sin, it holds no power or penalty over us. Our lives used to be unfruitful to God, but now we have our fruit unto holiness in this life, with the ultimate end everlasting life.
** It is not without significance that a form of the Greek word doulos occurs 8 times in 7 verses (v16-22). God is using the slave/master relationship to communicate a spiritual reality that has been accomplished for us, a fundamental change in a root relationship.
From birth, the slave/master relationship to sin is a reality for every man born of Adam’s lineage, with no alternative other than the various disguises that the face of sin can take on. Some of those masking disguises can outwardly make sin look harmless, even deceptively good, but it doesn’t change what’s on the inside.
In Matt 23:27, Christ spoke to this truth: “Woe to you…hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleaness.” [NKJV] The Gr word for “hypocrite” (hupokrites) was used in referring to an actor who would wear a mask while on stage, pretending to be someone he wasn’t. To this day, the symbol of drama or stage acting is two masks side by side, one with a smile (comedy) and one with a frown (tragedy). The actor (hupokrites) hid behind the disguising mask to play the role, but it didn’t change who he was underneath.
Sometimes all attempts at disguising the sin nature are discarded, with the face of evil being on full display in men’s lives (Gen 6:5; Rom 1:29-32). Regardless of how well the sin nature might or might not be masked, slavery to sin is a certainty for every man...UNTIL he hears the gospel.
Upon hearing the good news concerning Jesus Christ (man’s Redeemer, the Savior of the world), he has a choice: a) continue to knowingly or unknowingly serve sin as his master, b) willfully take on a new Master, the Lord of Love. For the man who decides to believe the gospel of redemption and salvation, confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and believing that God raised him from the dead (10:9-10), he is BORN AGAIN of God’s spirit - given a new nature, an entirely new life in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17-18). He is no longer subjugated to sin as his slave-master. The believer now has a new Master, a Lord that liberates him from the tyranny of sin and death. A new Master, a new Life in Christ filled with fruitfulness, and a new final destination - EVERLASTING LIFE!
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:22 [WST]
But now, having been set free from the sinful nature and having been made bondslaves of God, you are having your fruit resulting in holiness, and the consummation, life eternal.
Romans 6:22 [TLB]
But now you are free from the power of sin and are slaves of God, and his benefits to you include holiness and everlasting life.
Romans 6:22 [WEY]
But now that you have been set free from the tyranny of Sin, and have become the bondservants of God, you have your reward in being made holy, and you have the Life of the Ages as the final result.
Romans 6:22 [MSG]
But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way!
Romans 6:23 [AV]
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ANNOTATED NOTES:
wages=opsonion: the Gr word used for a soldier’s pay or wages (see Lk 3:14; 1 Cor 9:7); Wages are earned by doing work. Before being born again, we worked for our prior slavemaster, sin, and the end-result wage was death. That is the due reward for all of man’s works rendered as a natural man of body and soul, whether they be works of the flesh spoken of in Gal 5:19-21, or so-called “wonderful works” that amount to works of self-righteousness done in a vain attempt to win God’s favor (Mtt 7:22-23) and look good before men (Mtt 6:1-2, 5). Knowingly or unknowingly, we used to live our lives serving a master who paid us our due: death. But once we got born again and set free from the mandatory servitude to sin, we were given the free gift of eternal life, set free to serve the Lord of Love.
death: this is the 3rd time in 8 verses that sin (the sin nature) is linked to death (see v16, 21)
gift=charisma: a free gift given out of kindness, by grace or favor; This free gift by grace is in contrast to the earned wages of sin, life in contrast to death (see Rom 5:15-18, 21). If we got the pay we had earned, it would be death; but out of His grace, God has given us life. This gift is given because of God's love for man (John 3:16), not because of man’s love for God (2 Tim 1:9; 1 Jn 4:19). Eternal life is not the wage we receive for our own righteousness or self-professed good works, for we could do nothing whatsoever to earn it, nor can we ever – we were, are, and always will be utterly incapable of earning such a magnanimous gift. Such an everlasting blessing is in every sense, in the most absolute sense, THE GIFT OF GOD.
** In the outline of Romans provided earlier, the topic of chapter 6 is "In Christ, we are Dead to Sin and Alive to God; Grace vs. Under Sin”. In earlier chapters, the legal requirements for our justification were declared as already met. Here in chapter 6 our reasonable response in light of that justification is initially addressed. Contrasting concepts are stark: a) two masters to serve (sin, or God), b) two means of receiving (deserved wages, or a free gift by grace), c) two ultimate ends (death, or eternal life).
In viewing the gospel of God as it is being progressively revealed in Romans, it’s remarkable that the principle of substitution (where Jesus Christ died FOR US) is followed by the associated principle of identification (where we died WITH HIM). Christ paid sin’s penalty FOR US, while breaking sin’s power OVER US. Just as surely as Jesus Christ physically died on the cross, it is every bit as sure that spiritually we died with him. As a result, God does not tell us to become dead to sin. He tells us the spiritual reality that we ARE dead to sin and alive unto Him. In 6:11, God's 1st imperative in Romans is for us to RECKON or THINK of ourselves in the light of that accomplished reality. Whether we live and serve accordingly or not, Truth remains Truth. We ARE justified, and we ARE spiritually set free from our old master, sin.
KNOW, RECKON, YIELD: Chapter 6 has declared doctrinal truths concerning what Jesus Christ accomplished for us, truths that God wants us to KNOW (“Know ye not” in v3, “Knowing this” in v6, “Knowing that” in v9). God wants us to know of our oneness with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection - for an ignorant Christian doctrinally, is an impotent Christian practically. Right doctrine, right believing, is to RECKON ourselves in the light of what God has already DONE for us through Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay for our sins. When God raised him from the dead, we as believers were given newness of life in union with him. At the very moment we were born again, we became one with Christ in his death and resurrection, giving us the joyous privilege to share fully in his life, his righteousness, his holiness, his completeness, and his glory at the right hand of God. As heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, we share fully in everything he is and everything he will ever be. Because of all that God has done for us by grace through Christ Jesus our Lord, we YIELD all of our physical abilities and all of our mental faculties as instruments of righteousness in service to God. ALL in ALL to His glory.
ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATIONS:
Romans 6:23 [WST]
For the subsistence pay which the sinful nature doles out is death. But the free gift of God is life eternal in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 [AMP]
For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.
