Romans 6
Note: The believer never has to sin again.
The Believer’s Freedom from Sin’s Domination
1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase?
There are two major questions in chapter six. The Greek word for "remain" is ἐπιμένω (epimenow), a present active subjunctive verb, meaning to continually remain. The first question is, "are believers to continually remain in sin so that God can give believers more grace"? Can believers do anything that they want? This verb is in the subjunctive mood, meaning there is a strong possibility that this is possible. The answer is found in the next thirteen verses.
2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Paul answered the question with μὴ γένοιτο (may genoito), which is the strongest Greek negation. If the believer died to sin, then he cannot live in sin.
3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Believers are baptized into Christ. This is not water baptism, because water does not have any power to save. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is given to the believer at the instant of his salvation.
4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.
Believers have been given a new life in Christ, so they now have the divine power to walk in this new life.
5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.
The "if" is a first class condition, meaning "since". Since believers have become united in Christ, then believers have the divine power to live a new life.
6 We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
The "old man" is a metaphor for the old sin nature. The old sin nature was crucified on the cross. This old sin nature was king of the life of the unbeliever, but now it has died. The old sin nature is still inside the body of all believers, but it is no longer king of the personality of the believer. The old sin nature no longer has authority over the believer. The sin nature no longer owns the believer. The believer is no longer a slave to the old sin nature. When the old sin nature commands the believer to sin, the believer possesses the divine power to simply say "no, I will not do it. You cannot boss me around anymore. I choose to follow Christ instead". The ability to say "no" strengthens with the believers intake of bible doctrine. The more Bible doctrine that is fed into the soul, the more often the new nature can say "no" to the old nature. Basically, the soul of the believer consists of two dogs who are fighting each other. The dog which is fed the most wins.
7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.)
Once the believer was baptized by the Holy Spirit, the old nature died in him. This is the new birth and the old death.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
When Christ died on the cross, all believers live with Christ. Christ died, believers live. This is the great paradox of divine salvation.
9 We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die again; death no longer has mastery over him.
The sting of death was defeated at the cross. Death is a defeated enemy for the believer. Death is no longer king over the believer. Believers have a new birth, a new life, and a new King.
10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Christ only died once. The believer will only be justified once. The sanctification, meaning the spiritual growth of the believer, is continual. The sanctification comes from learning the mind of God through the entire counsel of the Word of God. The soul must be fed daily, so that it does not become weak from malnutrition.
11 So you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The Greek word for "consider" is λογίζομαι (logizomai), a present middle imperative verb, meaning a command to come to a logical decision about the truth of the matter. The imperative mood means that Paul is making a command to believers. The verb is the middle tense, meaning that they the subject is emphatic. The verb is in the present tense, meaning that the verb is continual. The believers emphatically were commanded to continually come to the logical decision that they were dead to sin and it could no longer have any effect on them. They were also continually alive to God in Christ. Therefore, they no longer need to be controlled by the dead king of sin. Instead, they were continually alive in Christ, so the sin nature could be nullified.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires,
The believer is commanded to not allow sin to reign as king in their bodies.
13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.
The verb tense is present, so believers are not to continually present their bodies to sin. The second verb is aorist, meaning that believers are to present their body as a one time commitment to God.
14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Believers are not under law, but under grace. Therefore, sin should have no mastery over the believer.
The Believer’s Enslavement to God’s Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!
Paul asked his second question. This question is in the aorist tense, meaning can the believer commit acts of isolated sins since he is no longer under the law. The answer is the strongest Greek negation.
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or obedience resulting in righteousness?
Believers are not slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. Believers are slaves to whom they obey.
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves to sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were entrusted to,
At one time, believers were slaves to sin. Once the believer was delivered, he was no longer a slave to sin.
18 and having been freed from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.
Believers have been liberated. They are freed from the chains of sin. Now, they are servants to righteousness.
19 (I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.) For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
Paul was speaking in human terms in order to keep the message simple so that humans could understand it. However, these words were still inspired by the Holy Spirit. When a person commits a sin, then he is a slave to that sin.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness.
When a person is a slave to sin, then he is not interested in serving Christ.
21 So what benefit did you then reap from those things that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death.
When a person is a slave to sin, then his only fruit is sin. The only fruit that he can reap is the fruit of death. A child of the Devil loves his sin. The Child of God is ashamed of his sin.
22 But now, freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your benefit leading to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.
The fruit of the believer is holiness. The believer reaps not death, but eternal life.
23 For the payoff of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Greek word for "payoff" is a daily wage paid to a soldier or a fieldworker. The Devil is the paymaster, He will make sure that you do get paid. If one works for the Devil, then he is working for the wages of death.
An eternal gift cannot be bought. It is a gift. It is not wages that someone has to earn.
In conclusion, a sinner never has to sin again.
