Bible Studies for Life
By James Riley Strange, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Religion, Samford University
Victory over Sin
Romans 6:4–14
Although we begin with verse 4, start reading at verse 1 and continue through verse 23. In his letters Paul talks about sin in two ways. Sometimes he talks about sins or transgressions as wrongs that people commit. At other times he talks about sin as a power that controls us and that we are helpless to do anything about it on our own.
When he talks about sin in this way, he usually links it to another power: death. Those under the powers of sin and death access Jesus’ victory over these powers by participating in His death — and in His resurrection — through baptism. That is what Paul is talking about in today’s passage.
Jesus frees us from our slavery to sin. (4–7)
For Paul there is only slavery. We are either enslaved to sin or, through our participation in Christ’s death and resurrection, we are free from sin’s power.
But to be free from sin is to be a slave of Christ. Paul indicates this when he introduces himself to the church in Rome as “a slave of Jesus Christ,” as he also does in Philippians and Titus.
“Death” for Paul is not merely the death of the body, but a state in which one lives here and now. It is a state of slavery to sin and of disobedience to God. Likewise “life” is not merely physical but another mode of existence in which we are enslaved to Christ and obedient to God.
Jesus makes us spiritually alive. (8–11)
“We believe” is probably better translated “we trust,” with the implication that because we trust, we obey. That is the rich sense with which Paul often uses the verb “believe” and the noun “faith.”
In verse 8, Paul makes it sound as if new life lies in the future and indeed he might be referring to the resurrection as he did in verse 5. But in verse 11 it is clear this new life has already begun (see also v. 13).
We understand Paul to say that for the believer Christ’s death and resurrection have already made him or her alive in a new type of existence.
Paul expresses this idea in 2 Corinthians 5:17 when he talks about “a new creation.” But the fulfillment of this new life remains in the future when Christ returns and there is no longer any separation at all between Christ and His body, the Church.
Our lives are to reflect what we are in Christ. (12–14)
Paul has already said we “walk in newness of life” in verse 4. In the Bible “walk” often refers to how one lives, meaning new life requires a new way of living.
From our own life experiences we know Paul is right: even though the power of sin no longer has ultimate control over us we still can allow it temporary victories.
We “present [our] members to sin” (v. 13). “Members” refers to parts of the body, both as a euphemism for genitals and as a reference to anything from mouth (what we say) to hands (what we do) to feet (where we go and how we live) — whatever can become an “instrument” or “weapon of wickedness.”
By contrast, our whole selves belong to God as instruments of righteousness. No “member” is exempt from this complete dedication to God.
Paul calls this new life living “with Christ” and being “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” It is neither an emotion (“feeling alive”) nor a physical state but a new state of being that persists whether a person is physically alive or dead.
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