Studies in Romans 6:8-14

Established in the last study was the fact that we are joined to Christ through baptism. And because of that, we have died with Him. And that death has freed us from the slavery of sin.

6:8- Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

** The next step in Paul's logic is that since Christ rose from the dead to new life, so will we.

6:9- knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over Him.

** Before Christ, death ruled over all of the creation through sin. All have died since all have sinned. However, Christ defeated death since He did not sin. Death did not master Him since He defeated it and has the keys to it (Rev. 1:18).

6:10- For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

** The "once for all" refers to His sacrifice for the sins of all. His death was not a penalty for His own sin - since He did not sin. But it was the sacrifice for mankind.

6:11- Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

** Christ has died to sin and lives for God (v. 10). Since we are united with Him, spiritually we have died to sin with Him - but our flesh has not died yet. So the best we can do is believe this fact and live our lives free from sin.

** "Consider" is a thinking word, not a feeling word. We must think about these facts and get them into our heads.

** This is a very important process in the step of defeating a lifestyle of sin. We must think and reinforce our minds concerning the truth. 2 Cor 10:3-5 says that our minds and thoughts is where Satan battles us. We must build up a cache of weapons in our minds to defeat the enemy.

6:12- Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts,

** As a result of considering ourselves to be dead to sin, we should not let the lusts of our bodies rule us. Our spirits have been cleansed by the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are still corrupt from the fall of Adam. Our souls (active thought life) is where the battle takes place.

6:13- and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as members of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

** Now that we have been freed from sin, we are able to live without sin in our lives. We are presenting our members to God when practicing righteousness.

6:14- For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.

** Paul wraps up this section by restating the principle that we are under grace and not the law. These two thoughts were mentioned together back at the end of Rom. 5. Law leads to an increase in sin, which leads to death. Grace reigns through (His) righteousness resulting in eternal life.