Paul has just said that where sin increased, grace increased even more. Some readers might twist that into an excuse: if grace covers everything, why not keep sinning? Paul answers with a strong "God forbid." Grace is never a license to sin. It is the power to live differently. In this passage Paul explains what happened to us when we trusted Christ and were baptized into Him. Understanding this changes how we fight temptation, because we are not just trying harder. We are living out who we already are in Christ.
Buried and Raised with Christ
Paul reminds us that all who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism is a picture of a real spiritual change. Going under the water shows that our old life was buried with Christ. Coming up shows that we now walk in newness of life, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. Paul tells the Colossians the same thing: we were buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith in the working of God (Colossians 2:12). This is why Paul could say that he was crucified with Christ, yet he lived, because Christ lived in him (Galatians 2:20). Your Christian life did not begin with a set of rules. It began with a death and a resurrection.
What old habit or attitude still acts as if it is alive in you, and what new step of obedience will you take in its place this week?
Count Yourself Dead to Sin
Paul explains that our old man was crucified with Christ so that we should no longer serve sin (Romans 6:6-7). Sin was once our master, but its power has been broken. Then he gives a clear command: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:11). To reckon means to count something as true and act on it. When temptation calls, you can answer, That is not who I am anymore. Feelings may say otherwise, but God’s Word tells the truth. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). Victory begins when we believe what God says about us more than what our old desires say.
Which temptation do you face most often, and what truth from God’s Word will you speak to yourself when it comes?
Offer Yourself to God
Paul tells us not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies or obey its desires (Romans 6:12-13). Instead, we are to yield ourselves to God, and our members as instruments of righteousness. Our eyes, hands, tongues and feet can serve sin or serve God. The choice is ours each day. Paul then gives a promise: sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Grace does not leave us weak. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and to live soberly and righteously in this present world (Titus 2:11-12). The Holy Spirit gives the strength, and we give our willing yes. Every small act of obedience is a way of saying, Lord, I belong to You.
What is one part of your daily life, such as your phone, your words or your time, that you will deliberately offer to God this week?
Conclusion
Grace does not make sin smaller; it makes us new. Through faith and baptism we were joined to Christ in His death and resurrection. Because of that, we can count ourselves dead to sin and alive to God, and we can offer every part of ourselves to Him. Sin is no longer our master. Jesus is. As we walk with Him, the Holy Spirit gives power for a holy life that brings glory to God.
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