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Dying and Rising with Christ

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase?(A) By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?(B) Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?(C) Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.(D)

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin.(E) For whoever has died is freed[a] from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.(F) 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.(G) 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.(H)

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies, so that you obey their desires.(I) 13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments[b] of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments[c] of righteousness.(J) 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.(K)

Slaves of Righteousness

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Do you not know that, if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?(L) 17 But thanks be to God that you who were slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted(M) 18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become enslaved to righteousness.(N) 19 I am speaking in human terms because of your limitations.[d] For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, leading to even more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, leading to sanctification.(O)

20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.(P) 21 So what fruit did you then gain from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.(Q) 22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the fruit you have leads to sanctification, and the end is eternal life.(R) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 6.7 Or justified
  2. 6.13 Or weapons
  3. 6.13 Or weapons
  4. 6.19 Gk the weakness of your flesh

Sin’s Power Is Broken

Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 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. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 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. 14 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.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 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. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 6:12 Or Do not let sin reign in your body, which is subject to death.