The New Life in Christ

What should we say then?(A) Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?(B) Absolutely not!(C) How can we who died to sin(D) still live in it? Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized(E) into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?(F) Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death,(G) in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead(H) by the glory of the Father,(I) so we too may walk in a new way[a] of life.(J) For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death,(K) we will certainly also be[b] in the likeness of His resurrection. For we know that our old self[c](L) was crucified with Him(M) in order that sin’s dominion over the body[d] may be abolished,(N) so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, since a person who has died(O) is freed[e] from sin’s claims.[f] Now if we died with Christ,(P) we believe that we will also live with Him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead,(Q) will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him.(R) 10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin(S) but alive to God in Christ Jesus.[g]

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[h] its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts[i] of it to sin(T) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,(U) and all the parts[j] of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law(V) but under grace.(W)

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace?(X) Absolutely not!(Y) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[k] as obedient slaves,(Z) you are slaves of that one you obey(AA)—either of sin leading to death(AB) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(AC) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred[l] to,(AD) 18 and having been liberated from sin,(AE) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy[m](AF) because of the weakness of your flesh.[n] For just as you offered the parts[o] of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.[p](AG) 21 So what fruit was produced[q] then from the things you are now ashamed of?(AH) For the end of those things is death.(AI) 22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God,(AJ) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification[r](AK)—and the end is eternal life!(AL) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(AM)

Notas al pie

  1. Romans 6:4 Or in newness
  2. Romans 6:5 Be joined with Him
  3. Romans 6:6 Lit man; = the person before conversion
  4. Romans 6:6 Lit that the body of sin
  5. Romans 6:7 Or justified; lit acquitted
  6. Romans 6:7 Lit from sin
  7. Romans 6:11 Other mss add our Lord
  8. Romans 6:12 Other mss add sin (lit it) in
  9. Romans 6:13 Or members
  10. Romans 6:13 Or members
  11. Romans 6:16 Lit that to whom you offer yourselves
  12. Romans 6:17 Or entrusted
  13. Romans 6:19 Lit I speak humanly; Paul is personifying sin and righteousness as slave masters.
  14. Romans 6:19 Or your human nature
  15. Romans 6:19 Or members
  16. Romans 6:20 Lit free to righteousness
  17. Romans 6:21 Lit what fruit do you have
  18. Romans 6:22 Or holiness

Dead to Sin but Alive in Christ

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may increase? God forbid! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Do you not know that we who were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, so shall we also be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him, so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we should no longer be slaves to sin. For the one who has died is freed from sin.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death has no further dominion over Him. 10 For the death He died, He died to sin once for all, but the life He lives, He lives to God.

11 Likewise, you also consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but yield yourselves to God, as those who are alive from the dead, and your bodies to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

Slaves of Righteousness

15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? God forbid! 16 Do you not know that to whom you yield yourselves as slaves to obey, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, for you were slaves of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became the slaves of righteousness.

19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you have yielded your members as slaves to impurity and iniquity leading to more iniquity, even so now yield your members as slaves to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then from the things of which you are now ashamed? The result of those things is death. 22 But now, having been freed from sin and having become slaves of God, you have fruit unto holiness, and the end is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When Death Becomes Life

1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.

6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.

What Is True Freedom?

15-18 So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

19 I’m using this freedom language because it’s easy to picture. You can readily recall, can’t you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing—not caring about others, not caring about God—the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God’s freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?

20-21 As long as you did what you felt like doing, ignoring God, you didn’t have to bother with right thinking or right living, or right anything for that matter. But do you call that a free life? What did you get out of it? Nothing you’re proud of now. Where did it get you? A dead end.

22-23 But now that you’ve found you don’t have to listen to sin tell you what to do, and have discovered the delight of listening to God telling you, what a surprise! A whole, healed, put-together life right now, with more and more of life on the way! Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.