Romans Chapter 6:12-23/Commentary

Romans Chapter 6:12-23

Romans 6:12 “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey the lusts thereof” “Let not”: Here is the call to resist sin. Becoming a Christian does not remove the need for selfcontrol. “Therefore”: Here is the conclusion or practical application of the truths presented in 6:111. “Two lines of behavior will result, if a man thinks as he has been commanded to think (6:11).

First, he will stop letting sin reign in his body, and stop using his body to commit sins; secondly, he will yield only to God, and will use his body to do right things” (Reese p. 260). “Reign”: That is, to let sin rule as king in our lives. “Present active imperative, ‘let not sin continue to reign’ as it did once” (Robertson p. 363). “Paul addresses that part of man which has the control of the body. The body is a mere instrument to be used by the inner man, for good or bad. Our natural appetites and passions are not evil within themselves. They are God-given, and become evil only when they become the master, and thereby lead us into sinful thoughts and deeds” 1 Here is great hope for the person ensnared by some sinful habit or a pleasure that seems impossible to give up. God believes that Christians have within themselves the ability to resist sin! We can refuse to be the slave of our lusts (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9; 2 Timothy 2:22). The Greek here prohibits the continuance of an action that is already going on. “Stopping letting sin reign!” would be a good way to catch this implication. A Christian still has problems with temptations to sin, otherwise this exhortation would be pointless” (Reese p. 261). “In your”: While we do not have control of the bodies of others, we can control ourselves. “Mortal bodies”: “The body destined to die, must not be allowed to cause spiritual and eternal death!” 2 The body of the Christian still is subject to physical mortality even though he has risen to walk in the newness of life. “It is called the mortal body because it has not yet been redeemed (8:23) and thus is still under the curse of death (8:10)” (Cottrell p. 401). The verse clearly infers that the Christian is not immune from temptation and that sin can still be obeyed and can still use the body as a tool if we let it.

The body is a "neutral" instrument. The sin problem does not arise in the body; it comes from the heart (Mark 7:20-23).

1 2

Whiteside p. 135 Whiteside p. 136

Romans 6:13 “neither present your members unto sin {as} instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members {as} instruments of righteousness unto God” “Neither present”: “Do not go on presenting” (NASV). “Stop presenting your members or do not have the habit of doing so” (Robertson p. 363). “Do not offer any part of your bodies to sin” (TCNT).

Paul is not taking to the body he is talking to the person inside the body! These verses strongly contradict the view that seeks to convert sin into a mere physical addiction or problem caused by genetics. Paul is speaking to the soul in the body that makes the final decision of who to obey (6:16). Therefore, the body is not our real problem with it comes to temptation; rather, temptation is a heart issue (James 1:14ff). “Your members”: “Any part of your body” (Mon). See Proverbs 6:16-19. This would include the hands, feet, tongue, eyes and so on. “Most bodily desires are not evil in themselves (for God is the author or our body), but only become so when they are not kept within the boundaries of God’s laws. The very point of sin is to let these desires flow unchecked and unrestrained, as if we were no more than animals” (Cottrell p. 402). “When the devil exercises his reign over man, he wants first this member, now that, now all of them” (Reese p. 262). Giving the devil even “one member” is not to be tolerated. “Instruments”: The term here means an implement, utensil, tool or weapon. Let your mouth spread the gospel instead of gossip, let your hands help instead of hurt, let your feet run to assist instead of running away, let your eyes behold truth instead of trash. Away with the weak excuse of “I'm just too weak and I can't help myself”.

“Unrighteousness”: “This is what the devil wants me to use their bodily members to do.

Unrighteousness is everything that contradicts God’s standard of right, especially in our relations to other men” (Reese p. 262). “But present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead”: “The verb tense is now changed to aorist imperative. It evidently is intended to convey the idea that this presentation is to be a definite, once for all, commitment. The inner man, who has died and risen with Christ (6:4-11), is the one who is here given the responsibility of controlling the whole man’s behavior, of decisively putting his whole being at the disposal of God” (Reese p. 262). “As alive from the dead”: Grace does not give us an excuse to go on sinning, rather grace makes it all the more ethically necessary to stop sinning. Grace gives us a good reason to stop sinning, for we have been forgiven, we can actually please God, and we have a reason to try! “Your members as instruments of righteousness”: “Each man who is alive from the dead is faced with the tremendous alternative of making himself a tool in the hand of God, or a tool in the hand of Satan” (p. 263). If we are going to serve God then we must be prepared to present our entire inner being, mind, will, emotions, desires, motives, passions, love and our body to God’s service. “The image here is of someone presenting the assets under his control into the service of a monarch” (Cottrell p. 403).

Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace” “For”: Here is the reason behind verses 12-13. “Sin shall not have dominion over you”: “For sin shall not have the mastery over you” (Con). From the context we know that this is not an unconditional statement, for sin can have dominion over the Christian who ignores the teaching in this section (6:13,16). “For”: The reason why the Christian no longer has to be a slave to sin. “Ye

are not under law, but under grace”: Under a system that demands flawless law-keeping to maintain innocence, sin would rule us, because all sin (3:23). But under grace, for the person that seeks God's forgiveness and is always ready to repent, sin can never rule us, because forgiveness is always available (4:7-8; 1 John 1:8-2:1). “Under the reign of Christ sin does not have dominion over any one till he submits to its control and does not seek forgiveness” 3 “Sin shall not be your lord' is not only assurance, it is a call to arms. These people have been delivered from sin and are called now to act in that fashion by refusing to let Sin lord it over them” 4 Sadly some today have assumed that this verse is teaching that the Christian is not accountable to any law, but God rejects that selfish assumption in the next verse. The Christian is not under the Law of Moses, but the Christian is under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21). The fact that the Christian can still (if he chooses) present his members as instruments of sin and let sin reign in his body is proof that the Christian is under law, because sin cannot exist where there is no law to violate. Cottrell reminds us that “living under the prospect of the penalty of eternal condemnation is itself a form of bondage to sin” (p. 406). Consider:    

There is no reason why I must sin, because my mind and body were both created by God and were never designed for sinful purposes.

I can be forgiven so I cannot say, “Oh well, it’s no use resisting temptation. I am going to hell anyway” Forgiveness is so accessible, so there is no good reason for remaining in a sin.

If God gave His Son to die for me so I can get out of sin, He must also have equally given me a body and mind that can resist and incentives in His word as well.

Romans 6:15 “What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid” “What then?”: Another turn in the argument about the gospel that Paul preaches. “Shall we sin, because”: “Surely, the objector says, we may take a night off now and then and sin a little bit, ‘since we are under grace’” (Robertson p. 364).

The mistake of thinking that being freed from a system of favor with God based on flawless lawkeeping, means that I can do anything I please! Since the demand for flawlessness has been removed, does that mean that occasional sinning is quite acceptable? Paul quickly rejects such an idea, “May it never be!”: Paul has already pointed out that favor with God is based on an obedient faith and forgiveness, this establishes law rather than making it irrelevant or relative (3:31). The person who sincerely seeks forgiveness is demonstrating a great respect for God’s law, because he realizes that his transgressions are serious, and they are inexcusable, and need to be forgiven! Men often feel that they have two choices. They can either choose autonomy and be a law unto themselves, to they can choose to submit to the authority of someone else. In the next verse the Holy Spirit will make it clear that such a choice is fiction. The choice between autonomy 3 4

Whiteside p. 137 McGuiggan p. 201

and submitting to authority does not even exist in the real world. “We are slaves and always will be, whether we are under law or grace. The only choice we have is which master we will serve.

Grace does not diminish our obligation to obey His commands a single iota” (Cottrell p. 407).

Romans 6:16 “Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves {as} servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Paul's point is that one cannot be the servant of one master and serve another. We cannot make the choice to serve sin (little or much), and still be a servant of God (Matthew 6:24).

“Know ye not”: “Slavery was commonplace in the Roman Empire of the first century. In large urban areas nearly half of the population were either slaves or freed slaves, therefore the first recipients of Paul’s letter would have been very much at home with this metaphor. The principle is this: when you make a decision to obey someone, you become that persons’ slave” (Cottrell p.

410). Today we might miss something here, because in our culture after we finish our day on the job the rest of the day is ours. “It must be remembered that slaves had no time they could call their own; every moment belonged to the master” (Reese p. 265). “Present”: Our master is not whom we claim to serve, but whom we actually do serve with our bodies. “You are slaves of the master whom you obey” (NEB). Case closed! This word present suggests a choice, a voluntary cooperation, and a willing presentation.

“God does not force us to accept the freedom bought for us, we are not forced to be servants of sin, nor does God force us to be servants of righteousness. The life we live determines whose servants we are” 5 “Sin unto death”: -Sin always leads to spiritual death, and eventually to eternal death, yes, even for the Christian. “Obedience unto righteousness”: The faith that finds favor and acquittal with God, then is an obedient faith. Compare with Romans 4:3 and 1:17. “Of course these are the only alternatives” 6 “Sin has a tendency to enslave the sinner. The first time he lies, he may be horrified; the second time, only somewhat shaken; the third time lying seems far more natural and easy. At last the sin of telling untruths has him in its grasp” (Hendriksen p. 204). Cottrell reminds us that we cannot choose both sin and righteousness at the same time (Luke 16:13), but neither can we decline to choose (Joshua 24:15). Remember that Jesus said, everyone who sins is the slave to sin (John 8:34). “Unto righteousness”: This is the outcome of obeying God. “Obedience”: Remember, Paul is speaking to people who are under grace! Under grace, one is obligated to obey, in fact our obedience to God is the very essence of our service. True obedience always leads to a righteous life. What God is saying is that in offering oneself as God’s servant, such service demands a “total, radical, exclusive obedience, rather than being free from moral restraint, contrary to the objection in 6:15; we have placed ourselves even more firmly under it” (Cottrell p. 412).

5 6

Whiteside pp. 138-139 Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 635

Romans 6:17 “But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered” “Thanks be to God”: “Thank God for that were. It isn't an are" 7 “Ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient”: Release from the bondage of sin is both conditional and it is conditioned upon our response, ye became obedient. God did not force us to be obedient and neither did He obey for us. There is clearly no direct operation of the Holy Spirit in this passage. “From the heart”: “Now yielded a hearty obedience” (Wey). When they had become Christians, they understood the message. It was a conscious decision, and they wanted to do it. The term obedient demands something to obey, like the commands to repent (Acts 2:38); confess Christ (Romans 10:9-10); and be baptized (Acts 22:16). This is a sincere, earnest, deeply felt and motivated obedience and is in contrast to service that is outward only, with the heart remaining in rebellion.

“To that form of teaching”: “Form of doctrine” (KJV). “Pattern of teaching” (NEB). Notice that in being freed from sin, these people had obeyed a definite teaching. The word translated form means a pattern, mold, outline or model. And the word for teaching is the ordinary word for doctrine. The pattern of teaching found in the context is the pattern of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ found in baptism. When we obeyed the command to be baptized from the heart, which is an exact pattern of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we were freed from sin (Mark 16:16). “Putting verses 16 and 17 together, we are told that the ‘form of doctrine’ is to be ‘obeyed’ if one is to experience ‘righteousness’ (obedience unto righteousness)” (Reese p. 268). If baptism is part of the package in an obedience that results in righteousness then clearly it is essential to salvation, because salvation and being declared righteous are one and the same.

“Whereunto ye were delivered”: “To which you were committed” (NASV) Romans 6:18 “and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness” “And being”: “Being then made free from sin” (KJV). Indicating that one is freed from sin at the point that they obey from the heart the form of teaching, that is at the point of being baptized (Mark 16:16; 1 Peter 3:21). Notice that no one was freed from sin or saved prior to obeying the form of teaching. No one in Rome was saved at the point of mental assent or faith only. “Made free”: “(aorist participle, passive), having been made free (NASV), at the point when they were molded into the likeness of Christ's death to sin and resurrection to newness of life” 8 In the context, being made free from sin is the same thing as righteousness. Again, grace does not eliminate the need to obey because grace brings us into a situation in which we are now servants of righteousness. To be freed from sin is liberty indeed. “We never rightly belonged to sin. We were not created for the power, to sin. Freed from that power at last, we can fulfill the purpose of our being” (Lenski p. 428).

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McGuiggan p. 202 McGuiggan p. 203

Romans 6:19 “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye presented your members {as} servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now present your members {as} servants to righteousness unto sanctification” “I speak after the manner of men”: “I use an everyday illustration because human nature grasps truth more readily that way” (Phi) Paul is borrowing an illustration from everyday life in the Roman world. “Infirmity of your flesh”: “Weakness of your flesh” (NASV). Why does he keep on illustrating? Why is another illustration from the slave/master relationship given? “Because some folks find it difficult to follow a discourse without clear illustration of the principles involved. This is an ‘infirmity’ of the flesh. We need to keep this in mind in our teaching, don't we!” 9 Because of our spiritual dullness at times (no total depravity here), God uses very simple illustrations rather to help us understand profound spiritual truths. “For as ye”: Here is the past—note no one had forced them to serve sin and they had not ended up in sin against their will. “Uncleanness”: “All sins are impure in that they contradict the purity of the holy character of God, and all sins are lawlessness in that they are disobedience to the law of God. This is just a more intense way of saying we were slaves to sin (6:16,20)” (Cottrell p. 416).

“Iniquity unto iniquity”: “Wickedness, which leads to further wickedness” (TCNT). One cannot sin ones way out of sin. Some are under the mistaken impression that if they can just get their fill of sin, sow enough wild oats, that sin will no longer appeal to them. “I'll serve God when I've had my fill, when I'm done having fun” is the excuse offered by some. But sinning does not lead to anything spiritual or positive, in fact the more that I yield to sin and offer my body as its tool, the more that become infected with an attitude of lawlessness. Sinning only results in a engrained habit of sinning.

“Even so now”: As you freely entered into sin, by your own choice, so freely make the choice to serve God! Man comes out of sin just like he entered it, by an exercise of his choice. “Resulting in sanctification”: “Just as a habit pattern of service to impurity and lawlessness resulted in further lawlessness, so sanctification is here given as the result of a life of service to righteousness.

Sanctification would seem to be a process, a continual growth towards a more holy, God-like character, a growing dedication to God and His service” (Reese p. 272). Notice that sanctification is not something that mysteriously happens to you against your will, and neither does it result in an immunity to temptation. Sanctification requires our cooperation (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Romans 6:20 “For when ye were servants of sin, ye were free in regard of righteousness” “Free in regard of righteousness”: Sin, not righteousness, was your master then. Please observe that Paul is not saying that the sinner is not accountable to God, for what makes the sinner a sinner is the fact that he is transgressing God’s law. “Just as you were once fully devoted to sinning, so must you now live as slaves to righteousness instead” (Cottrell p. 417). The freedom here is not a happy freedom, but “one that is insidious and deadly” (p. 418).

9

McGuiggan p. 204

Romans 6:21 “What fruit then had ye at that time in the things whereof ye are now ashamed?

For the end of those things is death” “Fruit”: “Well, what did you gain by it all? Nothing but what you are now ashamed of!” (Mof) The term fruit can mean result, consequence, or profit. “Had ye at that time”: When you were serving sin. “In the things”: The sinful things. “Whereof ye are now ashamed?”: Sin always takes you farther than you thought you would go, it keeps you longer than you planned to stay, and costs you more than it's advertised price. “Shame” is not found in the gospel message (1:16), but plenty of it is found in a life lived apart from God (1:26-27). “Shame is not the same as the feeling of guilt or the sense of regret with respect to sin. It is more a feeling of inner pain and humiliation and disgrace that causes us to wonder how we could ever have done those things which seem too repulsive and hateful to us now. Such a feeling of shame with reference to our former sins is a necessary aspect of repentance and sanctification. To be without shame is to be under sin’s dominion” (Cottrell pp. 418-419).

“Sin promises to be a friend while it really is a foe; it promises life while it brings death; it promises freedom while it brings slavery; it promises laughter while it brings remorse and shame” 10 “The end of those things is death”: Always look ahead to see where your life is headed. A life lived apart from God is only facing a eternal dead end.

Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life” “Have your fruit”: “Derive your benefit” (NASV). Notice the contrast! Sin results in spiritual and eternal death, plus a lot of shame and guilt. Obedience to God results in increasing holiness and purity. No guilt here, only confidence and self-respect. “Sanctification”: “The fruit that you reap is an ever-increasing holiness” (TCNT). “Your fruit is growth in holiness” (Con). “And the end”: Always remember the “end”. This is one of the problems with human theories, movies, novels, and television shows; they never factor the true and ultimate end of the story.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” “For”: Just as there are only two forms of slavery there are ultimately only two rewards. “The wages of sin”: “Sin pays its wages in full with no cut” (Robertson p. 365). “Sin pays its serfs by punishing them” (Vincent p. 73). Those who participate in sin earn and merit eternal destruction.

Yes sin; our sins do deserve eternal separation from God. We may complain about the price, but that does not change reality. The judgment that the sinner faces is just and due (Romans 2:5-6).

Remember, the devil does not reward the sinner, rather God is the one who pays out to the sinner what he has earned, and what he has earned for all his rebellion is eternal suffering. “Free gift of God”: After all the obedience of a lifetime, after a life of faithful service, after a life of seeking God's 10

McGuiggan p. 204

will, after a life of helping others, after a life of teaching others the truth, after a lifetime of worship, eternal life is still an unmerited and undeserved free gift (Luke 17:10). Carefully note that the term free does not mean that grace has no conditions, for this free gift is only given to those who obey God (6:22). “In Christ Jesus our Lord�: Eternal life is only found in a relationship with Christ, and faith and baptism stand between one and being in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27).