How does Romans 6:7 relate to the doctrine of justification by faith? Romans 6:7 — The Text “For the one who has died has been freed from sin.” Greek: ὁ γὰρ ἀποθανὼν δεδικαίωται ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας (ho gar apothanōn dedikaiōtai apo tēs hamartias). Key Vocabulary: “δεδικαίωται” (dedikaiōtai) • Perfect-passive-indicative of δικαιόω (dikaioō) • Core meaning: “to justify, declare righteous, acquit.” • Perfect tense: completed action with continuing result. • Passive voice: God is the acting Agent. Immediate Context: Romans 6:1-14 1. Verses 1-2: Believers, united with Christ, cannot continue in sin. 2. Verses 3-6: Baptism symbolizes co-crucifixion, co-burial, and co-resurrection with Christ. 3. Verse 7: The forensic outcome of that death with Christ is stated—freedom from sin’s judicial claim. 4. Verses 8-14: Resultant life of sanctification. Justification Defined • Legal declaration by God that a sinner is righteous on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary atonement (Romans 3:24-26; 5:1). • Received “by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). • Distinct yet inseparable from sanctification; justification is the root, sanctification the fruit. How Romans 6:7 Connects Justification and Sanctification 1. Forensic Freedom: “Has been justified [freed] from sin” uses δικαιόω to describe a legal emancipation. Justification breaks sin’s penalty; sanctification breaks sin’s power. 2. Union with Christ: Romans 6 treats believers as having truly died with Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:14). The moment of faith unites the person to the once-for-all judicial act that occurred at Calvary and was vindicated in the Resurrection (Romans 4:25). 3. Logical Continuity: Paul’s argument flows from Romans 5:18-19 (one act of righteousness brings justification) into Romans 6. Because justification is real, ethical transformation must follow. Verse 7 is the hinge: the justified person is necessarily free to now walk in newness of life. 4. Perfect-Passive: The perfect tense anchors the believer’s status in a past completed act (the Cross), while the passive shows God’s initiative—mirroring Romans 3:26 (“so that He might be just and the justifier”). Cross-References Illustrating the Link • Romans 4:5 — God “justifies the ungodly.” • Romans 5:1 — “Having been justified through faith, we have peace with God.” • Colossians 2:20; 3:3 — “You died with Christ.” • Galatians 2:19-20 — “I have been crucified with Christ… I live by faith.” Historical Theological Witness • Augustine, On the Spirit and the Letter, 26: “He that is dead is absolved from sin.” • Calvin, Institutes III.xi.16: marks Romans 6:7 as proof that justification precedes sanctification. • Westminster Confession XI.2 echoes the passage: “Faith… embraces and rests upon Christ and His righteousness.” Addressing Common Objections 1. Objection: “δικαιόω here simply means ‘released,’ not ‘justified.’” Reply: Paul consistently uses δικαιόω in Romans for forensic justification (cf. 3:24, 4:25, 5:1). The semantic field allows “set free,” but in Romans the freedom is judicial. Context ties it to legal deliverance from sin’s penalty. 2. Objection: “If we’re already justified, moral effort is irrelevant.” Reply: Paul answers in 6:2 “By no means!” The very act that justifies also unites us to the life-giving resurrection (6:4), producing holiness (6:22). Practical Implications • Assurance: Because justification is completed, the believer’s standing is secure (Romans 8:1); sanctification proceeds from security, not insecurity. • Motivation: Freedom from condemnation energizes obedience out of gratitude, not fear. • Identity: The Christian no longer defines self by past failures but by God’s verdict in Christ. Conclusion Romans 6:7 anchors the doctrine of justification by faith within the believer’s union with Christ’s death. The perfect-passive “has been justified” proclaims an irreversible legal emancipation from sin’s penalty, making ongoing sanctification not optional but inevitable. Justification by faith is therefore both the fountainhead of peace with God and the foundation for a life increasingly conformed to His holiness. |
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