What is the meaning of Romans 6:2? Certainly not! – Paul has just asked whether God’s grace means believers may “continue in sin so that grace may increase” (Romans 6:1). His immediate response is an emphatic refusal: “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:2). – The phrase is the same forceful denial found elsewhere (Romans 3:6; 6:15; Galatians 2:17), underscoring that any suggestion of using grace as a license for sin is utterly foreign to the gospel. – Scripture consistently teaches that forgiveness does not void God’s moral standards (Matthew 5:17-20; Titus 2:11-12). Rather, grace trains us to “deny ungodliness” and “live sensibly, righteously, and godly” in the present age. How can we – Paul turns from refusal to incredulity: “How can we…?” It is a rhetorical question that appeals to spiritual common sense. – Once someone is joined to Christ, persisting in sin clashes with the new identity. John makes a similar appeal: “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning” (1 John 3:6). – Peter uses the same logic: after being rescued, “How is it that you return to the same flood of debauchery?” (1 Peter 4:3-4). – The question invites believers to think, not excuse themselves. A changed position before God must lead to a changed practice before the world (Ephesians 4:1). We who died to sin – At conversion we were united with Christ in His death (Romans 6:3-4). Because He literally died, we literally share in that death’s power. – “Our old self was crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6), so sin’s dominion is broken. Paul echoes this in Colossians 2:20 and Galatians 2:20: believers have “died with Christ.” – Dying to sin does not mean sin becomes impossible, but that its reign is over. It lost its legal authority to command us (Colossians 1:13-14). – Practical outworking: • Count yourselves dead to sin (Romans 6:11). • Present your bodies to God, not to sin (Romans 6:13). • Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the flesh (Galatians 5:16). live in it any longer? – “Live” pictures a settled lifestyle. Paul is not addressing momentary failure but habitual, willful practice. – Just as one cannot live underwater and breathe air, a believer cannot spiritually breathe the atmosphere of persistent sin. – Other passages reinforce the same contrast: • “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13). • “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). • “Put off your former way of life… be renewed… put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). – The verse calls for ongoing repentance, daily choices, and Spirit-empowered obedience that fit our new identity. summary Romans 6:2 slams the door on any notion that grace encourages sin. Because believers have truly died with Christ, it is unthinkable to remain in a lifestyle ruled by sin. Grace not only cancels guilt; it liberates from sin’s dominion and empowers holy living. |
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