The Word Made Fresh
1So, what can we say – that we can continue in sin so that grace may abound? 2Of course not! If we have died to sin, how can we still live in sin? 3Don’t you realize that everyone who has been baptized into Christ Jesus was also baptized into his death? 4In other words, we are dead and buried with him through baptism, for just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God, we also will continue to live on with new life.
5You see, if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will surely be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him, and therefore our sinful body is destroyed, and we are no longer slaves to sin. 7Those who have died are freed from sin. 8But, if we have died as followers of Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9Christ was raised from the dead and therefore will never die again because death no longer has any power over him. 10When he died he died to sin, but when he rose he now lives to God. 11So, you also have died to sin and are now alive to God in Christ Jesus.
12So, don’t allow sin to rule your bodies with passions,13and stop giving your bodies over to sin and wickedness. Instead, give your bodies over to God because you have been purchased from death to life, so give yourselves to God in order to serve as God’s righteous weapons. 14Sin can have no power over you because you are no longer under law, but are now under grace.
15So, should we sin because we are no longer under the law, but under grace instead? Of course not! 16Don’t you know that if you give yourself over to anyone else as an obedient servant, you become a servant of the one you obey: you will either become a servant of sin (which results in death) or a servant of obedience (which results in righteousness)? 17But thank God that although you were once a slave to sin, now you have become obedient and are being led to righteousness. 18You have been freed from sin, and are now servants of righteousness. 19Of course, I am using human terms because that is what is familiar to you. Just as you once presented your bodies as servants to sinfulness, now you are servants of righteousness and are being sanctified.
20When you were servants of sin you were not bound by righteousness. 21So, what did you gain from those things you are now ashamed of? The result of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and are instead servants of God, what you have gained is divine grace and the result is eternal life. 23What do you gain from sin? Death! But God’s gift of life eternal is free in Christ Jesus our Lord!
Commentary
1-5: None of this means, however, that our sin causes grace to abound: Grace abounded in Jesus Christ because of God, not because of sin. To be baptized into Christ means that we participated in his death. To Paul it therefore stands to reason that we shall participate in his resurrection as well.
6-11: By “our old self” Paul means our unjustified self. The crucifixion brought justification to the believer. Therefore, the believer is dead to sin. And because Christ was raised from the dead, we too are alive to God.
12-14: So, we do not have to give in to sin. In Christ sin has been conquered, and the law does not condemn those who live in him.
15-19: This is the first time Paul has mentioned any specific curriculum for the Christian. Being obedient to these teachings, the core sayings of Jesus, has the benefit of freeing one from sin. Paul uses the terminology of slavery to illustrate the change of allegiance that takes place in the heart of the follower of Jesus; we cease being slaves to sin and become slaves to righteousness.
20-23: Being “slaves of sin” is Paul’s way of referring to those who believe salvation consists of obedience to the law; but he has repeatedly made the point that the law can only condemn, and thus the only possible outcome is death. Being enslaved to God, however, places one in line to receive the gift of eternal life.
Takeaway
Faith is the one essential quality required for the blessing of life eternal. But for faith, we have no way of responding to the grace of God.