ROMANS 6

Sometimes the arguments in Paul's letters are a little hard to follow because they seem to circle around themselves and repeat the same language. A rough guide to Romans 6 can be provided by the diagram below, which shows that two somewhat similar hypothetical objections to Paul's concept of grace are treated in much the same manner:

What then? Should we continue to sin? (v. 1)

    By no means! (v. 2)

        Do you not know? (v. 3)

            Argument based on the practice of baptism (vv. 4-11)

                Don't present your members...but present your members (vv. 12-13)

                    You are under grace (v. 14)

What then? Should we sin? (v. 15a)

    By no means! (v. 15b)

        Do you not know? (v. 16)

             Argument based on the practice of slavery (vv. 17-19a)

                  You once presented your members...now present your members (v. 19b)

                      The free gift from God of eternal life (vv. 20-23)

Unifying this whole chapter from a literary point of view are two techniques:

    1. The concept of grace opens and closes each of these two parallel cycles.

    2. There is a symmetrical arrangement running throughout – “enslaved...slaves (7x)...enslaved.”

Verses 3-5 Jesus' death, burial and resurrection are enacted by the believer in the act of baptism by immersion. The vast majority of Christian denominations today miss this rich symbolism entirely by either (a) sprinkling with water instead of immersion and/or (b) conducting the rite on one who has not yet reached the point of belief or on one who has been a believer for an extended period of time. In neither of the two latter situations does recital of v. 4 make any sense.

Whereas verses 4-5 talk about a present raising of the believer with Christ, passages such as Ephesians 2:5-6 and Colossians 2:12-13 stress a future raising. Of course, there is no contradiction since both occur.

Verse 6 Similar contrasts between a believer's past and present life are presented by Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24 and Colossians 3:9-11. The point of departure between the two lives is located at the point of believer's baptism (Melick). Although the wording in these three passages differs somewhat, there is no contradiction between the three statements.

John Stott points out that the Greek word for “destroy” means to make ineffective or inactive. Thus, “our fallen nature continues to assert itself, and death will go on claiming us until Christ comes. It is not, then, that they have ceased to exist, but that their power has been broken. They have not been abolished, but they have been overthrown.”

Verse 8 Both II Timothy 2:11 and this verse speak of dying and living with Christ, but the Romans passage refers to Christian baptism while in II Timothy, dying a martyr's death is in mind. (William Hendricksen)

Verses 9, 12, 14 The Greek word translated as “have dominion” is related to the word “lord / master.”

Verse 10 Also see Hebrews 7:27; 9:12,28; 10:10; and I Peter 3:18.

Verse 13 Davidson and Martin note that the two different verb tenses here for “present” infer that we should not continue to sin but to make a one-time choice to yield to holy living.

Verses 15-23 The second half of the chapter answers those who would teach cheap grace. Furnish makes two key points regarding these verses:

    (1) “First, the Christian's obedience is inseparable from the event of God's grace which makes it possible. God's grace constitutes not just the summons to obedience but the possibility of obedience.” 

   (2) “In the second place...Paul does not equate obedience with the performance of 'righteous deeds' moralistically or legalistically conceived...righteousness is not something under their control. Instead, it is that by which they are to be controlled.”

Verse 16 I think of the lyrics to Bob Dylan's song: “You've got to serve someone. It may be the Devil and it may be the Lord, but you've got to serve someone.”

Verse 17 NRSV renders the Greek literally: “you obeyed from the heart.”

Verse 19 Furnish notes the somewhat complicated relationship between God, righteousness and sanctification. Comparison of v. 13 with v. 22, or v. 20 with v. 22, seems to equate God with righteousness. On the other hand, comparison of verses 13 and 19 indicates that righteousness and sanctification are the same. Whatever the case, he concludes that v. 19 should not be taken to imply “that sanctification is the highest level of righteousness.”

Verse 23 “All sinners die. They die eternally, or they die baptismally.” (Kolb)