Romans 6:12-18
Chapter 6
Freed from Sin, Servants of God
Do not let sin control your mortal bodies; do not submit yourselves to its evil desires,and do not give your members over to sin as tools for evil. Instead, offer yourselves, as people who have been brought back from death to life, and let the members of your body be as holy tools in the service of God.
Sin will not dominate you again, for you are not under the law but under grace.
I ask again: are we to sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not.
If you have surrendered yourselves to someone as his slave, you are to obey the one who commands you, aren’t you? Now, with sin, you face death, and by accepting faith, you follow the right path.
Let us thank God, for after having sin as your master, you have been given to another—the doctrine of faith to which you listen willingly.
And, free from sin, you began to serve true righteousness.
Commentaries
Freed from Sin, Servants of God.
Because they live in mortal bodies, Christians remain vulnerable to sin, which must dominate and subdue them. Unlike Greek thought, which viewed the body and material world as evil, Paul affirms the unity of the person and that the body can and should be used by God as a force for good (13). The Christian life involves an ongoing tension between sin and God. There is no middle ground, no room for neutrality, or as the proverb says, “you cannot serve two masters.” “Whoever is not with me is against me” (Mt 12:30). Paul illustrates this tension with the most potent image he has—one that he knows will resonate with his readers: the image of slavery. Many Christians in Rome were likely actual slaves. Two types of slavery are presented to Christians as choices in life: slavery to sin or slavery to Christ. Sin leads its servants to death. In contrast, “obedience” to Christ—where he no longer refers to slavery—results in salvation and, through it, life.