Session 4.15: March 20, 2026
Study session scripture: Romans 6:1-14
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Study session topics:
The triumph of grace over the power of sin
“What shall we say, then?" -Paul is rhetorically asking what the logical conclusion of God's triumphant grace is (5:20-21)
Antinomian objection: if sin is overtaken by grace, then sin doesn't matter, so sin away
Paul's position: God's grace transforms the Christian into a person who actively fights against sin in their life
Paul's case against antinomianism
The Christian has died to sin--What does this mean?
The Christian is no longer responsive to sin
This is mistaken both because Christians do still sin and because it ignores Paul's exhortation (6:12-13)
The Christian should die to sin
This does take Paul's exhortation into account, but it ignores the verb tense of died-this refers to something that has already happened
The Christian has died to sin's guilt
While this is accurate, it doesn't answer why we can no longer live in sin
The Christian has been freed from the dominion of sin over their life
This view makes sense of Paul's exhortation while answering why we do not continue in sin -Paul bolsters his argument against antinomianism by returning to his discussion of unity with Christ from Chapter 5
The vine and the branches -branches of a grape vine will bear grapes (Luke 6:43-44) -we who are nourished and strengthened by Christ's power will bear fruit in keeping with repentance
The foundation and the house -building our house on the rock is contingent on hearing Christ's words and doing them (Matthew 7:24)
The head and the body -a body whose limbs rebel against the brain's control is in poor health
Marriage -habitually and willfully doing things to which your spouse is fundamentally opposed will harm your marriage
Paul adds a new image of unity with Christ--baptism -immersion in water unites us with Christ's death -coming up from the water unites us with Christ's resurrection
Paul goes as far as to say that our old self was crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)
Paul now answers a critical question: if we are not to continue in sin, how can we triumph over it? By knowing what God has done for us when he joined us to Christ
The word know is used multiple times in this passage, and each know is followed by implications for those who have been united to Christ
v. 3: we are buried with Christ by baptism so that we can participate in His resurrection and new life
v. 6: our old self dying with Christ frees us from enslavement to sin
v. 9: as Christ has died, and now lives a new life to God, so we should consider ourselves dead to the power of sin
Study session audio: