“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (KJV, Rom 6:1-2).
For whatever reason, it would appear that one of the most overlooked chapters of the Bible is Romans 6. The Christian must learn to spend large amounts of time in Romans 6 as the teachings are critical to the Christian’s spiritual health. Romans 6 is not just one chapter among many. It may very well be the most vital chapter in the Bible concerning the Christian’s identity in Christ and spiritual growth.
“What shall we say then?”
Paul starts Romans chapter 6 with a common expression. He says, “What shall we say then?” Reading the Bible in context is essential. While the chapters and divisions in the Bible can be helpful, they are not divinely inspired and were not present when the authors of the Bible wrote their various books.
When we read, “What shall we say then?” we must logically ask ourselves, “Why is Paul asking this question?” The question flows out of what has been previously written by Paul. Thus, the question comes from the immediate context.
“Shall we continue in sin”
The first half of Paul’s second question consists of continuing in sin. To continue in sin is not the same as continuing as a sinner. The Christian is a sinner and will always be a sinner on this side of eternity. However, a significant difference exists between continuing in sin and being a sinner. Being a sinner speaks more about someone’s condition, while continuing in sin speaks more about someone’s actions.
To continue in sin is to persist in sin. The Greek word that is translated as “continue” is epimeno which means to abide, remain, or persevere in sin. It could also carry the meaning of tarrying. It is the same Greek word used in Romans 11:22 and 11:23 to speak of the Israelites continuing in God’s goodness or their unbelief.
“that grace may abound?”
But here we see the second half of the question. Paul asked, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul did not think it was a good idea to continue in sin so that grace would abound, as we will see. However, Paul needed to pose the question. But why?
Paul had anticipated what someone might ask in response to his teachings. Before Romans 6, we read a lot about man’s sin and God’s grace. We read about how the Gentiles and the Jews find themselves guilty before God because of their sin.
But then we read of the good news of the Gospel. In Romans 3, Paul starts to teach about elements of the Gospel that would have confused many. First, he tells of a righteousness outside of God’s law. Second, he speaks of the one who has sinned but can be justified by God’s grace as a gift. Third, he tells of Christ’s propitiating work by His blood.
Simply put, Paul tells us that salvation is a free gift of God and does not come through works. Instead, Paul points us to the faith of Abraham in Romans 4. Paul tells us that Abraham was counted righteous before the works he had committed, and whoever does not work but has faith like Abraham will also be counted as righteous like Abraham.
In Romans 5:12-21, Paul goes into his teaching on the Christian’s union with Christ. First, Paul teaches the subject of the believers union with Christ by comparing and contrasting Adam and Jesus. Second, he tells us that Adam was the legal representative of humanity but that Christ also came to fill that role. Therefore, everyone who has ever lived has been in Adam or Christ.
Romans 5:12-21 is filled with the unbeneficial consequences of being in Adam versus the blessings of being in Christ. Paul tells us in Romans 5:20-21, “Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:20-21). Here we see Paul speaking of the grace of God that abounded during times of sin.
But why did the grace of God abound? The grace of God abounded through the righteousness of Christ so that grace would reign in the believer’s life, causing the believer to inherit eternal life. Wow! It is as though the believer does not need to do anything but believe. Paul anticipated the reaction of some. Good Gospel preaching will leave some to conclude that they can continue in sin because the grace of God overwhelms their sin. Therefore, Paul asked, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?”
“God forbid”
But here we see that Paul did not believe that someone could continue in sin so that the grace of God would abound. Paul’s repose was “God forbid,” or it could be translated as “Absolutely not” or something of the like. The expression Paul used carries a sense of righteous anger, as though Paul was outraged at the thought. Absolutely not; a person must never continue in sin.
“How shall we, that are dead to sin”
Paul tells the reader why someone must never abide or remain in his sin. The first reason Paul gives comes as a question yet again. The question can be broken into two parts. The first part is that the Christian is dead to sin.
The Bible has much to say about the believer being dead to sin. The book of Galatians says, “For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live to God” (Gal. 2:19). Later in Romans, we read, “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ…” (Rom. 7:4). Paul says in Colossians, “For ye are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). The resounding teaching of Scripture is that the Christian has died to sin.
However, little is said about the death of the Christian in modern teaching, which may speak of the lack of holiness in the modern era. Therefore, the Christian must gain an understanding of his death in Christ and his death to sin.
Paul was concerned that the Christian did not abuse the grace of God or misunderstand his teachings. In Pauls’s concern, we see that it was the Christian’s death, first and foremost, that Paul brought to the forefront.
“live any longer therein”
The second part of the question naturally flows from the first part. Paul asked, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” The connection is relatively simple. Paul is telling us that there cannot be life where there is death.
If someone takes this concept back to the Garden, it may help him to understand. When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, it brought spiritual death. God told them they could not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil because if they ate from the tree, they would die. When they ate, they died spiritually. Thus, they lacked spiritual life. Where there is death, there is no life.
Do you remember what the word continue means? It means to remain, abide, persist in, etc. When someone has died to sin, he will not live in sin. He will not remain in sin, abide in sin, or persist in sin. It is contradictory to say that when someone dies, he will continue to go on living.
We see from the Bible that when someone dies, he enters a new realm with a new reality. It is not a reality for someone to be a Christian and continue in sin. While there may be times of backsliding and struggle along the way, Paul tells us that the Christian cannot live in a state of sin.
Final prayer
Father, thank You for the teachings of Paul. Help me to take Your Word seriously and to find encouragement in my union with Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.