Romans 6
6 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.
19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.
20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our close friends adopted their son and were told that they should tell him early that he was adopted. He was seven, and his parents sat him down to tell him the full story. They explained that his birth mother couldn’t care for him, so they had adopted him when he was just a few months old. The reassured him that he was loved but also that he was chosen.
He processed this for a moment, then asked, “So does that mean my birth mom can come take me back?”
“No, sweetheart,” his dad said. “The adoption is final. Legal. Permanent. You’re ours forever. She has no claim on you anymore.”
“But what if she changes her mind?”
“It doesn’t matter. The judge signed the papers. You belong to this family now. That can never be undone.”
“What if you change your mind?”
“We can not change our minds. You are our family now forever.”
This is the radical reality Paul wants us to understand in Romans 6. We have been adopted by God.
Paul has just finished explaining justification by faith—that we’re made right with God through Jesus, not our own efforts. But he knows what people will think: “If we’re saved by grace, does it even matter how we live? Should we just keep sinning so grace can keep flowing?” (Romans 6:1).
Paul’s response is sharp: “By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (v. 2).
This is like an adopted child being told that they won’t be kicked out of the family for acting badly. They are adopted and are in… but their behaviour should start to match their new security and identity.
When you came to Christ, you weren’t just improved or reformed. You died. The old you—the one enslaved to sin, bound to its wages, trapped in its family system—was executed with Christ on the cross (v. 6). And then you were raised with him to “live a new life” (v. 4).
You’ve been adopted out of death’s household into life’s household. Sin is your former master, your old family system. And this transfer is legal, final, and permanent. Sin has no more claim on you.
But here’s the thing: just because the adoption papers are signed doesn’t mean you immediately feel like you belong to your new family. My friend’s son still had moments where he’d wonder if his birth mother might show up. He’d still have fears. Old insecurities.
That’s why Paul says, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (v. 12). Sin will still call to you. It will still make demands, still whisper that you belong to it, still act like it has authority over you. But these are empty threats from a former master who has no legal ground to stand on.
The question isn’t whether sin still has power over you—it doesn’t. The question is whether you’ll believe that truth and live accordingly.
Paul’s instruction is clear and practical: “Offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of his righteousness” (v. 13).
This isn’t about earning your place in God’s family—you already have it through Christ. This is about learning to live like you actually belong here. It’s about offering your time, your hands, your words, your choices to a Father who chose you, freed you, and is shaping you into who you were always meant to be.
You’re not a slave trying to work your way to freedom. You’re a son or daughter learning to live in the freedom you’ve already been given.
- What “old voices” from your past still try to convince you that you belong to sin?
- How would your daily decisions change if you truly believed you’ve been permanently adopted into God’s family?
- What’s one specific way you can “offer yourself to God” today as someone who belongs to him?
