VI. (1-5) These considerations might seem to lead to an Antinomian conclusion. If the increase of sin has only led to a larger measure of forgiveness it might be thought well to continue in sin, and so to enhance the measure and glory of forgiving grace. But to the Christian this is impossible. In... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL WE CONTINUE IN SIN? — Again the Apostle is drawn into one of those subtle casuistical questions that had such a great attraction for him. But he soon returns to the root-ideas of his own system. In previous Chapter s he had dealt with one of the two great root-ideas, justification by faith; he... [ Continue Reading ]
THAT ARE DEAD. — Rather, _that died._ It is well to bear in mind Dr. Lightfoot’s remarks on the importance of keeping the strict aorist sense as opposed to that of the perfect (_i.e.,_ the single past action as opposed to the prolonged or continued action) in passages such as this. “St. Paul regards... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT. — It should be as in the Greek, _Or know ye not._ Do you not admit this principle; or am I to suppose that you are ignorant? &c. WERE BAPTIZED INTO JESUS CHRIST — _i.e.,_ “into communion with Him and incorporation in His mystical body” (Ellicott on Galatians 3:27). “As many of you as h... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM. — Burial, is the consequence of death. It is the seal set upon it, as it were, which shows that no revival is possible. Besides, it is the one step which separates it from resurrection. The idea of “buried with Christ” is therefore introduced, on the one hand, to show that th... [ Continue Reading ]
IF WE HAVE BEEN PLANTED TOGETHER. — “If (so surely as) we have _grown into — become conjoined with.”_ The metaphor is taken from the parasitic growth of a plant, but applies to _natural_ growth, not _“planted_ together with,” as in the Authorised version. The idea would correspond to the growth of a... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR OLD MAN. — “Our old self” (Vaughan), as in Ephesians 4:22; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:9. The old self, or that congeries of evil habits acquired in the state of heathenism, was, ideally if not actually, mortified and killed in our baptism. This change was wrought by a power brought to bear up... [ Continue Reading ]
(6-11) Further description of this process. The Christian’s union with the crucified Christ binds him also to crucify or mortify (ascetically) the sinful desires of his body. Thus he is released from the dominion of those desires. But this is not all. Just as Christ passed from the cross to the resu... [ Continue Reading ]
IS FREED. — “Absolved,” the same word that is used elsewhere for “justified.” The dead man is no longer liable to have the charge of sin brought against him. This is the general proposition, the major premise, adduced in proof of what had gone before, viz., the particular proposition that he who is... [ Continue Reading ]
DIETH NO MORE. — The eternal subsistence of the life of Christ is a guarantee for the permanence and reality of our own life, so far as it is dependent on His. If it were possible that the life of Christ should fail, the whole fabric that the believer’s faith builds upon it would fall to the ground.... [ Continue Reading ]
But it is not possible that the life of Christ should fail. Death has lost all its power over Him. The death which He died, He died to sin. It was the last sacrifice which He made to sin, and one that freed Him from its dominion for ever. He died to it once for all, and His death did not need to be,... [ Continue Reading ]
Theoretical application to the readers. They are to regard themselves as dead, _i.e.,_ insensible and inaccessible to sin, but living in close allegiance and devotion to God through union with Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
MORTAL. — And therefore at variance with the immortal life just described.... [ Continue Reading ]
(12-14) Practical and hortatory consequence. Therefore expel sin, and refuse to obey its evil promptings. Keep your bodies pure and clean. Let them no longer be weapons in the hands of wickedness; let them rather be weapons with which to fight the battle of righteousness and of God. You have every e... [ Continue Reading ]
INSTRUMENTS. — Rather, as margin, _arms,_ or _weapons_ which sin is to wield. The same military metaphor is kept up in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin” (your pay as soldiers of sin) “is death.”... [ Continue Reading ]
The Apostle returns to a difficulty very similar to that which presented itself at the beginning of the chapter. The answer is couched under a slightly different metaphor. It is no longer death to the one, life to the other, but freedom from the one, service to the other. These are correlative terms... [ Continue Reading ]
(15-23) _Free_ forgiveness! What does that mean? Freedom to sin? Far from it. That were to return into the old slavery. To yield to sin is to be the servant or slave of sin with its consequence — death. On the other hand, obedience and righteousness go together. Happily you have escaped from sin, an... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT. — An apparent tautology, but one which really teaches a deep ethical truth. Don’t you know that what you make yourselves that you become? The habit which you form ends by becoming your “second nature.”... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE OBEYED. — Rather, _obeyed._ (See Note on Romans 6:2.) In like manner correct “have yielded” to “yielded” in Romans 6:19. THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE. — That _pattern of teaching,_ or express moral rule of life. DELIVERED YOU. — Literally, _to which you were delivered_ — _to the direction of which y... [ Continue Reading ]
YE BECAME THE SERVANTS. — Comp. “Whose service is perfect freedom,” adopted from St. Augustine.... [ Continue Reading ]
I SPEAK AFTER THE MANNER OF MEN. — I am using a merely human figure of speech, a figure taken from common human relations, and not a high mystical phrase such as I used just now, because of the dulness of your understanding: that form of expression you might not be able to comprehend; this present f... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR. — (You had no fruit) for. &c. Some put the question at “then.” “What fruit had ye therefore (omitted in the Authorised version) at that time? Things of which ye are now ashamed; for their end is death.” But the construction of the Authorised version is probably best.... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE YOUR FRUIT. — You are no longer without fruit. Your fruit is the new Christian life which leads on to sanctification and finally to eternal life.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GIFT OF GOD. — The natural antithesis would be “wages;” but this would here be inappropriate, and therefore the Apostle substitutes “the free gift.” In spite of your sanctification as Christians, still you will not have _earned_ eternal life; it is the gift of God’s grace.... [ Continue Reading ]