INTRODUCTION TO ROMANS 6 The Apostle having finished his design concerning the doctrine of justification, refutes the charge brought against it as a licentious doctrine, and prevents any ill use that might be made of it by men of evil minds, justified persons by the strongest arguments, and with th... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN?.... The apostle here obviates an objection he saw would be made against the doctrine he had advanced, concerning the aboundings of the grace of God in such persons and places, where sin had abounded; which if true, might some persons say, then it will be most fit and proper t... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD FORBID,.... By which he expresses his abhorrence of such a practice, and that this was a consequence which did not follow from the premises, and was far enough from his thoughts, and which he had in the greatest detestation: and he further argues against it by asking, HOW SHALL WE THAT ARE DEAD... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT THAT SO MANY OF US AS, etc.] You must know this, you cannot be ignorant of it, that whoever WERE BAPTIZED INTO JESUS CHRIST, WERE BAPTIZED INTO HIS DEATH: and therefore must be dead to sin, and consequently ought not to live, nor can they live in sin. This does not suppose, that some of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE WE ARE BURIED WITH HIM BY BAPTISM INTO DEATH,.... The nature and end of baptism are here expressed; the nature of it, it is a "burial"; and when the apostle so calls it, he manifestly refers to the ancient and only way of administering this ordinance, by immersion; when a person is covered... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IF WE HAVE BEEN PLANTED TOGETHER,.... This is not to be understood of an implantation of Jews and Gentiles together in One body; nor of an implantation of believers together in a church state; but of an implantation of Christ and his people together; which is openly done at conversion, in conseq... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN IS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM,.... By the old man is meant the corruption of nature; called a man, because natural to men; it lives and dwells in them; it has spread itself over the whole man; it rules and governs in men; and consists of various parts and members, as a man doe... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR HE THAT IS DEAD, IS FREED FROM SIN. This is not to be understood of a natural or a corporeal death; for this is the effect of sin, and is inflicted by way of punishment for it, on Christless persons; so far is it from being an atonement for sin, as the Jews t fancy; besides, there are many perso... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW IF WE BE DEAD WITH CHRIST,.... This does not imply any doubt about it, but is rather a taking it for granted: seeing we are dead with Christ by union with him, as our head and representative, and by communion with him in the benefits of his death, and being planted together in the likeness of it... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOWING THAT CHRIST BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD,.... That Christ is risen from the dead, is a certain fact, well attested, thoroughly known, and firmly believed; the prophets prophesied of it, Christ himself foretold it, angels affirmed it, and the apostles were witnesses of it, as is also the Holy G... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR IN THAT HE DIED,.... The death of Christ was settled and agreed to in the covenant and council of peace; it was spoken of by the prophets, and typified by sacrifices; Christ came into the world in order to die, and actually did die the death of the cross; in which the great love of God and Chris... [ Continue Reading ]
LIKEWISE RECKON YE ALSO YOURSELVES,.... Two things the apostle would have believers consider of themselves, and reckon themselves, to be, in consequence of their relation to Christ, who was dead, but is alive, and as agreeable thereunto: the one is, that they would look upon themselves TO BE DEAD I... [ Continue Reading ]
LET NOT SIN THEREFORE REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY,.... Since grace reigns in you, sin should not: seeing ye are dead to sin, are baptized into the death of Christ, and are dead with him, and alive through him, sin therefore should not reign in you, and over you. This exhortation does not suppose a fre... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER YIELD YE YOUR MEMBERS,.... The apostle more fully explains what he means by obeying sin in the lusts thereof; a presenting, or making use of the "members, as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin": by their "members" he means the several powers and faculties of the soul, and so the Ethiopi... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU,.... It has dominion over God's people in a state of unregeneracy: and after conversion it is still in them, and has great power oftentimes to hinder that which is good, and to effect that which is evil; it entices and ensnares, and brings into captivity, and... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT THEN? SHALL WE SIN,.... Does it follow from hence, that therefore we may sin, and go on and continue in it, BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW, BUT UNDER GRACE? here the apostle meets with an objection of the adversary, saying, that if men are not under the law, and are free from all obligation... [ Continue Reading ]
KNOW YE NOT, THAT TO WHOM YE YIELD YOURSELVES,.... The apostle goes on with his answer to the above objection, by making use of an argument from the nature of servants and their obedience, a thing well known to everyone, and which none could be ignorant of; which he delivers by way of distribution,... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT GOD BE THANKED THAT YE WERE THE SERVANTS OF SIN,.... Not that the apostle must be thought to give thanks to God for that these persons had been the servants of sin, than which nothing is more disagreeable to God, or caused more shame to themselves; but that inasmuch as they had been in the drudg... [ Continue Reading ]
BEING THEN MADE FREE FROM SIN,.... Not from a sinful nature; nor from a corrupt heart; nor from vain thoughts; nor from sinful words; nor from sinful actions altogether; but from the damning power of sin: sin brought all men under a sentence of condemnation; Christ has bore the execution of this sen... [ Continue Reading ]
I SPEAK AFTER THE MANNER OF MEN,.... This refers either to what the apostle had said already concerning service and liberty, things which were known among men, and easy to be understood; or to the following exhortation: what he was about to say, he delivered in a manner suited to their understanding... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR WHEN YE WERE THE SERVANTS OF SIN,.... This is an argument used, or a reason given, why regenerate persons should be diligent in the service of righteousness; because when they were employed in the drudgery of sin, they WERE FREE FROM RIGHTEOUSNESS; they had no righteousness, nor were they desir... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT FRUIT HAD YE THEN IN THOSE THINGS?.... That is, what profit, pleasure, satisfaction, or comfort, had ye in the commission of sin? Sin yields no real profit to the servants of it. If a man, by sinful practices, could amass together the riches of the Indies, or gain the whole world, yet if his so... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT NOW BEING MADE FREE FROM SIN, AND BECOME SERVANTS TO GOD,.... In what sense regenerate persons are free from sin, and are become the servants of God, has been observed already; the consequence of which is, that such have their FRUIT UNTO HOLINESS, AND THE END EVERLASTING LIFE: holiness is a fru... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH,.... By sin, is meant every sin, original sin, actual sin, every kind of sin, lesser and greater: the "death" which sin deserves, is a corporeal death; which is not owing to the original nature and constitution of men; nor merely to the divine appointment; but to sin, a... [ Continue Reading ]