1. Union with Christ (6:1-14)
The last section concludes with Paul’s statement that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (5:20). Naturally this raises the question, Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (v.1). By no means! says Paul, and he goes on to explain the reason.
There are two races: one headed by Adam, the other by Christ. One is dominated by sin, the other characterized by righteousness. By birth, all men and women belong to the race of Adam. Through baptism, believers unite with Christ and become members of the race of Christ. The members of each race share in the experience and the destiny of the head.
Christ died to sin [tē hamartia] once for all (v.10). In Greek this means that the death of Christ has something to do with sin. In his death, Christ paid the penalty of sin for us (3:24-26; 4:25; 5:6-8; 1Co 15:3; 2Co 5:21; Gal 3:13) and condemned sin in his flesh (8:3). Therefore, those who are united with Christ have died to, and have been freed from, sin (v.7). When we became the members of Christ’s race, we left Adam’s race. Adam’s race was dominated by sin. As members of that race, we were dominated by sin and were instruments of sin. This is the meaning of body of sin (v.6), just as “body of humiliation” (literal translation) in Php 3:21 means the body that is characterized by humiliation. The parallel structure of vv.12-13 indicates that your body (v.12) and yourselves (v.13) are synonymous. When our old self is crucified with Christ, the self that is dominated by sin is done away with (katargeō, v.6). Katargeō (done away with) can also mean “abolish” or “release from association.” The result of abolishing the body of sin is that we are no longer slaves to sin (v.6). Greathouse writes, “It is not the body as such that is to be destroyed, but the body as sin’s tool” (p. 134).
Therefore, if we have experienced the grace of God, it is inconsistent for us to go on sinning (v.1). As members of Christ’s race, we participate in the destiny of Christ. In this section, when Paul mentions our participation in Christ’s death, he uses the past tense (vv.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). When, however, he talks about our participation in Christ’s resurrection, he uses the future tense (vv.5, 8). Our full participation in Christ’s resurrection, namely, our bodily resurrection, is in the future (cf. 8:23). We are no longer members of Adam’s race. However, some effect of that race still remains with us. Therefore v.12 calls our body a mortal body, a body destined to death. Now, however, we have partially participated in the effect of Christ’s resurrection. This is manifested in our living a new life (v.4).
Since Christ died to sin and lives to God, v.11 commands believers to count themselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. To count (logizomai) means to make it operative in one’s live. This command is in the present tense. One has to keep on doing it. Vv.12-13 spell this out in concrete terms: Do not let sin reign in your mortal body. Since we have been united with Christ in his death, we have been freed from sin and are no longer slaves to sin. Now it is possible to obey this commandment. When we were members of Adam’s race, we were enslaved to sin. We could not dethrone sin. But now the situation has changed. Christ has dethroned sin from our lives. We are to keep sin dethroned. Otherwise sin may reign again in us. This freedom from the bondage to sin is normative for the Christian.
There are, however, some subnormative Christians over whom sin still rules (see the discussion on 7:14-25). Paul commands them to dethrone sin. Evidently, sin is not automatically dethroned or kept dethroned in Christian life. Christians have to play their part. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God . . . and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness (v.13). The commands in vv.12-13 are in the present tense. “If it is going on, it must be stopped. If it is not going on, we must not allow ourselves to be involved in it. For sin’s method is seldom a big, decisive dedication. It is generally an accumulation of concessions, compromises, and indulgences that enthrones sin” (Dayton, 45).
V.14 provides the foundation for the commandment in vv.12-13. Grace communicates power to resist sin, which the law could not do (cf. 8:3-4). Under grace, sin lost the power to be our master. Therefore it becomes possible for us not to let sin reign in our body and to offer ourselves to God.