Romans 6 is the sixth chapter of the

Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that Salvation (Christianity), salvation is offered ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

of the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. It was authored by

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

, while he was in

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an

amanuensis An amanuensis ( ) ( ) or scribe is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. It may also be a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In some aca ...

(secretary), Tertius, who added his own greeting in Romans 16:22. In this chapter, Paul shows to the believers in Rome that the

, in

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

, dies to sin, and "in what sense, and to what extent, Christ's dominion is a ''present'' reality" in the lives of the believers stands as an underlying issue in this chapter.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...

. This chapter is divided into 23 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

containing the text of this chapter are: *

Papyrus 40 Papyrus 40 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by 𝔓40, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. The manuscript paleographically has been assigned to the 3rd century. Description It is a papyrus manuscript of the Epistle to ...

(~AD 250; extant verses 4–5, 16) *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...

(325–350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...

(330–360) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...

(400–440) *

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, written on parchment. It is designated by the siglum C or 04 in the Biblical manuscript#Gregory-Aland, Gregory-Aland numbering of New ...

(~450; complete) * Papyrus 94 (5th/6th century; extant verses 10–13, 19–22)

New Testament references

* Romans 6:1 references Romans 3:8 * Romans 6:3 references Matthew 28:19

The bearing of justification by grace upon a holy life

According to Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer, chapter 6 shows how the righteousness of God, "so far from furthering

immorality Immorality is the violation of moral laws, norms or standards. It refers to an agent doing or thinking something they know or believe to be wrong. Immorality is normally applied to people or actions, or in a broader sense, it can be applied to ...

, on the contrary excludes the latter from the Christian state, and for the first time rightly establishes, promotes, and quickens true morality". Meyer anticipates that Romans 7 "shows the same in relation to the

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

", and

Romans 8 Romans 8 is the eighth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was authored by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid-50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, w ...

"sets forth the blessed condition of those who as justified are morally free".Meyer, H. A. W. (1880)
Meyer's NT Commentary
on Romans 6, translated from the German sixth edition, accessed on 5 October 2024 From the beginning of this chapter, Paul addresses the "plausible objection" that Christians should "continue in sin, that grace may abound" (Romans 6:1). In Romans 3:8, Paul had referred to slanderous reports to the effect that believers taught "Let us do evil that good may come". Similar indications can be found in Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16 and Jude 4.

Verse 1

Meyer notes that the alternatives available are either to "continue in sin" or to "cease from it", although an alternative exhortation in Romans 11:22 is for the Christian to "continue in od'sgoodness".

Verse 2

Paul replies that believers should "certainly not () continue in sin, that grace may abound" (Romans 6:2). The phrase is regularly used by Paul; it is used 10 times in this epistle, as well as in his other writings. The

Pulpit Commentary The ''Pulpit Commentary'' is a homiletic commentary on the Bible first published between 1880 and 1919

describes the phrase as "Paul's usual way of rejecting an idea indignantly". The phrase has been translated in various forms: *'God forbid' ( Wycliffe Bible,

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version (AV), is an Early Modern English Bible translations, Early Modern English translation of the Christianity, Christian Bible for the Church of England, wh ...

and 1599

Geneva Bible The Geneva Bible, sometimes known by the sobriquet Breeches Bible, is one of the most historically significant translations of the Bible into English, preceding the Douay Rheims Bible by 22 years, and the King James Version by 51 years. It was ...

) *'By no means' (

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is a translation of the Bible into contemporary English. Published by Biblica, the complete NIV was released on October 27, 1978, with a minor revision in 1984 and a major revision in 2011. The NIV relies ...

) *'Of course not' (

New Living Translation The New Living Translation (NLT) is a translation of the Bible in contemporary English. Published in 1996 by Tyndale House, Tyndale House Foundation, the NLT was created "by 90 leading Bible scholars." The NLT relies on recently published Text ...

) *'Absolutely not' (

Holman Christian Standard Bible The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is a modern English Bible translation from Holman Bible Publishers. The New Testament was published in 1999, followed by the full Bible in March 2004. Beginnings The roots of the HCSB can be traced ...

) *'That's unthinkable' ( God's Word Translation) *'Far be the thought' ( Darby Bible Translation) *"Let the thought be abhorred' (

Matthew Henry Matthew Henry (18 October 166222 June 1714) was a British Nonconformist and Presbyterian minister and author who was born in Wales but spent much of his life in England. He is best known for the six-volume biblical commentary ''Exposition o ...

's Commentary) *'I should hope not!' ( The Message) The phrase is also used in the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...

's conclusion to the parable of the wicked husbandmen.

Dead to sin but alive to God in Christ (verses 3–14)

Verse 3

Hill notes that the identification of the baptised believer with the

death of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being nailed to a cross.The instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus forming a "cruciform" or T-shaped structure. ...

is "substantial, not moralistic; one actually participates with Jesus in his death". The believer's

faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

, explored throughout the preceding chapters, is not separated from his or her baptism: they go together.

Verse 4

*"Of life": from ; here functions as an attributed genitive.

From slaves of sin to slaves of God (verses 15–23)

Verse 23

*"Wages": from Greek , referring to 'a soldier's pay or wages', but here to 'the end result of an activity' or 'something back in return' ('payoff').Note on Romans 6:23 in NET Bible

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)
What is the Real meaning of Romans 6:23?
{{Epistle to the Romans 06