Romans 6:11–12

Freedom from the clutches of sin

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 

After calling attention to Christ’s resurrection from death and his subsequent life lived to God, Paul now applies that truth to the believer. The sequence of events is important here. Christ has gone before. He died; he was raised to a new life that he now lives to God. The Christian, by Baptism, has been joined to Christ in his death and has also been raised with him to life. Note the passive verbs: the Christian has been joined to Christ; the Christian has been raised with Christ. New life has been given. Everything needed to make a new life for the Christian has been done.

What Paul is leading up to is the Christian’s grateful response for everything that has been done for him. What Christ has done for the Christian and what he continues to do in the Christian now enables the Christian to respond with a life of cheerful obedience to God.

Where this new God-given life exists in the Christian, directives for activity on the part of the “new man” become possible—and are appropriate. Hence Paul now uses imperatives to give guidance and direction to the Christian’s new man. Although he uses a number of imperatives, basically they fall into three pairs.

First Paul addresses the Christian’s new outlook, or perception of himself. He says, “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” By virtue of his connection to Christ, who died to sin once for all, so also the Christian is now to count himself “dead to sin.” And with Christ, who rose from death, so too the Christian now counts himself to be “alive to God.”

Such an outlook and frame of mind leads to a life of activity on the Christian’s part. A second pair of imperatives encourages negative activity: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness.” Resisting sin is a constant activity on the Christian’s part. Contrary to what some teach, sin and the temptation to sin remain with the Christian all his life. Paul laments that state of affairs in his own life (Romans 7:18,19), and we dare not feel that we will be exempt either (1 Peter 5:8).