Paul’s main point in Romans 6:1-14 is v. 11: “Consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God through Christ Jesus.” This is the first imperative in Romans!

“Consider yourself” is logidzomai in Greek. Notice the first three letters of the Greek word are equivalent to our word “log.” A log is a numerical record. The word is a banking term. You are now dead to sin through Christ. Bank on it.

Jesus’ relation to sin is now your relation to sin. Jesus is no longer under sin’s authority. He voluntarily submitted himself to the penalty of sin by his death on our behalf. His victory over sin’s authority is now our victory over sin’s authority by virtue of our union with him.

For a Christian to choose to sin is the spiritual equivalent of digging up a corpse for fellowship! We are dead to sin!

We are told to consider ourselves dead to sin’s authority on the basis of the three truths taught in vv. 3-10. Now in the second paragraph (vv. 12-14) we are told to consecrate ourselves to serve in God’s army.

Here we move from doctrine to application:

“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as weapons of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God . . . .”

Even though we are saved from the penalty if sin, as Christians we can choose to surrender our bodies to sin’s power. We are capable of sin. When we sin, we are surrendering our body parts to the arsenal of the enemy!

Sin’s penalty has been cancelled (justification). Sin’s power has been broken (sanctification). Therefore, we should not live in such a way that we present our body parts to be used in the arsenal of our former enemy, sin. To do so is spiritual treason!

Like a brazen hussy, the Delilah of lust will continue to court us Christians and urge surrender of our bodies to sin.

Rather, Paul says,

“present yourselves to God, and your body parts as weapons for righteousness to God.”

Paul’s conclusion of it all is v. 14,

“sin shall not be master over you.”

In v. 9 Paul states, concerning Jesus, “Death shall no longer have mastery over him” because He died to sin’s authority. Now in v. 14 Paul says of us: “Sin shall not be master over you. . .”

“. . . for you are not under law, but under grace.”

The law must be abandoned as our hope of justification. No one is justified by the Law. Now we discover that the Law must be abandoned as our hope of sanctification as well.

Grace and law are opposites. Keeping the law is an attempt at holiness in order to achieve union with Christ. Grace is union with Christ in order to achieve holiness!

Grace, in her regal robes, ascends the throne having defeated the usurper Sin and Satan. Sin’s tyranny is shattered.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin

He sets the prisoner free;

His blood can make the foulest clean,

His blood avails for me.