Romans 6

Chap. VI. Ver. 1—23. We must not live in sin, nor suffer it to reign in us.—By a strong and beautiful imagery here introduced, believers are said to be crucified, dead and buried with Christ, by their baptism and Christian profession, in which indeed the early Christians were often exposed to martyrdom; but the figures used may farther intimate, 1. Their spiritual union with Christ as the members of his mystical body, ‘‘growing together,” more and more, into intimate union sufferings and death, their lively joy in his resurrection, and the influence of both in mortifying the flesh and sin, and in raising them to newness of life, and animating them with the prospect of future and everlasting felicity.

3. Their increasing conformity to his sufferings pes 2 death, by being crucified to the world, and separated from its carnal pleasures, even as a man dead and buried is from all the concerns of the present life. The consequence of which was, that they who had formerly been the slaves of sin, and laboured only for the wages of eternal death, were now enlisted as volunteers in the service of their Redeemer; and so far from living in sin, as had been slanderously reported, they had for ever renounced both its service and its delights: all the members of their body And being now liberated from sin, and become the servants of God, ae were bringing forth the fruits of holiness, which would end in nothing short of everlasting life; and their continual prayer is—

Notes on the verses

Chap. VI. Ver. 1. What shall we say then?—Margin and Doddridge, “What shall we say then?—(Shall we say) Let us continue,” &c. Compare ch. iii. 8 Ver. 2. God forbid.—Macknight, ‘By no means.” ——How shall we, &c. ~i, e. How shall we who are dead to lust live in adultery? How shall we who are dead to the world, live in the pursuit of its er 74 pleasures? Ver. 3. Were (twice over)—Doddridge, ‘‘Have been.” Ver. 4. Into death.—Doddridge and Macknight, “Into (his) death.” Ver. 5. Planted together.—Wells and Doddridge, ‘‘Made to grow together.” Boothroyd, ‘“United together.”” See (Ephesians 2:21); iv. 15 Ver. 6. Old man crucified.—Five persons,” says Brooks, “were studying what were the best means to mortify sin; one said, to meditate on death; the second, to meditate on judgment; the third, to meditate on the joys of heaven; the fourth, to meditate on the torments of hell; the fifth, to meditate on the blood and sufferings of Jesus Christ; and certainly the last is the choicest and strongest motive of all.

If ever we would cast off our despairing thoughts, we must dwell and muse much upon, and apply this precious blood to our own souls; so shall sorrow and mourning flee away.""——Might be destroyed.—Doddridge, ‘*enervated,” that it might not destroy us. Ver. 7. Is freed.—Doddridge says, “the word here seems to import, being delivered from future claims of subjection.” So Macknight. Ver. 10. Died unto sin once.—Doddridge, “Died for sin once.” Ver. 13. As instruments—i. e. military instruments.—Unto sin—i. e. as soldiers armed in the cause of sin. Ver. 14. Not under the law, but under grace.—The two dispensations are here contrasted, as in (John 1:17). Ver. 17. But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin.—This is one of the most unhappy translations in the New Testament.

Bishop Lowth renders it, ‘‘But thanks be to God, that [though] ye were the slaves of sin; yet have ye obeyed from the heart the doctrine, on the model of which ye were formed.” Doddridge translates it to the same effect thus—Thanks be to God, that whereas ye were the servants of sin, ye have obeyed from the heart the model of doctrine into which ye were delivered.” The allusion undoubtedly is to the casting of figures in a mould.—Form of doctrine which was delivered you.—The margin reads, “‘whereto ye were delivered.” So Ver. 19. After the manner of men.—See (Romans 3:5). Ver. 20. Free from righteousness—i. e. not under the control of its pre- Ver. 21. What fruit had ye, &c.—i. e. what advantage did ye derive from a life of sinful pleasures?

Ver. 23. The wages of sin is death—The term “wages,” according to Macknight, is an allusion particularly to the pay of soldiers. Sin is here described as a tyrant, whose service is sure to end in misery and death; Jesus, as a conqueror, bestowing the rich reward of eternal life and happiness. The death here mentioned must certainly be more than temporal,