Paul introduces God’s threefold method leading to sanctification.
I. Step 1—Know (6:1–10): Believers must be aware of three facts.
A. They have been crucified with Christ (6:1–3).
B. They have been resurrected with Christ (6:4–5).
C. They are now both dead and alive (6:6–10).
1. Dead to their sin (6:6–7): We should no longer be slaves to sin, for we have been crucified with Christ.
2. Alive in the Savior (6:8–10): We are now to live in the resurrection power of the one who rose from the dead and is forever alive.
II. Step 2—Reckon (6:11): We are to count our crucifixion and resurrection as accomplished events.
III. Step 3—Yield (6:12–23): Paul describes two kinds of yielding.
A. The wrong kind (6:12–13a): We are not to yield the members of our body as tools of wickedness.
B. The right kind (6:13b–23)
1. The confusion (6:15a): “Since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning?”
2. The correction (6:15b–18): “Of course not! Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval.”
3. The challenge (6:13b–14, 19–22): We are to yield the members of our body as tools of righteousness.
4. The conclusion (6:23)
a. “The wages of sin is death” (6:23a).
b. “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23b).
Willmington, H. L. 1999. The Outline Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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