the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Romans 6:1
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Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
What: Romans 3:5
Shall: Romans 6:15, Romans 2:4, Romans 3:5-8, Romans 3:31, Romans 5:20, Romans 5:21, Galatians 5:13, 1 Peter 2:16, 2 Peter 2:18, 2 Peter 2:19, Jude 1:4
Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 11:19 - My God Ezra 9:14 - we again Matthew 5:19 - shall teach Romans 3:8 - Let us Romans 4:1 - what 2 Corinthians 7:1 - therefore Galatians 2:17 - are found Ephesians 4:20 - General Hebrews 11:32 - what shall 2 Peter 1:9 - that he 1 John 2:1 - that
Cross-References
Gill's Notes on the Bible
What shall we say then?.... The apostle here obviates an objection he saw would be made against the doctrine he had advanced, concerning the aboundings of the grace of God in such persons and places, where sin had abounded; which if true, might some persons say, then it will be most fit and proper to continue in a sinful course of life, to give up ourselves to all manner of iniquity, since this is the way to make the grace of God abound yet more and more: now says the apostle, what shall we say to this? how shall we answer such an objection? shall we join with the objectors, and say as they do? and
shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? that is, shall we persist in a vicious way of living with this view, that the grace of God may be magnified hereby? is it right to commit sin on such an account? or is this a fair inference, a just consequence, drawn from the doctrine of grace? To be sure it was not, the objection is without any ground and foundation; sin is not "per se", the cause of the glorifying God's grace, but "per accidens": sin of itself is the cause of wrath, and not of grace; but God has been pleased to take an occasion of magnifying his grace, in the forgiveness of sin: for it is not by the commission of sin, but by the pardon of it, that the grace of God is glorified, or made to abound. Moreover, grace in conversion is glorified by putting a stop to the reign of sin, and not by increasing its power, which would be done by continuing in it; grace teaches men not to live in sin, but to abstain from it; add to this, that it is owing to the want of grace, and not to the aboundings of it, that men at any time abuse, or make an ill use of the doctrines of grace; wherefore the apostle's answer is,
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
What shall we say then? - This is a mode of presenting an objection. The objection refers to what the apostle had said in Romans 5:20. What shall we say to such a sentiment as that where sin abounded grace did much more abound?
Shall we continue in sin? ... - If sin has been the occasion of grace and favor, ought we not to continue in it, and commit as much as possible, in order that grace might abound? This objection the apostle proceeds to answer. He shows that the consequence does not follow; and proves that the doctrine of justification does not lead to it.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER VI.
We must not abuse the boundless goodness of God by continuing
in sin, under the wicked persuasion that the more we sin the
more the grace of God will abound, 1.
For, having been baptized into Christ, we have professed thereby
to be dead to sin, 2-4.
And to be planted in the likeness of his resurrection, 5.
For we profess to be crucified with him, to die and rise again
from the dead, 6-11.
We should not, therefore, let sin reign in our bodies, but live
to the glory of God, 12-14.
The Gospel makes no provision for living in sin, any more than
the law did; and those who commit sin are the slaves of sin,
15-19.
The degrading and afflictive service of sin, and its wages
eternal death; the blessed effects of the grace of God in the
heart, of which eternal life is the fruit, 20-23.
NOTES ON CHAP. VI.
The apostle, having proved that salvation, both to Jew and Gentile, must come through the Messiah, and be received by faith only, proceeds in this chapter to show the obligations under which both were laid to live a holy life, and the means and advantages they enjoyed for that purpose. This he does, not only as a thing highly and indispensably necessary in itself-for without holiness none can see the Lord-but to confute a calumny which appears to have been gaining considerable ground even at that time, viz. that the doctrine of justification by faith alone, through the grace of Christ Jesus, rendered obedience to the moral law useless; and that the more evil a man did, the more the grace of God would abound to him, in his redemption from that evil. That this calumny was then propagated we learn from Romans 3:8; and the apostle defends himself against it in the 31st verse of the same, Romans 3:31 by asserting, that his doctrine, far from making void the law, served to establish it. But in this and the two following chapters he takes up the subject in a regular, formal manner; and shows both Jews and Gentiles that the principles of the Christian religion absolutely require a holy heart and a holy life, and make the amplest provisions for both.
Verse Romans 6:1. Shall we continue in sin — It is very likely that these were the words of a believing Gentile, who-having as yet received but little instruction, for he is but just brought out of his heathen state to believe in Christ Jesus-might imagine, from the manner in which God had magnified his mercy, in blotting out his sin on his simply believing on Christ, that, supposing he even gave way to the evil propensities of his own heart, his transgressions could do him no hurt now that he was in the favour of God. And we need not wonder that a Gentile, just emerging from the deepest darkness, might entertain such thoughts as these; when we find that eighteen centuries after this, persons have appeared in the most Christian countries of Europe, not merely asking such a question, but defending the doctrine with all their might; and asserting in the most unqualified manner, "that believers were under no obligation to keep the moral law of God; that Christ had kept it for them; that his keeping it was imputed to them; and that God, who had exacted it from Him, who was their surety and representative, would not exact it from them, forasmuch as it would be injustice to require two payments for one debt." These are the Antinomians who once flourished in this land, and whose race is not yet utterly extinct.