1. Faith That Dies and Lives With Christ
Romans 6 deals with a crucial theme in the Christian life. It shows us how to understand and live out the ongoing transformation known as sanctification, which follows our justification (being declared righteous) and precedes glorification in the overarching flow of salvation. In particular, the Apostle Paul focuses in this chapter on two key principles: “We have died to sin, so we cannot remain in it for the sake of increasing grace” and “We die and live together with Christ.” From these principles comes the core exhortation: “Present your members to God as instruments (or weapons) of righteousness.” This teaching provides a very practical guideline for Christians walking on the path of sanctification after being justified. Today, many believers read Romans 6 and might misunderstand grace to mean they can sin freely, but Paul decisively refutes this by proclaiming, “By no means!” Misunderstanding the relationship between sin and grace can result in spiritual downfall and licentiousness.
Before examining these points in detail, let us briefly summarize the three commonly mentioned stages of salvation: justification, sanctification, and glorification.
- Justification is the “change of status” that occurs in an instant within us. As Pastor David Jang and many other preachers repeatedly stress, when we receive Jesus Christ, we are declared “righteous” — our original sin is cleansed, and God’s declaration never changes.
- Sanctification is the “change of condition” that follows justification. Even though our status is already that of the righteous, we still carry in our bodies the habits and sinful nature from our past, so we need a progressive process of becoming holy.
- Glorification is the final state of salvation when we stand before the Lord at the end of days, our body and spirit perfectly restored so that sin has no foothold in us. Until glorification, believers walk the path of sanctification, fighting against sin and growing in holiness.
In Romans 6, Paul begins with a powerful rhetorical question: “We have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” He then uses baptism as an example to explain the doctrine of “union with Christ.” In Romans 5, Paul employs the representative theory (contrasting Adam and Christ), and in chapter 6 he emphasizes the theory of union. The representative theory holds that sin was passed on through Adam, while righteousness is imputed through Christ; the union theory underscores that the moment we believe in Jesus Christ, we are united with Him in a very personal and intimate way. That is, Christ’s death becomes our death, and His resurrection becomes our new life. Paul points to baptism as the sign of this reality, referring to both water baptism and baptism of the Holy Spirit: “You have already been baptized into Christ.”
The baptism Paul describes has roots in the Old Testament. For example, Noah and his family were saved from the waters of the flood, and the Israelites escaped the pursuit of Egypt by crossing the Red Sea. Deliverance from a sinful world is symbolized by passing through the waters. In the New Testament era, baptism becomes a visible sign that guarantees a new start free from sin. Paul deepens this understanding, teaching that baptism is the “visible symbol” of union with Christ — those who inwardly participate in Christ’s death and resurrection through the baptism of the Holy Spirit publicly confess this reality in the ceremony of water baptism. Pastor David Jang also often emphasizes in sermons that “the central meaning of baptism is that we die and live again together with Jesus Christ.”
In Romans 6:1–11, Paul mainly argues that our status and position have already changed. Believers are declared “dead to sin” and “alive to God.” If justification has once and for all resolved the problem of our salvation, then what is the continuing battle we face in the process of sanctification? Paul addresses this from verse 12 onward: “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body.” Even though we have been freed from the dominion of sin, we are still in a mortal body through which sin seeks entry. Previously, we were under the dominion of sin represented by Adam, but now we are under the grace of Jesus Christ. Our status has changed, yet sin still looks for opportunities to invade our daily lives. Paul warns us to beware of “the lust of the body.” Good desires and needs can become channels for sin, bringing us down.
The crucial fact is that we are already under grace. In Romans 6:14, Paul says, “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” The moment we believe in Jesus, our ownership is transferred from Satan to God’s family, much like a legal transaction that finalizes a transfer of property. Thus, sin is effectively an illegal intruder, and we can confront it in spiritual warfare with the awareness that we belong to God, not Satan. Paul points out that if we are unaware of being under grace—if we forget we’ve already received the certainty of salvation—sin will overpower us, and we will be tormented by guilt. In explaining this passage, Pastor David Jang often illustrates that “we have the authority to command Satan to leave,” referencing various examples. For instance, in Mark 5, the demons in the Gerasene demoniac recognized Jesus and trembled before Him; in the same way, demons and sin have no legal right to inhabit a child of God. That is the privilege and boldness of those under grace.
At this point, Paul attaches a strong warning against using grace as a license for sin. “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” and again he says, “By no means!” (Rom. 6:15). Our freedom in Christ does not give us permission to tolerate sin. Paul explains that if you “offer yourselves to sin,” you become its slave, implying that on a practical level, the outcome depends on which master we yield our bodies to. Believers, who have already been freed from sin by Jesus Christ’s grace, have no reason to return to that slavery. Instead, we are to become “slaves to righteousness,” offering our body parts where they bring God pleasure. This challenges us to examine our life’s purpose, and how we use our body, time, talents, thoughts, and will.
In summary, Romans 6:1–14 can be distilled into the following points:
- Those united with Christ are dead to sin and have publicly declared in baptism that they have died and risen with Him.
- Our status has changed by justification, but sin still tries to enter through our mortal body, so we must be vigilant.
- We are under grace, so Satan has no legitimate authority to claim us; however, if we become careless and invite sin, we can still fall under its bondage.
- Therefore, believers must remain “under grace without allowing sin to reign,” instead offering our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness.
Pastor David Jang likewise often emphasizes in his sermons that “justification is a one-time event, but sanctification is a daily battle.” Even after salvation, we continue to fight personal sins, shedding the “old self” and putting on the new. This command to “master the lusts of the body” is not about simple asceticism or despising the physical body. Paul’s teaching is different from any Gnostic disdain for the flesh. In passages like 1 Corinthians 6 and Ephesians 5, he repeatedly says that “the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, meant to glorify God.” The question is not whether the body itself is evil but rather to whom the body is surrendered—sin or God. Our eyes, mouth, ears, hands, feet, and even reproductive faculties all matter. Pastor David Jang highlights that everything we see, hear, and speak in the world must now change as part of sanctification. A single glance or a fleeting thought can propel our body into wrongdoing. If our eyes delight in lewd things, our hearts become inflamed by lust, and the body eventually falls under sin’s grip. Conversely, if our eyes and ears are tuned to the Word and prayer, the body increasingly aligns with God’s will. That is how we practically become “weapons of righteousness” as we progress in sanctification.
Paul also stresses the importance of knowing the truth in this process. Drawing on John 17:17 and John 8:32, we can say, “We are sanctified by the truth, and the truth sets us free.” The firmer truth becomes in us, the more we shut the door on sin and find delight in offering our bodies in worship and service to God. This is not forced obedience under compulsion but a joyful obedience in love. This is what Paul describes as “obedience from the heart,” utterly unlike the obedience under the law. Pastor David Jang, too, underscores that “a person seized by the Holy Spirit joyfully obeys God’s will,” an obedience not of oppression but of grace.
To summarize the core truths here:
- As believers who have died and risen with Christ, we must recognize that we are already dead to sin (the certainty of justification).
- Nonetheless, because we live in mortal bodies in a fallen world, sin will continue to attack; hence, we must intentionally yield our bodies to God (the process of sanctification).
- Since we are under grace, sin has no legal right to claim us, yet if we drop our guard, sin may unlawfully invade.
- Therefore, we must never misuse grace but live in freedom and boldness, refusing to serve sin any longer and instead serve God as His slaves of righteousness.
In this way, the redeemed believer practically grows into the likeness of Christ.
2. The Fruit of Becoming Slaves of Righteousness
From Romans 6:15–23, Paul reiterates that the freedom we have “under grace” is by no means permission for licentiousness. He more specifically contrasts the realities of being “slaves of sin” versus “slaves of righteousness.” “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?” (Rom. 6:16). In the Roman society of Paul’s day, where slavery was common, this would be immediately understood. A slave is owned by one master and is wholly subject to that master’s commands. Likewise, if we yield ourselves to sin, we become sin’s slaves; if we yield ourselves to righteousness, we become righteousness’s slaves. There is no middle ground. Hence, for a Christian, the question of “do I commit sin or do I practice righteousness?” is not just a small moral choice but a matter of to whom we belong and whom we obey.
As Pastor David Jang repeatedly illustrates in his sermons, the “master and slave” image is incredibly vivid and cuts to the heart of the relationship. A slave does not have the freedom to disobey the master. In the fallen world’s slavery, slaves are forced into oppressive and violent conditions, but the biblical concept of being “slaves of righteousness” is entirely different. Before we were saved, we were slaves of sin, imprisoned by sins we did not even want, dragged into ever-deepening darkness. But now, by grace, we have been set free from sin and have become God’s slaves, gladly obeying Him. As Paul says in Romans 6:17, “Thanks be to God that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed.” We willingly give ourselves to God in love and gratitude. We are not coerced into salvation but come to Him upon hearing, understanding, and believing in the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Hence, the identity of being “slaves of righteousness” is not an imposed servitude but a form of loving devotion. Paul goes on to emphasize that, in this life of serving righteousness, we bear “fruit leading to sanctification” (Rom. 6:19, 22). Living as slaves to sin produces shameful fruit that leads ultimately to death. Living as slaves to righteousness, by contrast, produces “fruit leading to sanctification,” whose outcome is eternal life (Rom. 6:21–23). By laying out this stark choice, Paul presses believers to choose rightly. If you have already been freed from sin, why return to slavery? Instead, remain a slave of righteousness, reaping God’s blessings of eternal life.
Let us consider this more concretely. In verse 19, Paul writes, “I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations.” Using the analogy of slavery was the simplest way for everyone to grasp his point. Immediately after, he says, “For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.” Paul shows that offering our bodies to sin leads to impurity and lawlessness, which then escalates and ends in ruin. On the other hand, offering ourselves to righteousness—actively committing ourselves to God’s will in faith—accumulates holiness in our lives. Here, “impurity” refers to moral and spiritual defilement, and “lawlessness” is the state of guilty rebellion against God’s law. Sin drags people down into misery and bondage. In contrast, once we declare, “I belong to God,” and actually obey His Word, our inner life begins to fill with goodness and holiness.
No one becomes perfect overnight. Sanctification involves a fierce spiritual battle, requiring constant discipline through the Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Sometimes we fail along the way. But there is a distinct difference: when we were slaves of sin, our failures inevitably led toward death, whereas as slaves of righteousness, even if we fail, we can repent, stand up again, and grow into deeper holiness. It is like the story of the man born blind in John 9. When the disciples asked if his blindness was due to his own or his parents’ sin, Jesus replied, “It was that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Pastor David Jang often cites this passage to emphasize that our past sins and burdens cannot keep us imprisoned if we look forward to the glory God will reveal in our future. The believer’s gaze is not fixed on the past but on what lies ahead. We have already received justification, dealing with sin decisively. Now, by the Holy Spirit’s help, we daily put on the new self in sanctification. The ultimate completion of this journey is glorification, wherein death itself no longer holds us, and we live forever in God’s life.
In verse 21, Paul says, “But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death.” He urges them to remember their old life in sin. Even if it offered brief pleasure and gain, it eventually yielded only regret and ruin. Even those with no religious faith, when acting against their conscience, experience emptiness and shame afterward. Habitual sin drags them into ever-deeper darkness. Hence, “the wages of sin is death”—using the Greek word opsōnia (ὀψώνια), which refers to the daily pay earned by a soldier or slave. The problem is that sin’s wage is death. In other words, those who devote themselves to sin only earn spiritual death—eternal separation from God. By contrast, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). The Greek for “free gift” here is charisma (χάρισμα), implying a gift graciously bestowed without any merit or payment. It could be likened to an emperor distributing gifts to his subjects in celebration. God generously gives us the gift of eternal life. If the wage for serving sin is death, the free gift for receiving Christ’s righteousness is eternal life.
So, there are ultimately only two ways to live: as a slave of sin leading to death or as a slave of righteousness leading to life. Paul already taught in Romans 5 that “through one man, Adam, sin came into the world, but through another man, Jesus Christ, came righteousness and life,” introducing God’s grace that invites us into new life. Romans 6 then describes how those under God’s grace can wage war against sin in practical ways on their path of sanctification. As Pastor David Jang and many other preachers emphasize, the goal of faith is not merely to avoid hell. Rather, as children of God, we serve as “slaves of righteousness,” bearing fruit for holiness in this life, and eventually enter into eternal life. This infuses our lives with profound meaning and value. Earthly satisfactions and pleasures are fleeting, but the fruit of righteousness remains forever, stored up in heaven (Matt. 6:20).
What, then, should be our practical attitude as “slaves of righteousness”?
- We must daily renew our hearts with God’s Word. In this world where sin targets our fleshly weaknesses, the Word is our strongest defense.
- We must stay watchful in prayer. Even Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. However, He overcame Satan by declaring, “It is written,” and by remaining spiritually vigilant in prayer.
- We must actively offer our bodies to God in real, concrete ways. In what we watch, hear, speak, and do, we should regularly ask, “Am I offering this as an act of worshipful obedience to God?” Desire itself is not evil, but we must guard against sin distorting our desires.
In Ephesians 6:10–19, Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God.” This is preparation for spiritual warfare against sin. Wearing shoes, putting on a breastplate, carrying a shield and helmet, and wielding the sword of the Word all symbolize readiness for battle. Likewise, in Romans 6, Paul calls believers to “become weapons of righteousness.” There are countless people in the world, but among them, we Christians are to offer our bodies and lives to reveal God’s righteousness, love, and holiness. If we surrender our bodies to Satan, they will be used for evil purposes, but if we surrender them to God, we become channels of blessing that bring life and manifest the power of the gospel. Pastor David Jang has repeatedly said in his sermons, “Whose hand holds our members determines the direction of our lives,” underscoring the importance of our allegiance and surrender.
In Romans 6:23, Paul succinctly sums up this entire argument in a single statement: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This epitomizes the stark contrast at the heart of the Christian gospel and calls us to make an ultimate choice. No matter how sweet sin may appear, its end is death, so the believer has no reason to walk that path. Righteousness may seem costly in the world’s eyes, but in reality, it leads to eternal life. Crucially, we do not earn this life by our own merit or achievements; it is God’s free gift. Our task is to simply receive it by faith (“Amen!”) and then to live a life worthy of the grace we have received, offering our bodies in obedience.
Viewed as a whole, Romans 6 demonstrates that living in sin does not magnify God’s grace; sin only tries to pull us back into old slavery. Believers are already set free by the blood of Jesus Christ from the bondage of sin and must now offer themselves to God for righteousness, moving toward holiness. The power to overcome sin does not come from the fear of the law but from our confidence in the truth that we are under grace. When we hold firmly to the reality of being under grace, sin and Satan lose their legal ground, just as an illegal occupant is expelled by the rightful authority. Pastor David Jang also uses Romans 6 to proclaim repeatedly that “God’s children have come under the Father’s authority and love, so Satan can no longer own us.” The problem arises when we forget this fact and mistakenly believe we are still helpless under sin’s control.
We must resolve to live as slaves of righteousness. We need a conscious decision to live as those who truly belong to God. Whenever tempted by sin, we must declare, “I no longer belong to you (sin),” and by relying on the Word and the Holy Spirit, we subdue our desires. Furthermore, we should not merely aim at avoiding sin; we must bear the positive fruit that leads to holiness. Serving others, being salt and light in the world, spreading the gospel, and practicing love are all expressions of living as slaves of righteousness. Through these acts, we remember daily the joy of salvation and continue our journey of sanctification until the day of glorification.
In all this, we recall the caution—often voiced by Pastor David Jang and many other ministers—against confusing justification and sanctification. Justification refers to a change of status, whereas sanctification is the gradual, practical display of holiness in daily life. We wage the battle of sanctification from the secure foundation of our justification. Even if we stumble in the process of sanctification, it does not annul our justification. We still remain citizens of God’s kingdom, His beloved children, who may repent and return to Him. The key is not to fall into despair or the devil’s condemnation each time we sin, but to cling to the truth that we are “already declared righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ.” On that foundation, we can come before God again, depend on the Holy Spirit, and press on.
Romans 6, then, presents a compelling contrast between slaves of sin and slaves of righteousness. The former leads to death, the latter to life. Those who have already been justified in Christ are exhorted: “Since you have died to sin and are alive to God, offer the members of your body as weapons of righteousness so that you may progress in holiness.” This is Paul’s teaching on sanctification—a blessed journey for the redeemed. Moreover, it is not based on our strength but on the grace and power of the God who has set us free from sin. We walk this path with boldness yet in humility, offering ourselves in daily obedience.
In the end, being a slave of righteousness is not oppressive in the human sense. It is entirely different from the miserable compulsion that arises under an earthly master. There is a marvelous paradox at work: the more we offer ourselves to God, the more freedom and joy we experience. Just as Paul proudly called himself “a servant of Christ Jesus,” serving only the one true Lord in gladness, we too can find genuine freedom by becoming “wholly possessed by God.” The result is an abundant harvest and eternal life. This is why Romans 6 concludes with the exhortation, “Present your members as instruments (weapons) of righteousness to God.” The more we surrender ourselves, the more God’s kingdom is advanced, hope is proclaimed to the world, and all glory returns to God. Meanwhile, we ourselves grow in holiness, ultimately entering into eternal rest in God’s hands.
Romans 6 thus addresses the identity and practical life of Christians who are “dead to sin and alive to righteousness,” while urging the decisive choice between being “slaves of righteousness” or returning to “slaves of sin.” Paul does not tell believers, “You are saved, so relax and indulge.” Instead, he urges, “Because you are under grace, do not let sin reign, but engage in the battle, and offer your bodies as instruments of righteousness leading to holiness.” As Pastor David Jang repeatedly emphasizes, this path of sanctification is marked by daily obedience and decisions, culminating in eternal life. Instead of earning the wages of sin, which is death, we receive the eternal life God gives by grace. This is the great hope of the gospel. When we were in Adam, we could not escape the wretched slavery of sin, but now, by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, a completely new way has opened to us. In that freedom and joy, offering our bodies as “slaves of righteousness” is Romans 6’s primary message for us—a very real challenge in the life of faith. We have already died to sin, we live under grace, and we are now under God’s reign. “Therefore, do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as instruments of righteousness.” This command should be etched in our hearts as we move forward in faith. It is the truth and hope we must firmly hold onto as those who have been justified, are being sanctified, and will one day be glorified.