Romans 6:12-23 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. 13Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and present the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

“15What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not! 16Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? 17But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. 18You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to escalating wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

20For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness. 21What fruit did you reap at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The outcome of those things is death. 22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Law and Grace

Now, this subject of “law and grace” can be easily misunderstood and misconstrued to teach that we, as followers of Christ, are under no law whatsoever and that God’s grace frees us from His commands so that we can keep sinning against God without consequence and without punishment. But the subject matter has to do with no longer being under the Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, circumcision, dietary and Sabbath laws of the Old Covenant. We are not to become lawless.

Under the New Covenant we must deny self, die to sin, and obey God in life practice. It does not teach that we must be absolutely perfect in every respect or that if we sin once, “bang!,” we’re out!! (see 1 John 2:1-2) But that is not permission to keep on sinning and to ignore God’s New Covenant commands. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return (see Titus 2:11-14).

Grace and Faith

Therefore, by God’s grace, through God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin that we might live to God and to His righteousness in obedience to His commands. We do not let sin reign (rule) in our lives so that we obey its desires. For sin should no longer be our master. For we are slaves to what we obey. And if sin is what we obey, our habit (addiction), that leads to death, not to eternal life with God. But obedience to God leads to righteousness and holiness, and the outcome is eternal life with God.

When this says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord,” this is not a blanket promise to everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ with their lips that the gift of salvation from sin is theirs to possess for eternity. In context, it is letting us all know that if sin remains our practice, our habit, and not obedience to God and to His New Covenant commands, we will NOT have eternal life with God. For the gift of God is deliverance out of our slavery to sin so we will now serve the Lord in obedience to His commands. And that is eternal life with God.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Brought from Death to Life
An Original Work / September 4, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Seek the Lord

Based off Isaiah 55
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”