What does Romans 6:11 mean? (2024)

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Paul has described Jesus' death on the cross for the sins of humanity as a one-time, once-for-all event. He submitted to death in that moment, but once He was resurrected, death was defeated. It no longer had any hold over Him. Jesus was free from death forever. Since, spiritually speaking, those who trust in Christ for their salvation also died, were buried, and then were resurrected to new spiritual life, we are on the same path that Jesus is. We are so closely identified with Christ now that God gives us credit for Christ's righteousness and takes the payment of His death for our sin. Christ literally "is our life" (Colossians 3:4).

Paul now writes that we must change the way we think about ourselves. We must no longer think of ourselves as self-reliant, self-serving, independent operators. Instead, as people in Christ, we must think of ourselves as dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.

What does it mean that we are dead to sin? Paul explained it in verse 6. Our old self was crucified with Christ and the "body of sin" that held us as slaves was done away with. We have been freed from sin's power. In that sense, we are dead to sin. It can't compel us to do wrong (1 Corinthians 10:13), though we have not lost the desire to sin (1 John 1:9–10). That's why we must keep reminding ourselves that we are dead to sin, as Paul will show in the following verses.