Romans 6

Makestraightpaths.com examines the teachings of the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love,” and evaluates these teachings from a Christian perspective. This page is one in a series on the 'Law of Love' and the Family's sexual beliefs.

Romans 6: Sin after Salvation

The Family teaches that because Christians are under the grace of God, they are permitted to do some actions that might otherwise be forbidden. The argument may be spelled out like this: Christians are saved by grace without works. Therefore, the 'works' are not necessary for salvation. Therefore, obedience to the Mosaic Law is not necessary for salvation. Therefore, Christians may break the Mosaic Law without fear of losing their salvation. Therefore, breaking the Mosaic Law is no sin. Therefore, extra-marital sex (condemned by the Mosaic Law) is no sin. Therefore, Christians may engage in extra-marital sex because it is no sin. This summarises the logical course of the Family's argument. However, there are serious flaws in this teaching that come to light when one studies the sixth chapter of Romans.

Paul summarises his reaction to such an argument with a rhetorical question:

Rom 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! NASU

The book of Romans contains a long and detailed theological argument, of which chapter six is but one part. It is worthwhile taking some time to follow Paul's train of thought here, for the situation is surprisingly relevant to 21st century life.

Sin and grace

Romans chapter five concludes with a striking contrast between sin and grace.

Rom 5:20-21
20 The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
NASU

Paul says that one of the purposes of the law was that "transgression would increase," or in other words, the law would describe in great detail what was and what was not sin, so the natural consequence was an increase in sin. God's reaction, though, was over and above what anyone could have expected. Although people seemed to be overwhelmed with sin, God sent his grace in the form of Jesus Christ, the embodiment of righteousness.

Paul anticipates that someone will miss his point, and misconstrue his words to mean that because grace increases as sin increases, then it's a good thing to sin because that causes more grace to come! Actually, Paul's enemies had already accused him of encouraging sin (see Rom 3:8).

Cooperation with grace

Rom 6:1-2
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
NASU

Paul says that it is not as though the logic is wrong, rather this argument is irrelevant because those who think this way are ignoring the fact that believers are to actively participate in their ongoing regeneration. They do not cause it but they are to cooperate with it. Once they have received the grace of God, they are to allow God to cleanse them from sin. If they do not do so, it is doubtful whether they really received God's grace at all. In other words, the grace of God always changes people. If, therefore, someone is not changed, it is legitimate to question whether they really did receive God's grace at all.

Paul continues by drawing a parallel between the spiritual regeneration that occurs at salvation with Christ's death and resurrection. Baptism, he says, pictures this parallel.

Rom 6:3-4
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
NASU

Christians undergo a major transformation at salvation so that they begin walking "in newness of life." The life of Christ makes everything new. This newness means that some things are gone forever, and other things have begun.

Rom 6:5-7
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
NASU

Paul says that the sinful actions of the past are gone, because they no longer have any hold on the Christian; they no longer control him.

Rom 6:8-11
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
NASU

Christians receive new life from God. They are not merely to be passive beneficiaries of God's blessings; God requires active obedience on their part:

Rom 6:12-14
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
NASU

Christians must resist sin. Just as previously they obeyed sin, now they are to obey God. Interestingly, there is no question that all people must obey someone or something: they will either obey sin or they will obey God. No one is free from obeying one or the other.

Enslaved to righteousness

Paul then introduces his next point with another rhetorical question.

Rom 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! NASU

Paul's argument will be, not that sin does not exist, but that the purpose of grace is to enslave believers to righteousness.

Rom 6:16-19
16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.
NASU

Before salvation, believers did not merely choose to obey sin; they were actually enslaved to sin. They had no choice, they could do nothing else but sin. After salvation, they became slaves to righteousness, so that God himself could work his righteousness through them.

Rom 6:20-23
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. 22 But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
NASU

In recognition of the fact that they are now enslaved to God, believers are to abandon the sinful actions that typified their previous enslavement to sin.

Application

The Family claims that extra-marital sex is legitimate in the sight of God because of the doctrine of salvation apart from works. In other words, the Family believes that although extra-marital sex is a sin before salvation, it is no sin after salvation because of the grace of God.

The Family is right in saying that extra-marital sex is a sin before salvation, but they are terribly wrong in saying that the same action is no longer sin after salvation. Paul is clear that salvation produces a change in behaviour. Actions that were sin before salvation are no longer done. Believers keep themselves from doing those things because they have now given themselves to God.

There is no possibility of interpreting Paul to say that he means that sinful actions are somehow no longer sinful after salvation. Extra-marital sex is sin both before and after salvation, the only difference is that before salvation, believers have no power to refrain from sin. After salvation, believers have the power of God.

Family members who are unable to resist the sin of extra-marital sex may be lacking the Spirit of God and therefore actually be unsaved.

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