Paul finishes Romans 6 with a stark choice: every person is a slave; either to sin (which feels free but pays wages of death) or to righteousness (which feels restrictive but ends in eternal life). Grace is so powerful that it forces the question, “Shall we keep sinning so grace can increase?” Paul’s answer is a thunderous “May it never be!” Then in Romans 7, he shows the Jews why they are free to “remarry” Christ: we died to the Law through His body, releasing us from the old marriage so we can now bear fruit for God in the newness of the Spirit. The Law wasn’t bad; it revealed sin, but it could never give life. Only the free gift of God in Christ Jesus our Lord can do that. The wages of sin are still death… but the gift is still free.
Talking Points (perfect for class recap, bulletin insert, or 60-second video)
- Nobody is neutral. You are a slave to something, either sin or righteousness. There is no third option.
- Sin is a terrible master. It offers the illusion of freedom (“do whatever you want!”) but always pays in shame, pain, and death.
- God is the best master. Yes, He has commands, but He loves, protects, provides, and leads to life—forever.
- Grace is so big it scares us. Paul has to keep saying “May it never be!” because real grace sounds almost too good to be true—so good that some twist it into a license to sin.
- The famous verse everyone quotes is the climax, not the starting point: “The wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Wages = what we earned and deserve. Gift = what we could never earn and don’t deserve.
- The Law did its job perfectly. It wasn’t sin; it revealed sin. It was our tutor to brought us to Christ. Once it finished its job, we died to it through Jesus’ body and are now free to be joined to Him.
- We’re no longer married to the Law; we’re married to Jesus A beautiful (and shocking to 1st-century Jews) marriage analogy: death ends a marriage covenant. We died with Christ, so we’re free to belong to the Risen One and bear fruit for God.
- Old way = obedience to the letter out of duty. New way = obedience in the newness of the Spirit out of love and gratitude. Same commands, totally different heart.
- Grace isn’t cheap, and it isn’t a loophole. It cost Jesus everything, and it demands that we present our bodies as “slaves of righteousness” leading to sanctification and eternal life.
Bottom line: Choose your master wisely, because only one pays with a gift instead of wages.