Romans 6:15-16
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The phrase "under grace" isn't just about receiving forgiveness; it powerfully implies a new empowering to live differently, moving beyond the mere obligation of the law to a life transformed by God's empowering presence. This isn't a license to sin, but a radical shift in our allegiance and capacity to live righteously.
What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing a serious misunderstanding of God's grace, pushing back against the idea that freedom from the law means freedom to sin. He just explained that believers are united with Christ in his death to sin and his life in God, so the question arises: does this freedom give us a license to continue in sin? Paul emphatically rejects this notion, insisting that our new identity in Christ compels us toward righteousness, not license.
Paul just told us that believers are no longer slaves to sin. So, does that mean we can just do whatever we want? This verse tackles that potential misunderstanding head-on.
Paul anticipates a dangerous question: If we're not under the strict rules of the Law, but under God's amazing grace, does that give us permission to sin? His answer is a resounding 'No!'
The Misunderstanding
Some might hear 'under grace' and think it means freedom from any accountability. They might reason, 'The Law condemns, but Grace forgives, so why worry about sinning?' This thinking twists God's gracious gift into a license for rebellion.
The Reality
Being 'under grace' means we are under God's unmerited favor and empowering presence. It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card for sin. Instead, grace empowers us to live righteously, not to indulge in sin. Paul's immediate 'By no means!' (or 'God forbid!') shows how abhorrent this idea is.
Paul doesn't leave us with just a negative command ('Don't sin!'). He immediately pivots to explain the reality of who is in charge of our lives.
Paul follows up his emphatic 'By no means!' with a fundamental truth about our identity: we become servants to whoever or whatever we obey.
The Principle of Servanthood
Think about it: you can't serve two masters. Your actions reveal who you truly belong to. If you habitually obey sin, you are its servant, and the end result is death (spiritual and eternal separation from God). If you choose to obey God's call to righteousness, you become His servant, and the result is true life and relationship with Him.
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Our Active Choice
Paul emphasizes that 'you present yourselves' as servants (Romans 6:16, 19). This isn't passive. Grace doesn't force obedience; it enables and calls for our willing surrender. We actively choose to present our bodies and wills to either sin or righteousness.
Understand the original words
paristanete · Greek Verb
To yield, offer, or place at the disposal of another. In a biblical context, it implies a voluntary surrender or dedication of one's person or body to a specific master or purpose.
douloi · Greek Noun
A person who is legally and entirely owned by another, lacking personal freedom and obligated to complete obedience. Theologically, it describes the state of being entirely under the control and dominion of either sin or God.
hamartias · Greek Noun
A fundamental force of rebellion against God, often personified as a power or master that enslaves humanity, corrupts human nature, and separates the creature from the Creator.
thanaton · Greek Noun
The ultimate consequence of sin; it signifies not only physical cessation of life but, more importantly, spiritual alienation from God, corruption of soul, and eternal judgment.
dikaiosynen · Greek Noun
The quality or state of being in accordance with God’s standard, character, and law. It represents a right standing before God and the practical outworking of living in conformity to His will.
This passage warns against using freedom in Christ as an excuse for sinful desires, echoing Paul's strong prohibition against sinning because of grace.
1 Peter 2:16Peter similarly rebukes the idea of using freedom as a cloak for evil, reinforcing the concept that true liberty in Christ leads to righteousness, not license.
Colossians 1:21-22This passage highlights how believers are reconciled to God through Christ's sacrifice, enabling them to be presented holy and blameless, directly countering the notion that grace permits continued sin.
Romans 6:11This verse immediately preceding the one in question, urges believers to 'consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus,' setting the stage for why sinning under grace would be a contradiction.
Matthew 6:24Jesus' teaching that no one can serve two masters illustrates the fundamental incompatibility of serving both God (under grace) and sin, which Paul implies in Romans 6:15.
henryRomans 6:11-15: "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
6:11-15 The strongest motives against sin, and to enforce holiness, are here stated. Being made free from the reign of sin, alive unto God, and having the prospect of eternal life, it becomes believers to be greatly concerned to advance thereto. But, as unholy lusts are not quite rooted out in this life, it must be the care of the Christian to resist their motions,…
barnesRomans 6:15: "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid."
What then? shall we sin ... - The apostle proceeds to notice an objection which might be suggested. "If Christians are not under the law, which forbids all sin, but are under grace, which pardons sin, will it not follow that they will feel themselves released from obligation to be holy? Will they not commit sin freely, since the system of grace is one which contemplates pardon, and which will…
The phrase "under grace" isn't just about receiving forgiveness; it powerfully implies a new empowering to live differently, moving beyond the mere obligation of the law to a life transformed by God's empowering presence. This isn't a license to sin, but a radical shift in our allegiance and capacity to live righteously.
Paul is addressing a serious misunderstanding of God's grace, pushing back against the idea that freedom from the law means freedom to sin. He just explained that believers are united with Christ in his death to sin and his life in God, so the question arises: does this freedom give us a license to continue in sin? Paul emphatically rejects this notion, insisting that our new identity in Christ compels us toward righteousness, not license.
Paul is addressing a serious misunderstanding of God's grace, pushing back against the idea that freedom from the law means freedom to sin. He just explained that believers are united with Christ in his death to sin and his life in God, so the question arises: does this freedom give us a license to continue in sin? Paul emphatically rejects this notion, insisting that our new identity in Christ compels us toward righteousness, not license.
"What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death,…" — The phrase "under grace" isn't just about receiving forgiveness; it powerfully implies a new empowering to live differently, moving beyond the mere obligation of the law to a life transformed by Go…
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Last reviewed October 2026
