We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse highlights that the "body of sin" isn't just about physical actions, but about sin's pervasive influence over our entire being – our will, our desires, and our very identity as the "old self." The crucifixion's power isn't just for forgiveness, but to dismantle sin's mastery so we're no longer its slaves.
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is explaining the implications of being united with Christ in His death and resurrection. He's just established that baptism into Christ means sharing in His death, and now he's digging into what that spiritual death achieves: it’s the death blow to our sinful nature, freeing us from its dominion. This sets the stage for understanding the new life in Christ, which begins with recognizing the destruction of our old self and moving into service to God.
Ever feel like you have a completely different 'you' that pops out sometimes, especially when facing temptation? The Bible has a term for that old way of living.
Paul introduces the idea of our "old self" here. Think of it as the person you were before you truly surrendered your life to Christ. This isn't just about making bad choices; it's your entire identity, your habits, your way of thinking and acting that was dominated by sin.
When Jesus was crucified, it wasn't just a historical event. Paul teaches that believers are united with Christ in that death. This means that the power and dominion of your 'old self' was ideally, and is in reality through faith, broken on the cross. It’s a radical idea: that the part of you enslaved to sin was symbolically and spiritually crucified with Jesus.
If the 'old self' is dead, what exactly is this 'body of sin' Paul mentions? And how can it be 'destroyed'?
Paul uses the phrase 'body of sin' to describe the mechanism through which sin operates in our lives. It's not just about our physical body, but rather the whole system of our fallen humanity – our desires, impulses, and habits that are oriented towards sin.
This 'body of sin' is 'destroyed' not in the sense of ceasing to exist entirely, but in its domination and power over us. Because our 'old self' was crucified with Christ, the power that sin had to dictate our actions is broken. This destruction is a process, but its foundation is in Christ's completed work on the cross. It means sin is no longer your master; its fatal grip is cancelled.
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If our old self is dead and the body of sin is destroyed, what's the ultimate result for our lives?
The whole point of the crucifixion and the destruction of sin's power is liberation! Paul declares that the goal is 'so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.' Before Christ, we were slaves to sin, its commands feeling like the only option.
Now, through our union with Christ's death and resurrection, we are freed from that bondage. This doesn't mean we never struggle with sin, but we are no longer under its dominion. We have been transferred from the kingdom of sin to the kingdom of God. Our identity has changed, and so has our capacity and obligation. We are now free to live for God.
Understand the original words
palaios anthropos · Greek Noun phrase
Referring to the person as he was before conversion, dominated by Adam's fallen nature, which was judicially terminated at the cross.
synestaurōthē · Greek Verb
To execute by fastening to a cross; in a theological sense, it signifies the identification of the believer with Christ's death, resulting in the breaking of the power of the sinful nature.
sōma tēs hamartias · Greek Noun phrase
The physical body as the instrument through which sin operates in a fallen world; it requires the liberating work of Christ to be rendered powerless in its rebellion against God.
douleuein · Greek Verb
A state of bondage where one is under the controlling authority of sin, unable to free oneself without divine intervention through Christ.
This passage echoes the 'crucified with Christ' theme, emphasizing that the believer's life is now lived in Christ, highlighting the death of the old self that Paul discusses in Romans 6:6.
Colossians 2:11It speaks of believers being 'circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, by putting off the body of flesh.' This parallels the idea in Romans 6:6 of the 'body of sin' being dealt with, but here it's framed as a spiritual removal of the fleshly nature.
Ephesians 4:22-24This text explicitly calls believers to 'put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.' This directly reflects the 'old man' being put to death and a new life beginning, as described in Romans 6:6.
1 Peter 4:1-2This passage encourages believers to 'arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the body, as ceased from sin, so that no longer to live the rest of the time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.' It connects suffering with the cessation of sin's dominion, resonating with the idea that union with Christ's death frees us from serving sin.
bengelRomans 6:6: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
Romans 6:6 . Ἄνθρωπος , man ) The abstract for the concrete, as in ch. Romans 7:22 , and in many other places.— ἵνα — τοῦ μηκέτι ) The particles should be carefully noticed; as also the three synonymous nouns, and the verbs added to them.— καταργηθῇ , may be destroyed ) may be stripped of its dominion [ Romans 6:14 ].— τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας , the b…
clarkeRomans 6:6: "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
Our old man is crucified with him - This seems to be a farther extension of the same metaphor. When a seed is planted in the earth, it appears as if the whole body of it perished. All seeds, as they are commonly termed, are composed of two parts; the germ, which contains the rudiments of the future plant; and the lobes, or body of the seed, which…
This verse highlights that the "body of sin" isn't just about physical actions, but about sin's pervasive influence over our entire being – our will, our desires, and our very identity as the "old self." The crucifixion's power isn't just for forgiveness, but to dismantle sin's mastery so we're no longer its slaves.
Paul is explaining the implications of being united with Christ in His death and resurrection. He's just established that baptism into Christ means sharing in His death, and now he's digging into what that spiritual death achieves: it’s the death blow to our sinful nature, freeing us from its dominion. This sets the stage for understanding the new life in Christ, which begins with recognizing the destruction of our old self and moving into service to God.
Paul is explaining the implications of being united with Christ in His death and resurrection. He's just established that baptism into Christ means sharing in His death, and now he's digging into what that spiritual death achieves: it’s the death blow to our sinful nature, freeing us from its dominion. This sets the stage for understanding the new life in Christ, which begins with recognizing the destruction of our old self and moving into service to God.
"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." — This verse highlights that the "body of sin" isn't just about physical actions, but about sin's pervasive influence over our entire being – our will, our desires, and our very identity as the "old se…
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Last reviewed October 2026