Romans 6:5-7

Scripture Verse

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Dead to sin, alive in Christ

If we share in Christ’s death, then we are also dead to sin. But dying is not an easy process. Death always involves letting go—releasing what once defined us, what once felt familiar and safe. Jesus calls us to leave our old life behind, and that kind of death can be painful.

To die to sin, we must first face it. We must name it, carry its weight, and feel its cost. As the psalmist writes, “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear” (Psalm 38:4). The Bible invites us into this honest confrontation—not to shame us, but to free us.

Paul tells us that “our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with.” The passage speaks clearly here: left to us, we are slaves to sin. And often, the most dangerous part of this slavery is how invisible it can be to us.

We don’t always realize how bound we are, how much of what we do, and how we do it, feels inevitable when it is not. I see this most clearly in moments when I speak unjustly to someone I love. I know my words will hurt them, yet I speak anyway—because I was hurt first, exhausted, or frustrated. At that moment, I am not free. I am unable not to hurt others and God.

But dying to sin is just the first half of the story. Death is not the end; it’s the beginning of something new. To die to sin is to lose everything from our old self—our bad habits, our self-justification, our need to be right—so that God may fill us with a new life shaped by obedience and love.

We know that Christ did not remain in the grave. On the third day, he rose again. Just as we are united with him in death, we are united with him in resurrection. We are made new for a new life, as Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Let today’s passage challenge us: have we truly died to our sins, or is there still something that holds us captive? Can we lay them down at the cross of Jesus? Let us bring these to God in prayer, asking him to free us from our old selves and to form us into a new creation, ready to glorify him in obedience and love.