Romans 6:12-23
1. In Romans 6:1-11, the appeal was about to whom we will be alive. In Romans 6:12-23, the appeal is about whom we will serve and therefore to whom will we hand over the rulership of our lives. Paul moves from awareness, attention, and attunement to God to yielding and becoming servants to God. How effective do you think Paul’s progression is?
2. Is there a third choice called something like “freedom to run my own life”? Or is freedom promised in either of the other choices, God or sin (compare John 8:32-36)? How have you experienced this freedom?
3. Read and compare other striking death and life instances in Romans (5:12, 17; 8:6, 13). Notice these are in the chapters surrounding our chapter 6. How does this death and life concept fit with Paul’s theme (Romans 1:16-17)?
4. What joy or excitement comes to you from this text? What questions arise for you out of the reading of this text? What did you learn that was new to you, or a new way of looking at something? What does this text tell you about God and about yourself? About humans in general?
Other References
6:12 “Dominion,” Psalm 19:13
6:13 “Alive from the dead,” Eph 2:4-5
6:16 Promise of liberty but receipt of bondage, 2 Peter 2:19
6:21 End is death, Proverbs 14:12; 16:25
6:22 End is life, 1 Peter 1:4, 9
6:23 Wages of sin, Genesis 2:17; 3:6