Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Certainly not! How can we who died to sin live in it any longer?

“God forbid--"That be far from us"; the instincts of the new creature revolting at the thought. How shall we, that are dead, &c.--literally, and more forcibly, "We who died to sin (as presently to be explained), how shall we live any longer therein?"”

We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may…

“To leave a dead body unburied is represented, alike in heathen authors as in Scripture, as the greatest indignity (Re 11:8, 9).”

For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.

“Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him--Though Christ's death was in the most absolute sense a voluntary act (Joh 10:17, 18; Ac 2:24), that voluntary surrender gave death such rightful "dominion over Him" as dissolved its…”

The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.

“God--There never, indeed, was a time when Christ did not "live unto God." But in the days of His flesh He did so under the continual burden of sin "laid on Him" (Isa 53:6; 2Co 5:21); whereas, now that He has "put away sin by…”

So you too must count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

“(2) As the death of Christ is not only the expiation of guilt, but the death of sin itself in all who are vitally united to Him; so the resurrection of Christ is the resurrection of believers, not only to acceptance with God, but to…”

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires.

“The "body" is here viewed as the instrument by which all the sins of the heart become facts of the outward life, and as itself the seat of the lower appetites; and it is called "our mortal body," probably to remind us how unsuitable is…”

Do not present the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and…

“Neither yield ye your members instruments of unrighteousness unto Sin, but yield yourselves--this is the great surrender. unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and--as the fruit of this. your members--till now prostituted to sin.”

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

“The curse of the law has been completely lifted from off them; they are made "the righteousness of God in Him"; and they are "alive unto God through Jesus Christ."”

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

“There is no middle state of personal independence; for which we were never made, and to which we have no claim.”

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

“1Pe 1:2: --that is, "Looking back upon the heartiness with which ye served Sin, and the lengths ye went to be stimulated now to like zeal and like exuberance in the service of a better Master."”

For when you were slaves to sin, you were free of obligation to righteousness.

“For when ye were the servants--"were servants" of Sin, ye were free from--rather, "in respect of" Righteousness--Difficulties have been made about this clause where none exist.”

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through--"in" Jesus Christ our Lord--This concluding verse--as pointed as it is brief--contains the marrow, the most fine gold, of the Gospel.”

Therefore, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order…

“But this is to mistake the apostle's design in employing this figure, which was merely to illustrate the general principle that "death dissolves legal obligation."”

What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law.

“I had not known sin but by the law--It is important to fix what is meant by "sin" here. It certainly is not "the general nature of sin" [ALFORD, &c.], though it be true that this is learned from the law; for such a sense…”

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.

“For we know that the law is spiritual--in its demands. but I am carnal--fleshly (see on Ro 7:5), and as such, incapable of yielding spiritual obedience. sold under sin--enslaved to it.”

For in my inner being I delight in God’s law.

“For I delight in the law of God after the inward man--"from the bottom of my heart." The word here rendered "delight" is indeed stronger than "consent" in Ro 7:16; but both express a state of mind and heart to which the unregenerate man is…”

But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.

“The apostle found two such laws within him; the one "the law of sin in his members," called (in Ga 5:17, 24) "the flesh which lusteth against the spirit," "the flesh with the affections and lusts," that is, the sinful principle in the regenerate; the…”

For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

“We think it wrong, therefore, to render the words (as in the Margin) "by a sacrifice for sin" (suggested by the language of the Septuagint and approved by CALVIN, &c.); for this sense is too definite, and makes the idea of expiation more prominent than…”

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things…

“For they that are after the flesh--that is, under the influence of the fleshly principle. do mind--give their attention to (Php 3:19).”

Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.

“So then--nearly equivalent to "And so." they that are in--and, therefore, under the government of the flesh cannot please God--having no obediential principle, no desire to please Him.”

You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.

“Now--"But." if any man have not the Spirit of Christ--Again, this does not mean "the disposition or mind of Christ," but the Holy Ghost; here called "the Spirit of Christ," just as He is called "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (see on Ro…”

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh--"Once we were sold under sin (Ro 7:14); but now that we have been set free from that hard master and become servants to Righteousness (Ro 6:22), we owe nothing to the…”

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

“Note, (1) "There can be no safety, no holiness, no happiness, to those who are out of Christ: No "safety," because all such are under the condemnation of the law (Ro 8:1); no holiness, because such only as are united to Christ have the spirit…”

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God, they, &c.--"these are sons of God."”

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

“"Abba" is the Syro-Chaldaic word for "Father"; and the Greek word for that is added, not surely to tell the reader that both mean the same thing, but for the same reason which drew both words from the lips of Christ Himself during his agony…”