“Dead to Sin, Alive to God”

Fr. Scott Haynes

A Meditation on Romans 6:3–11

“Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death? For we are buried together with him by baptism into death: that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.”—Romans 6:3–5

I. The Mystery of Death and Resurrection in Christ (Romans 6:3–11, Exegetical Commentary)

The Apostle Paul, in Romans 6:3–11, brings his readers to the very heart of the Christian mystery: the paradox of death as the gateway to life. The passage follows Paul’s discussion of grace in chapter 5, where he declares that “where sin abounded, grace did more abound” (Rom 5:20). But lest his readers misunderstand this mercy as license for sin, Paul abruptly asks: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Rom 6:1). The answer is emphatic: “God forbid!” (Rom 6:2). Then comes our text—Paul's exposition on what it means to be baptized into Christ.

“Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death?” Baptism is not merely a symbolic act; it is a mystical participation in the death of Christ. This death is not figurative or metaphorical—it is real, both spiritually and sacramentally. In the sacrament, the soul is buried with Christ so that the old man—the self enslaved to sin—might die.

But Paul immediately follows this with hope: “that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life” (v. 4). Just as Christ did not remain in the tomb, neither shall the Christian remain in the grip of sin. Resurrection is not only future, but present. We are called now to “walk”—to live—in “newness of life.” The Greek verb peripateō (to walk) suggests ongoing, daily conduct. Resurrection, then, is not merely a destination, but a journey already begun.

In verse 5, Paul describes our unity with Christ in beautiful terms: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” The Greek word symphytoi (planted together) evokes the image of grafting—our souls being united with Christ like a branch to a vine (cf. John 15:5). Death is not the end; it is the soil from which divine life springs forth.

He continues: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, to the end that we may serve sin no longer.” The “old man” is Adamic humanity, inherited through original sin. This is not simply a moral tendency but a real spiritual state. But in Christ, the Second Adam, the old is nailed to the Cross.

Paul states with certainty: “He that is dead is justified from sin” (v. 7). This echoes a legal truth—death dissolves contracts. The one who dies to sin is no longer its debtor.

In verses 8–11, Paul develops this spiritual death and resurrection in personal terms: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ.” Christ, once risen, dies no more; death has no dominion over Him. Likewise, the baptized Christian must no longer let sin reign. The conclusion is a moral exhortation rooted in sacramental truth: “So do you also reckon that you are dead to sin, but alive unto God, in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

II. The Voice of the Fathers

The early Church Fathers meditated deeply on this passage, seeing in it both a mystical and moral transformation wrought by the grace of God.

St. John Chrysostom emphasizes that baptism is more than a cleansing; it is a crucifixion of the old man:

“It is not simply said, ‘we are dead,’ but ‘we are buried.’ For that which is buried is completely hidden. We must not then only die to sin, but be as one buried altogether out of sight. This is what takes place in the font.”¹

This “burial” was not mere metaphor for the early Church. The font was the tomb from which new life emerged. The catechumen, after renouncing Satan, would descend into the water—a grave of sorts—and rise anew, clothed in a white garment, an image of the Resurrection.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in his Catechetical Lectures, instructs the newly baptized:

“You were led down to the font of holy baptism... and each of you was asked, ‘Do you believe in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost?’... And you were immersed into the water, and three times you arose again: this symbolized the three days’ burial of Christ.”²

The triple immersion was not arbitrary but represented the Triduum—the three days Christ spent in the tomb. Thus, baptism becomes a sacred drama in which the believer participates in Christ’s Paschal Mystery.

St. Ambrose of Milan writes with great pastoral fervor:

“You were buried with him in baptism, in which also you rose again with him... believe, therefore, that you rose; for faith is the beginning of life.”³

Faith is not merely intellectual assent; it is a living participation in divine life. By faith, we claim what baptism bestows: the death of sin and the birth of a new man.

St. Augustine, in his struggle with concupiscence, finds in Romans 6 the foundation for Christian liberty:

“We must not suppose that sin has been completely annihilated in the baptized, but that it should no longer reign... for it is one thing to be in the body, and another for the body to be ruled by sin.”⁴

Thus, the “body of sin” is not obliterated in this life, but its dominion is broken. Grace empowers the Christian to fight temptation, not by personal strength, but through union with Christ.

III. Dead to Sin, Alive to God: Spiritual and Practical Application

What does it mean to live this passage today? To be “dead to sin, but alive to God”?

1. Baptism: The Beginning of a New Reality

So many Catholics forget—or never fully grasp—that baptism is not just a rite of initiation but the entrance into a new existence. The Catechism affirms:

“Baptism... not only purifies from all sins, but also makes the neophyte ‘a new creature,’ an adopted son of God... a member of Christ.”⁵

St. Paul’s message reminds us that this adoption is not theoretical. We are no longer slaves. “Sin shall not have dominion over you” (Rom 6:14).

To meditate on one’s baptism is to recall the precise moment when the old self was drowned and the seed of eternal life planted. One might, in prayer, renew the baptismal promises, reject Satan again, and call upon the Holy Trinity to animate the soul.

2. The Ongoing Battle Against Sin

Although baptism removes the guilt of original sin and gives sanctifying grace, the inclination to sin remains. Romans 6 does not deny this. Paul urges the faithful not to let sin “reign in your mortal body” (v. 12). The verb “reign” implies that sin seeks to dominate, to establish a kingdom within the soul.

St. Gregory the Great offers this warning:

“There is a death to sin which is temporary, and a death to sin which is eternal. The former we live now through penance; the latter will be ours fully in heaven.”⁶

Daily conversion is thus necessary. The mortification of the senses, frequent confession, and the examination of conscience are not outdated disciplines—they are the sword and shield of those fighting the old man.

3. Newness of Life in Christ

Paul writes that we are to “walk in newness of life” (v. 4). This walk is not just moral improvement; it is a transformation of desire. To walk with Christ is to imitate Him, love what He loves, and suffer what He suffered.

St. Josemaría Escrivá once said:

“Christ is passing by, and He is passing by in your life. He is calling you to rise up, to live as another Christ.”⁷

This new life is marked by joy, even amid suffering, because it participates in the Resurrection. Christians are not stoics enduring fate, but sons and daughters of God, called to radiate the life of Christ to a darkened world.

4. Freedom from Fear of Death

Romans 6 ends with a triumphant declaration: Christ, “rising again from the dead, dieth now no more: death shall no more have dominion over him” (v. 9). Because of this, the Christian no longer fears death. As St. Paul says elsewhere, “to die is gain” (Phil 1:21).

The baptized soul who lives in grace already possesses eternal life. Death is merely the passage into the fullness of what began at the font.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, marching toward martyrdom, wrote:

“Allow me to become food for the beasts, through whom it will be granted me to attain to God.”⁸

To be “alive unto God” (Rom 6:11) means to live with eyes fixed on Heaven, unafraid of losing the world because the soul is already united to Christ.

5. The Eucharist: Living the Mystery Daily

Finally, the mystery of Romans 6 is renewed each time we receive the Holy Eucharist. Just as baptism united us to Christ’s death and resurrection once and for all, the Eucharist is the daily bread that sustains that union.

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches:

“The effect of the Eucharist is the transformation of man into Christ, that he may no longer live for himself but for Christ.”⁹

Here is the great paradox: the more we die to self, the more alive we become.

Conclusion: The Eternal Consequences of a New Life

Romans 6:3–11 is not only a theological foundation; it is a spiritual roadmap. It teaches us that Christianity is not behavior modification, but death and resurrection. To be baptized is to die to the slavery of sin and be raised with Christ as a new creation.

Let this passage burn in your soul:

• Are you living as someone risen from the dead?

• Do you treat sin as your enemy?

• Is the newness of life visible in your words, your silence, your mercy, your prayer?

If not, today is the day to return to your baptism—to kneel and say: “I am dead to sin. I am alive to God in Christ Jesus.” That confession is not only true; it is victorious.

Footnotes

1. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans, Homily 11, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 11, ed. Philip Schaff (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 433.

2. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 20.4, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 7, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 150.

3. Ambrose, On the Mysteries, 4.20, trans. J. H. Srawley, Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, vol. 10 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 318.

4. Augustine, On Nature and Grace, ch. 61, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 5, ed. Philip Schaff (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 139.

5. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1265–66.

6. Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job, 9.39.

7. St. Josemaría Escrivá, Christ Is Passing By (New York: Scepter, 1974), no. 59.

8. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, ch. 4, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1994), 75.

9. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III, q. 79, a. 1.