Romans 6:15

What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Romans 6:15 (KJV)

Context

Paul has just declared that believers are not under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Verse 15 then poses a rhetorical question that anticipates a possible misunderstanding: if the law no longer condemns us, may we continue in sin? Paul answers with a forceful Greek expression, “God forbid” (me genoito, “may it never be”), showing that the suggestion is unthinkable for a believer.

Meaning

Being “under the law” means being bound to keep it for righteousness and thus subject to its curse and condemnation. Believers are no longer under the law in that sense; they are under grace, which places them in the love and favor of God. Yet grace does not give license to sin. Instead, it frees believers from sin’s dominion, not from the call to holiness. Paul’s strong rejection makes clear that justification by faith never leads to moral laxity.

Biblical connections

The immediate context in Romans 6:16-18 explains that believers are now slaves to righteousness, not to sin. The law reveals sin but cannot save; grace forgives and transforms. In the preceding verses (Romans 6:1-14), Paul emphasizes that believers have died to sin and been raised to newness of life in Christ. Therefore, they are to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God, offering themselves as instruments of righteousness.

Application

Grace is not freedom to sin but freedom from sin. Believers are called to live under the lordship of Christ, walking in obedience and pursuing holiness. The Holy Spirit empowers them to resist temptation, grow in Christlikeness, and bear good fruit. This verse guards against antinomianism—the idea that grace nullifies the need for holy living—and reminds believers that God’s transforming grace produces a life of gratitude and obedience.

Reflection

Paul’s question challenges every believer to examine the heart: does grace make us careless about sin, or does it deepen our love for God and our desire to honor Him? The answer to that question reveals whether we truly understand the grace that saves us.