THEREFORE: me oun: (Psalm 119:133)

Philips outlines this section as follows...

Comprehending the truth--"know" (Romans 6:8-10)

Counting on the truth--"reckon" (Romans 6:11-12)

Capitulating to the truth--"yield" (Romans 6:13)

Therefore (3767) (oun) means so or consequently. (Click for discussion of terms of conclusion) This conjunction introduces a logical result from the preceding, the knowing and the reckoning of the preceding 11 verses. This juncture marks one of the most important "therefore's" in the Bible for believers. Paul is saying in essence don't just set in the classroom or the sanctuary and talk about the truths you've just learned in (Romans 6:1-11) (For exposition click 6:1-3 6:4-5 6:6-7 6:8-10 6:11) but live out these truths.

Therefore because of the fact, the truth that in my spiritual bank account (Ro6:1-10)  I am alive TO God IN Christ Jesus. That is why I am not to let SIN continually exert control over my body the way it did before I was baptized into His death and raised to walk in newness of life. It depends on who I make a choice to submit to...sin or Christ (yielding my rights to the Spirit of Christ, moment by moment, day by day - this surrender brings true freedom!)

Spurgeon observes...

How intimately the believer's duties are interwoven with his privileges! Because he is alive unto God, he is to renounce sin, since that corrupt thing belongs to his estate of death. How intimately both his duties and his privileges are bound up with Christ Jesus his Lord! How thoughtful ought we to be upon these matters; reckoning what is right and fit; and carrying out that reckoning to its practical issues. (Romans 6:11-12 Dead But Alive - Sermon Notes)

DO NOT LET SIN REIGN: me oun basileueto (3SPAM) ho hamartia: (Ro 6:16; 5:21; 7:23,24; Nu 33:55; Dt 7:2; Josh 23:12,13; Jdg 2:3; Ps 19:13; Ps 119:133)

The Greek is emphatic -- “Be not at all allowing sin to reign!”

Sin (266) (hamartia) is literally "the sin" (Greek article "ho" = "the", conveying the idea not of sin in general but of a specific aspect of Sin -- see discussion) which in Romans 6 represents a moral principle or force which is personified as an evil king who constantly seeks to enslave and to rule those who are subject to its power (all unregenerate mankind).

Reign (936) (basileuo from basileús = a king, sovereign, monarch) means to rule as a king with the implication of complete authority. To rule and be in control in an absolute manner or to control completely.

The present imperative (command) is preceded by a negative particle  ("me" = negates what follows) which means "Stop letting the Sin to continue to reign in your physical body." Paul is saying stop letting this continue, implying that his readers were in fact letting sin reign.  Paul's point is because of our position (dead, buried and resurrected with Christ), believers no longer have to obey the demands of "Sin".

Poole notes that Paul...

does not say, let it not be or reside, but let it not reign or preside; let it not bear sway or have dominion in you; let it not have the upper hand of the motions of the Spirit of God. (Matthew Poole's Commentary)

Paul had earlier taught

"that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (see note Romans 5:21)

Here in Romans 6, he teaches that Sin's reign has come to an complete and final end for the believer. Now, we need to act in faith based upon that truth.

David understood that Sin like an evil tyrant could reign over him and so he prayed to the LORD to

keep back Thy servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule (Hebrew = mashal or masal = to rule, reign or have dominion over ~ conveys idea of exercise of authority over persons; Lxx = kurieuo) over me; Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be acquitted of great transgression. (Ps 19:13) (Spurgeon's Note) (Comment: The Hebrew verb mashal/masal is used in Genesis 4:7 where God told Cain that "Sin is crouching at the door and its desire is for you, but you must master [mashal/masal] it". In Genesis 37:8 Joseph's brothers ask him ""Are you actually going to reign [Hebrew = malak = be king] over us? Or are you really going to rule [mashal/masal; Lxx = kurieuo] over us?")

In another prayer we read a similar desire for Jehovah to

Establish my footsteps in Thy word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over (Hebrew = salat = domineer, be master of; Lxx = katakurieuo = gain power over, have mastery or dominion over, subdue)  me. (Ps 119:133) (Spurgeon's note) (Comment: This is still an excellent prayer for every saint to begin the new day.)

Moses warned the Israelites that

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land in which you live. (Numbers 33:55)

God knew that if His people did not kill them, Israel would become infected by their immorality and idolatry. Not only were the Israelites to kill the people, but they were to destroy every trace of idolatry. By analogy, in the New Covenant, God has given us the potential for an abundant life in Christ, but knowing about that truth and even reckoning it as true is not enough. We need to act on that truth, just as Israel needed to submit to the Lord and obey His command to purge the evil from the land.

How are you fairing, beloved. Are you "by the Spirit... putting to death the deeds of the body" that you might really "live" (Ro 8:13).

In a similar instruction Moses declared to Israel that

"when the LORD your God shall deliver them before you, and you shall defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them." (Deut 7:2)

This command seems "merciless" but to the contrary is ultimately a reflection of God's mercy to His people Israel for He knew that the Canaanites constituted a moral cancer that had the potential of introducing idolatry and immorality which would spread rapidly among the Israelites (which in fact eventually occurred). Here in Romans 6 Paul is saying don't let Sin continue to reign in the land ("your body").

Kill sin or
Sin will kill you

Joshua on his death bed warned Israel now in the land of "milk and honey" that

if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. (Joshua 23:12-13)

Beloved, heed Paul's exhortation to us as believers for the Word of God is like a two-edged sword (see note Hebrews 4:12): If we obey it, God will bless and help us; if we disobey it, God will chasten us until we submit to Him

In a similar message given at the outset of the tragic, spiritually dark, 300 year period of Judges, the "Angel of the LORD (Jehovah)" (most consider this to be the pre-incarnate Messiah) (Click for an in depth analysis of this OT designation) addressed Israel (there was no king in Israel and everyone was doing what was right in his own eyes) declaring

"and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done? "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you." (see notes Judges 2:2-3)

The command to stop letting Sin reign is not an option beloved if we are to avoid the terrible consequences of Sin.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers a helpful illustration of the believer’s relation to his old sinful disposition. He pictures two adjoining fields, one owned by Satan and one owned by God, that are separated by a road. Before salvation, a person lives in Satan’s field and is totally subject to his jurisdiction. After salvation, a person works in the other field, now subject only to God’s jurisdiction. As he plows in the new field, however, the believer is often cajoled by his former master, who seeks to entice him back into the old sinful ways. Satan often succeeds in temporarily drawing the believer’s attention away from his new Master and his new way of life. But he is powerless to draw the believer back into the old field of sin and death.

Cain failed to heed the Lord's instructive warning...

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7). 

God told Cain that if he chose not to obey His commands, ever-present Sin, crouched and waiting to pounce like a lion, would fulfill its desire to overpower him. God's command to Cain somehow included the enablement (even in the Old Testament) and yet Cain refused. History records the steep price he paid for continuing to let sin reign. Beloved

"these things happened as examples for us, that we should not crave evil things, as they also craved" and "these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction...therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.." (1 Cor 10:6,11-12)

Spurgeon in Dead But Alive - Sermon Notes reminds us that...

1. Sin has great power; it is in you, and will strive to reign. It remains as an outlaw, hiding away in your nature.

It remains as a plotter, planning your overthrow.

It remains as an enemy, warring against the law of your mind.

It remains as a tyrant, worrying and oppressing the true life.

2. Its field of battle is the body.

Its wants, hunger, thirst, cold, etc., may become occasions of sin, by leading to murmuring, envy, covetousness, robbery, etc.

Its appetites may crave excessive indulgence, and unless continually curbed, will easily lead to evil.

Its pains and infirmities, though engendering impatience and other faults, may produce sin.

Its pleasures, also, can readily become incitements to sin.

Its influence upon the mind and spirit may drag our noble nature down to the groveling materialism of earth.

3. The body is mortal, and we shall be completely delivered from sin, when set free from our present material frame, if indeed, grace reigns within.

Till then we shall find sin lurking in one member or another of "this vile body."

4. Meanwhile we must not let it reign.

If it reigned over us it would be our god. It would prove us to be under death, and not alive unto God.

It would cause us unbounded pain and injury if it ruled only for a moment.

Sin is within us, aiming at dominion; and this knowledge, together with the fact that we are nevertheless alive unto God, should—

Help our peace; for we perceive that men may be truly the Lord's, even though sin struggles within them.

Aid our caution; for our divine life is well worth preserving, and needs to be guarded with constant care.

Draw us to use the means of grace, since in these the Lord meets with us and refreshes our new life.

Let us come to the table of communion and to all other ordinances, as alive unto God; and in that manner, let us feed on Christ.

Instructive Words

In the fourth century, when the Christian faith was preached in its power in Egypt, a young brother sought out the great Macarius. "Father," said he, "what is the meaning of being dead and buried with Christ?"

"My son," answered Macarius, "you remember our dear brother who died, and was buried a short time since? Go now to his grave, and tell him all the unkind things that you ever heard of him, and that we are glad he is dead, and thankful to be rid of him, for he was such a worry to us, and caused so much discomfort in the church. Go, my son, and say that, and hear what he will answer."

The young man was surprised, and doubted whether he really understood: but Macarius only said, "Do as I bid you,804 my son, and come and tell me what our departed brother says."

The young man did as he was commanded, and returned.

"Well, and what did our brother say?" asked Macarius.

"Say, father!" he exclaimed; "how could he say anything? He is dead."

"Go now again, my son, and repeat every kind and flattering thing you have ever heard of him; tell him how much we miss him; how great a saint he was; what noble work he did; how the whole church depended upon him; and come again and tell me what he says."

The young man began to see the lesson Macarius would teach him. He went again to the grave, and addressed many flattering things to the dead man, and then returned to Macarius.

"He answers nothing, father; he is dead and buried."

"You know now, my son," said the old father, "what it is to be dead with Christ. Praise and blame equally are nothing to him who is really dead and buried with Christ."—Anon.

Though the lowest believer be above the power of sin, yet the highest believer is not above the presence of sin. Sin never ruins but where it reigns. It is not destroying where it is disturbing. The more evil it receives from us, the less evil it does to us.—William Seeker.

Sin may rebel, but it shall never reign, in a saint. It fareth with sin in the regenerate as with those beasts that Daniel speaks of, "that had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time."—Thomas Brooks.

Men must not suffer a single sin to survive. If Saul had destroyed all the Amalekites, no Amalekite would have lived to destroy him.—David Roland. (Romans 6:11-12 Dead But Alive - Sermon Notes)

IN YOUR MORTAL BODY: en to thneto humon somati: (Ro 8:11; 1Cor 15:53,54; 2 Cor 4:11; 5:4)

Mortal (2349) (thnetos from thnesko = to die) refers to that which is subject to death. Thnetos describes the condition of changeability or mortality of the body.

Our physical body is the "land" over which "the (King) Sin" continually seeks to reign.

Classic Greek contrasts thnetos with athánatos which describes that which is immortal. There is a hint of hope in Paul's use of thnetos, for this life will soon be over and even as

"the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (as a guarantee of our future inheritance), He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you." (see note Romans 8:11)

These bodies that we have will be put in the grave one day if the Lord tarries for they are "mortal" or subject to death. However, the indwelling Holy Spirit is our assurance that our bodies will be raised from the dead (2 Cor 5:1–4). Because Christ was raised from the dead, we shall be raised from the dead. The Holy Spirit will deliver us from the mortal “body of his death” for as Paul writes elsewhere

"this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.  But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15:53-57)

Poole comments that...

the body (called here a mortal or frail body) is put by a synecdoche (a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole) for the whole man; and he the rather makes mention of the body, because the parts and members thereof are the usual instruments of sin. (Matthew Poole's Commentary)

THAT YOU SHOULD OBEY ITS LUSTS: eis to hupakouein (PAN) tais epithumiais autou: (Ro 6:16; 2:8; 8:13; 13:14; Gal 5:16,24; Eph 2:3; 4:22; 1 Thes 4:5; 2 Ti 2:22; Titus 2:12; 3:3; Js 1:14,15; 4:1-3; 1Pet 1:14; 2:11; 4:2,3; 1Jn 2:15-17; Jude 1:16,18)

Obey (5219) (hupakouo from hupó = agen`cy or means, under + akoúo  physical hearing and apprehension of something with the mind - akouo gives us our English acoustics - the science of design which helps one hear) (Click study on related noun hupakoe) literally means to "hear under" or "listen under" with attentiveness and to respond positively to what is heard. It conveys the idea of listening as a subordinate with a view to obeying what the subordinate hears. The sense is that one understands and responds accordingly. Note that hupakouo implies an inward attitude of respect and honor, as well as external acts of obedience.  Obedience on the part of children consists in listening to the advice given by parents. In Genesis 22 Isaac's willingness to be offered as a sacrifice is a model of such submission.

Hupakouo is used to picture the obedience children render to their parents (see note Ephesians 6:1) or the obedience rendered by slaves to their masters (see note Ephesians 6:5;  Colossians 3:22) The idea implicit in obey is to bow under (in this case "lusts") and allow those strong desires to control you.

Hupakouo is in the present tense which speaks of obeying one's lusts as the habitual practice of their life, something that is literally impossible for one who has genuinely "died to sin" and is therefore forever separated from its rule and reign.

Warren Wiersbe makes an excellent practical application...

Being a Christian is a matter of bondage or freedom (Ro 6:12–22). Who is your master, Jesus Christ or the old life? You are not under the authority of Moses (Ro 6:15), but that does not mean you have freedom to break God’s moral law (Ro 8:1–5). Yield yourself to the Lord; He is the most wonderful Master, and the “salary” He pays lasts forever. (Wiersbe, W. W. With the Word: The Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Handbook  Nashville: Thomas Nelson)

Prior to our JUSTIFICATION by faith while we were still IN ADAM, we obeyed SIN. In other words the old man in Adam upon hearing a knock at his door, would go to see who was there and finding that it "Mr. Temptation to Sin", would expectantly welcome into the house.  In contrast the New Man in Christ can be "rude" and not even answer the door! This is a great picture, for "Mr. Temptation to Sin" will be knocking on the door of our heart the remainder of our mortal existence. But hallelujah, we don't have to answer the door anymore because we have a "new Porter" to answer the door for us, the Spirit of Christ in us.

Lusts (1939) (epithumia from epi = at, toward [preposition "epi-" in compound is directive and conveys the picture of "having one’s passion toward" ] + thumos = passion <> root verb epithumeo = set heart upon)) (Click for word study of epithumia).

Epithumia in itself is a neutral term denoting the presence of strong desires or impulses, longings or passionate craving (whether it is good or evil is determined by the context) directed toward an object. It is a definite wish going after an object pleasant or helpful.

In the present context epithumia refers to the cravings of the human body, which originate from the sinful nature inherited from Adam.

Notice this verse teaches that "the sin", here personified as an evil king, possesses evil lusts. When we were unsaved and in Adam we

"all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires (epithumia) of the flesh and of the mind..." (see note Ephesians 2:3) and "we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts (epithumia)  and pleasures..." (see note Titus 3:3) but now that we "belong to Christ Jesus (we) have crucified the flesh (see note Romans 6:6) with its passions and desires (epithumia)" (see note Galatians 5:24) and because of this we are dead to sin's power. Now as new creatures in Christ we are commanded to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts (epithumia) " (see note Romans 13:14), to continually "flee from youthful lusts (epithumia), and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace" (see note 2 Timothy 2:22 ), and to continually live "as obedient children (by not being) conformed to the former lusts (epithumia) which were (ours) in (our) ignorance" (see note 1 Peter 1:14).

Motivated by the fact that we are now

"aliens and strangers (dead to the world Gal 6:14) (we are to continually) abstain from fleshly lusts (epithumia), which wage war against (our) soul" (see note 1 Peter 2:11), remembering that  that "each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust (epithumia) (and that) when lust (epithumia) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death" (Js 1:14-15).

John commands us as those who are in Christ and dead to sin, the world and the power of devil not to keep