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Like last week’s reading from Romans 6:12-23, this week’s lesson from Romans 7: 15-25a features Paul’s teaching on the tension and struggle between life in the Spirit and life in the flesh. In Romans 6, Paul summons believers to be what they have become, children of God; yet in Romans 7, he introduces a tension … Continue reading “Romans 7:15-25a Commentary by Israel Kamudzandu”

Diving into this lesson at v. 12 of Romans 6 puts one midstream into a powerful current of Paul’s theological reflection. Indeed, v. 12 begins with the word “Therefore” because what follows in v. 12 (and in vv. 12-14) builds off what Paul has already written in vv. 1-11 of Romans 6, namely, that by … Continue reading “Romans 6:12-23 Commentary by Marion L. Soards”

Coming on the heels of Paul’s discussion of baptism in Romans 6:1-11, our passage for the Second Sunday after Pentecost serves as a corrective to a potential misunderstanding. Verses 1-11 could be understood as pointing to full possession of all that God gives.  We have been freed from sin.  Does that also mean that we … Continue reading “Romans 6:12-23 Commentary by Walter F. Taylor, Jr.”

This reading is a continuation of Romans 6:1-11, where we discussed theological themes of sin and death in relation to Paul’s teachings on the sacrament of baptism and eschatology. Verses 12-23 orient readers toward living a new life because justification is probably the beginning of what we may call Christian life, which is followed by … Continue reading “Romans 6:12-23 Commentary by Israel Kamudzandu”

It’s common to say we’re dead to sin in terms of our spiritual self, or that “when God looks at me, he sees Christ and not my sinful human self.” In reality we’re still sinners; God just does not see it because we’ve been baptized into Christ. This passage does not seem to allow for … Continue reading “Romans 6:3-11 Commentary by Kyle Fever”

Krister Stendahl, New Testament professor at Harvard Divinity School, former dean, and one time Bishop of Stockholm, taught “Ten Commandments for Biblical Preaching.” The tenth commandment was “No moral lesson on high holy days.” With this prohibition Stendahl meant to direct preachers to celebrate the feast, to enter into praise, rather than to explain of … Continue reading “Romans 6:3-11 Commentary by Cynthia Briggs Kittredge”

For many of us, Romans 6 is scripture we have turned to as we have developed a theology of baptism, debated the merits of immersion versus sprinkling based on the imagery of burial and resurrection, and to whom it should be applied. Let’s mute those voices for a few minutes. Because here is another message … Continue reading “Romans 6:1-14 Commentary by J.R. Daniel Kirk”

Sometimes the editorial decisions of the Lectionary committees astound me. Why in the world does our text begin with Romans 6:1b instead of Romans 6:1 in its entirety? It is as if when we read a letter that begins “Dear Mr. Smith” we are told to skip the “Dear Mr. Smith.” Our hearers are apt … Continue reading “Romans 6:1b-11 Commentary by David Bartlett”

The letter to Romans is a Pauline manual for Christians who wrestle with the human condition being vulnerable to the pressures of this world. By appealing to Abraham and positing him as a model of ways through which God justifies human beings, Paul continues to move the discussion from Abraham to all human beings and … Continue reading “Romans 6:1b-11 Commentary by Israel Kamudzandu”

The Lenten readings of Paul’s letter to the Romans begin with a summary. While it may seem a bit strange to jump into this complex letter halfway through chapter 5, the text itself begins with a little phrase that is a major bridge between all that has gone before and the rest of the letter. … Continue reading “Romans 5:12-19 Commentary by Sarah Henrich”