Union with Christ breaks sin's reign: no license to sin, no sinless perfection, and the old self crucified (Romans 6:1–14)

Implies Union with Christ breaks sin's reign, so grace is no license to sin. Those who "died to sin" (6:2, BSB) were crucified with Christ "that we should no longer be slaves to sin" (6:6, BSB), and "sin shall not be your master" (6:14, BSB). Antinomianism, the view that grace leaves the believer free to go on in sin, is excluded (6:1–2, 15).

Implies The passage does not teach sinless perfection. Paul commands those already united with Christ: "do not let sin reign in your mortal body" (6:12, BSB), and do not present their members to sin (6:13); he calls for presenting them "in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness" (6:19, BSB). Commands not to let sin reign assume that sin is still present and still to be resisted (note.language.Rom.6.6-Rom.6.7.palaios-anthropos-dedikaiotai). Rom 7:14–25 is not used as a ground here.

Uncertain Whether "our old self was crucified with Him" (6:6, BSB) is a definitive break, once for all, or an ongoing process. This commentary follows the Greek note's lean to a definitive break. Grounds: συνεσταυρώθη (synestaurōthē) is aorist, like ἀπεθάνομεν (6:2) and ἐβαπτίσθημεν (6:3); Christ's death to sin was once for all (6:10); Col 3:9 speaks of the old self as already put off, and Gal 2:20; 5:24 speak of crucifixion with Christ as done. The alternative is an ongoing process: Eph 4:22–24 urges putting off the old self, and 6:12–13 still command (lex.G3820; lex.G4957; lex.G2673).

Confessional summary. The Westminster Confession holds both a real breaking of sin's dominion in those united to Christ and a sanctification that remains imperfect in this life (src.wcf-1646).