Bible Strands
Romans 6:1
What then shall we say? Shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Roman believers, posing a rhetorical question immediately after establishing that grace abounds where sin increases. He anticipates a potential misunderstanding of his teaching on justification by faith.
The words — The Greek ἐπιμενῶμεν (epimenōmen) means "shall we persist" or "shall we continue," paired with ἁμαρτίᾳ (hamartia) for "in sin." The conjunction ἵνα (hina) introduces the purpose clause "that grace may increase."
The thread — This rhetorical challenge echoes in 1 Peter 2:16 and Galatians 5:13, both warning against misusing Christian liberty. Paul revisits the same theme in Romans 6:15, asking whether believers should sin because they are under grace rather than law.
Why it lands — The text poses a logical extreme before Paul immediately rejects it in Romans 6:2. It demands that readers recognize grace as the foundation for holiness, not a license to persist in wrongdoing.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 2:16 Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
- Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
- Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? Certainly not!
- Romans 2:4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
- Romans 3:5 But if our unrighteousness highlights the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unjust to inflict His wrath on us? I am speaking in human terms.
- Romans 5:20 The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
- Jude 1:4 For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
- Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.
- 2 Peter 2:18 With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.