Romans 6:15 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Romans 6:13 neither present your members unto sin [as] instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness unto God.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace? God forbid.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves [as] servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Romans 6:17 But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "shall", "under", and "forbid". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "For sin shall not have dominion over..." into verse 16's "Know ye not that to whom ye...", so "grace" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grace" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.