Up until Romans 6, the Apostle Paul has addressed the depravity of man, and then the solution to that depravity, culminating in the teaching of the justification by grace through faith alone. That said, Paul had his detractors and challengers then, as there are many, some even claiming to be "Christians," who disagree with him. Oh, it's not that they may mouth the words grace, faith, and salvation. It's that they disagree, based usually on a faulty understanding of James 2:26: "…faith apart from works is dead." They believe, in other words, that reconciliation, redemption, or regeneration is a co-oped effort on the part of the sinner and God. God does his part, and when it comes to salvation, the sinner does his part, too, by working certain works or keeping certain strictures or laws that the sinner believes will be enough to merit God's favor (i.e. grace). The Apostle Paul meets that challenge in Romans 6:1-14 by making it clear that just because grace is the means leading to salvation, that does not mean the Christian has an open license to do what he wants to merit more of God's grace. That would include include attempting to establish one's own righteousness via law-keeping, which is completely at odds with what Paul had already revealed, "…that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law." It is a message that everyone needs to hear, especially among many well-meaning Christians who are living contradictory or dismal lives under the assumption that they must do something to gain what God said was free.
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