Romans 6:1-11
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In our last sermon series, “Life, Death, Judgment, and Eternity,” we dealt with the most important issues facing all people. Having settled the matters of how brief our lives are, the judgments that are to come, and the eternity that awaits, we begin a new series dealing with the Christian’s present battle. Have you ever struggled to live the Christian life? Do you find yourself consistently being less than what you think you ought to be as a follower of Christ? I’m certain that, if we are serious about following Christ to any extent, then all of us can answer, “Yes!” to those questions.
The next questions are, “Why is it this way?” and “How can we it be fixed?” In this series titled, “More Than Conquerors,” we will dive into Romans 6-8, one of the deepest portions of Scripture in all of the Bible, to understand our new identity in Christ, our battle with sin and the flesh, and the ultimate victory promised to those who are in Christ.
In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul addresses matters of great theological importance. In Romans 1-5, he stresses that all are justly condemned as sinners before God, that salvation is by grace through faith alone, and that all who descended from Adam die, but Christ, the second Adam came to give eternal life by the grace of God. In Romans 6:1-11, Paul begins a portion of Scripture (Romans 6-8) addressing the believer’s new identity in Christ and what that means for his relationship to sin. In these eleven verses, he stresses three things that believers need to know, or understand, as they seek to live out their new identity in Jesus Christ.
First, he instructs them about a right understanding, or knowledge, of grace. With all of his teaching about salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, Paul inevitably was faced with those who had the mindset that they could live any way that they wished and still claim to be recipients of salvation. The question came as, “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” His answer was, “God forbid!” This verb in the Greek language would actually be rendered, “May it never be!” or in twenty-first century speak, “Don’t even think about it!” He then teaches them about the proper understanding of God’s grace. God’s grace came “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:11-12). He then uses the illustration of Christian Baptism and how it is a symbol of the new identity that believers have in Christ. We identified with His death, so we have died to sin. We identified with His life, so we have been raised to “walk in newness of life.” God’s grace gives us new life in His Son not so that we may sin, but so that we may be freed from sin’s power.
Second, he teaches them about a right understanding, or knowledge, of salvation. Jesus came to set sinners free. He came to save us from our sin, not just its penalty or so that we could continue in the sin. He draws on the truth, once again, that we have died with Christ in our new identity. As a result, he says, “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Sin no longer has power over us because we are dead to it. This is exactly what Jesus came for. In John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” In John 8:34, He tells the crowd that the freedom that they need is from sin and follows it up in 8:36 by saying that He, the Son, came to make us free. Salvation is freedom from sin’s power.
Third, he teaches them about a right understanding, or knowledge, of sanctification. In verses 8-11, he concludes this section by calling Christians to “reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Christian life is not one of immediate perfection. While we are saved and made right with God the very moment we believe, from the time we get saved, we begin a lifelong process of sanctification. This is the believer’s gradually being set apart from sin and growing in holiness. We have to “reckon” or “count” ourselves as dead to sin. We have been set free to choose to serve Christ.
Where are you in your struggle with sin? Have you found yourself defeated, weary, and troubled? The good news is that you have a new identity in Jesus Christ. He has died for your sins, so that you might die to sin. He has risen from the dead, so that you might be raised to “walk in newness of life.” If you are looking to yourself to overcome sin, you never will. You must look to the One who gives eternal life. Trust Him today. Come and die to yourself that He might raise you up a new creation.