Dead to Sin, Alive in ChristMy Understanding: Paul began this discourse on the subject of being dead to sin but alive to Christ by asking the question, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” The answer was obvious: “By no means!” Yet, there was a good reason for him asking this question, because many people then and today, as well, get the idea that being under grace allows them the freedom to sin without consequence and without guilt. May that never be!
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul continues by reasoning with his listeners: “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” Amen! Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins not just to set us free from the ultimate penalty of sin, i.e. eternal punishment in hell and eternal separation from God, but he died on the cross so that we could be free from the control and power of sin over our lives on a day-to-day basis. He did not suffer so much for us so that we would continue in our sin and so that we would take his grace for granted.
Paul continued to reason with his listeners on this subject by reminding them that when they were baptized into Christ Jesus that they were baptized into his death. They were buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead, they too may live a new life. He continued by saying that our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with so that we are no longer slaves to sin, because if we have died with Christ to our sin, then we are freed from sin.
I believe the baptism he is referring to here is not physical baptism but is the baptism done by the Spirit of God in our hearts when we put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, about which our physical baptism symbolizes. The scriptures, in several places, parallel physical baptism with physical circumcision. They are both physical and outward and they both stand as outward symbols of an inward faith. Abraham was considered righteous before God because of his faith before he was circumcised (see Rom. 4). In Christ we were circumcised in putting away our sinful natures, but not by a circumcision done by human hands but by Christ Jesus (see Col. 2:12). In this same passage it states that we were buried with him in baptism (of the Spirit) and we were raised with Christ.
Physical baptism symbolizes what has already taken place in the heart in that it depicts Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and our subsequent death to sin, our sins being buried with Christ, and us being raised with Christ to new lives (see I Peter 3:21). In the gospels, John said that he baptized with water for repentance but that Jesus was coming after him and he would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. There are many varied interpretations of these words, but what I believe John was saying is that his baptism was a physical baptism with water in preparation for Christ, but that Christ’s baptism is a spiritual baptism in that involves this circumcision of the heart, i.e. the cutting away or the putting away of our sinful natures.
We learn in I Corinthians 12:13 that we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, so this is a spiritual baptism by the Spirit of God and this is a baptism into the family of God, i.e. this is speaking, again, of this circumcision of the heart in the putting away of the flesh nature, and it is speaking of being resurrected to new life in Christ. Galatians 3:27 continues this idea when it states that we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of us who were baptized into Christ (a spiritual baptism of the Spirit of God) have clothed ourselves with (we have put on) Christ, and this takes place at our regeneration when we repent of our sins and we turn to our Lord Jesus in humility and in faith and obedience.
So, going back to this passage in Romans 6, I believe that the baptism he is speaking of here is a spiritual baptism of the heart in regeneration, that this is the baptism of the Spirit of which John spoke when he stated that the one coming after him would baptize us with the Spirit and with fire, and that our physical baptism with water is a symbol of what has already taken place by the Spirit of God in our hearts. And, I believe what takes place in this baptism of the Spirit is that we identify ourselves with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection by dying to our sins, by having our sins buried with Christ, and by being raised with Christ to new lives free from the power (mastery) of sin and free to walk in fellowship and obedience to our Lord Jesus Christ.
On the basis of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins and in being resurrected to life, thus conquering Satan, hell, death and sin, so that death no longer has mastery over our Lord and the life he lives he lives to God, in the same way, Paul says, we should count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. We should not let sin have dominion, power and rule in our hearts and lives any longer so that we obey its evil desires. We should offer our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness and as slaves of righteousness. Sin should no longer have power and rule over us, i.e. it should not master our lives but Christ Jesus should be our only Lord and master, because we are under grace.
Again, Paul asks the question: “Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” And, his answer to his own question was obvious again: “By no means!” Oh, how I wish we would get this! I had a man tell me one day that he did not have to repent of his sin and he did not have to obey Christ. All he had to do was “believe.” Wow! Someone sure fed him a lie! The sad part of it all is that this lie has permeated much of today’s church in the USA and people are believing the lie over the truth because it allows them to continue in sin free from guilt, because added to that lie is another lie which tells them that God will not judge them and that he is pleased with them no matter what they do. Wow! These people need to read their Bibles. Nearly every passage of scripture in the New Testament talks about the need for repentance (turning from our sin) and walking in obedience to Christ.
Then, Paul appeals to his listeners (or readers) on the basis of past history. He reminds them that at one time they used to offer their bodies in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness. Added to that, he tells them and us that when we are slaves to sin, we are free from the control of righteousness. We need to get this, as well. We cannot have our cake and eat it, too. In other words, we can’t be under the control of sin and be under the control of righteousness, too. It is one or the other, yet so many who say they believe in Jesus Christ try to blend the two together, thinking that, since they are under grace, that it gives them the freedom to sin guilt free. Wow! We need to get this!
I identify with his words here. I can remember all too well trying to live a Christian life while I was still under the mastery of sin, and it didn’t work! I offered my body as an instrument of impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness. And, when I did that, I was no longer under the control of righteousness. So, when I read these words – “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” – It was not too difficult for me to answer that question. What “benefit” did I reap? – Only more guilt, shame, pain, suffering, despair, loneliness, emptiness, heartache and sadness of heart. I was miserable, and I hurt greatly those I love. This is the “benefit” we reap when we offer our bodies as instruments to slavery to sin, instead of offering them to God as instruments of righteousness.
The good news, though, is, as Paul said, “Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted.” Wow! That is such a wonderful feeling to know that, though once a slave of sin, you have become a slave of righteousness to obey the Lord Jesus Christ and his teachings. There is nothing more wonderful on the face of this earth than to be in perfect (as perfect as can be attained while we are still in these bodies) fellowship with the Lord Jesus, walking in obedience to him, and living in harmony with his will and desire for our lives. So, the benefit we now reap as slaves to God and to his righteousness is that it leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. There is no better place to be than to be in the center of God’s will and at peace with God and living for him as slaves of righteousness and no longer as slaves of sin. Wow! It is awesome! I would never go back!!
Paul concludes this passage of scripture with this statement: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
God’s Great Commands / An Original Work / July 10, 2011
Based off of Matthew 22:34-40
Loving God and loving others
Are the Lord God’s great commands.
On these rest all of the others;
Live by them and you’ll not fail.
Be a witness, share the gospel,
Be a light in this dark world.
Share the love of Jesus always
To a world who has not heard.
Serving others; be like Jesus;
Wash their feet and pray with them.
Be a healer; mend their hurts and
Show them how to turn from sin.
Be a living example of
How to live for Jesus Christ,
Walking with Him in His footsteps,
Leading others to new life.
Give to God and give to others
Of yourselves in ev’ry way.
Obey your Lord, do His bidding;
Bow your knees and humbly pray.
Pray for others to know Jesus.
Tell how they can be set free
Of their sins and live for Jesus;
Walk with Him eternally.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs/home/songs/god-s-great-commands
Song on video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DWGg3-NvEE
http://www.godcares.tv/video/1188/Gods-Great-Commands
No comments:
Post a Comment