Welcome to “Learning and Living the God-centered life”

Carmel Baptist Church

www.learningandlivingtheword.com

February 15, 2009

The context of this book as it relates to Romans 6.

Romans 1:16 is where it starts to expound of the gospel.

The way that Paul was not ashamed was because it is the power of God unto salvation.

Well how can the gospel be so powerful?

Read Romans 1:17

The way the gospel is so powerful is because it offers us righteousness from God.

Why do I need this righteousness?

Read Romans 1:19

Because all men are under the wrath of God.

Overview Chapters 1-3 - All men are under sin

Chapter 3:20- end of Chapter 4 - justification by faith

Chapter 5:1- end of Chapter 8 - the certainty and the fullness of salvation in Christ Jesus.

Beginning in Chapter 6 we read the following:

What shall we say then? The then is in light of what Paul has been saying. This follows what he has been saying in Chapter 5. And he is answering what has come up at the end of Chapter 5, which is in verses 20-21.

Chapter 5 verse 20 contains two troubling statements:

Troubling Point #1

The law given to Moses was not to save anyone but instead has caused an increase in sin. Now any Jew even a completed Jew would have a problem with this because there was so much attention given to the law. And Paul is going to give a full chapter of treatment of this issue in Chapter 7. In Chapter 7 we learn why the law increases sin, why the law can’t save anyone, and what happens to a person that is under the law.

Troubling Point #2

The second troubling statement was the fact that where sin increased grace abounded all the more. So there is going to be a conclusion drawn by someone that if justification is as free as Paul says then people are going sin on a continuous basis.

Legalists - they want to earn their salvation, and he hates to think that with all his good works he can in no way merit or earn the approval of God. The legalist is doing “flesh based” works that look good in order to get his “A”.

Think of the Pharisees and the elder brother in the story of the prodigal son. At the end of the story you see the heart of the elder brother who was a legalist. And that is why he got mad when the father gave unconditional love for his younger brother.

Legalists - The legalist argues that if God approves of you up front then no one is going to read the Bible, go to church or do the works that they need to do.

In the mind of a legalist the only reason you do the homework is in order to get the grade.The thought does not enter his head that someone might want to study because they really love the material.

Lawless (religious person) - he likes the idea of justification by faith because he already has a “A” and now I can throw my book in the trash and spit on the teacher and do my own thing.

Yes, I am carnal but I will be in heaven. But if you talk to this man about obedience to the word of God you know how he will react? He will say that you are a legalist.

So how is Paul going to deal with this issue of grace and the continuation of sin?

If Paul had been a typical Jew he would have said something like this “well I didn’t mean justification was that free, I mean you do have to keep the law so at the end you can receive the approval of God.” In other words just get everyone back under the law. So when people get out of line you just start to hammer them with the law.

Also it is noteworthy that Paul does not refer back to justification that he just got through covering in detail from Romans 3:20-Romans 5

Instead Paul gives one answer to both groups (legalists and lawlessness) as he says, “may it never be, for how shall we who died to sin still live in it.”

The bottom line answer to the issue is simply this:“it’s impossible for a genuine Christian to continue in their sin”

This is the same answer we get from the apostle John:1John 3:9 - No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Paul says you need to understand the union you have in Christ.

Because once a person is in Christ not only is the righteousness of Christ laid to your account but you also are a partaker of His life and that has to do with regeneration.

Whatever “died to sin” means it must be very important because Paul keeps writing about it in Romans 6, for example:

Romans 6:2-11Rom. 6:2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Rom. 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Rom. 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Rom. 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, Rom. 6:6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

Romans 6:2-11

Rom. 6:7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

Rom. 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, Rom.

Rom. 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. Rom.

Rom. 6:10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Rom. 6:11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

So what does “died to sin” mean for the Christian?

First let’s look at what “died to sin” DOES NOT mean

Paul doesn’t say that we are dying to sin, so he is not talking about a process here

Paul doesn’t say we have finally died to sin, which would indicate that we have been dying and now are dead to sin

Paul doesn’t say how shall we who “ought” to die to sin, still live in it

It doesn’t mean

We who determined to die to sin, Because we died based on what happened to us

That the Christian no longer is having a problem with or isn’t affected by sin any longer

So what does it mean that I died to sinWell what it means is that a genuine Christian has died to the reign and realm of sin in their lives. Sin no longer has dominion over them to the point that they are enslaved to it or powerless to do anything about it.

Christians are no longer in the realm where sin reigns but are now in the realm where grace reigns.Let’s look more closely at Romans 6:8-10.Notice the contrast in each of these verses between death and life.

Because of our union with Christ that makes our death parallel with His death and our life parallel with His life.Romans 6:8 “with Him” in both death and life

Romans 6:10 - Christ was never alive to sin in the sense that He committed sin. And Christ was never dead to God but yet it reads He is alive to God.