Dying to Live: Victory Over Sin (Romans 6:1-10)

College Baptist Church

April 28, 2002

Purpose: To show that just as Christians were "in Adam," with all unrighteousness that results in our being estranged from God, having placed their faith in Christ, Christians are "in Christ," with all the benefits of having died with Him; in Christ, we have victory over sin.

Text

Romans 6:1-10. 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.

Introduction

I remember watching those old Perry Mason shows on television. I liked them. I can't say that courtroom law and justice has always been my favorite pastime diversion, but I liked the drama of those Perry Mason movies.

Sometimes when the intensity heightens and a lawyer is driving his point home, he or she may step out of acceptable judicial parameters, insinuating things that aren't relevant to the case. Anticipating the turn the argument is taking, I remember Perry Mason quickly and firmly asserting, "Your Honor, I object!"

Anticipating the reactions of some of his readers, Paul seems to be ready for their objections in Romans 6:1, 2. He anticipates the protests of the legalistic Jews who seek salvation through keeping the law rather than through faith.

Background

Let's briefly review to set the stage.

In chapter 1, Paul establishes the theme for the letter- "The righteous will live by faith" (1:17). He also clearly demonstrates that humanity has willfully rejected God, worshipping the created rather than the Creator. As people who have not had faith in God, we have suppressed the truth about Him in our lives. Consequently, we have been in a continual downward spiral of sin, becoming objects of God's wrath.

In chapter 2, Paul demonstrates that this condition is not only characteristic of the Gentiles, but the Jews are also in the same boat. And though the Jews have God's law, they have not been doers, but only hearers of God's law (2:13). What the Jews require, what we all require, is a circumcision of the heart which is by the Holy Spirit, not by the written code (2:29).

Chapter 3 reveals that there is no one who has kept, or can keep, the written code to meet God's requirements of righteousness. There is no one righteous, not even one . . . For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (3:10b, 23). But, thank God, there is righteousness from God apart from the law. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (3:22).

Paul's purpose is to show salvation from sin is receiving God's righteousness through faith which He provides through Jesus Christ's substitutionary death on the cross. Jesus died for our sins so that we wouldn't have to die.

Now there are two very important aspects of salvation that Paul reveals to us in his letter to the Romans: justification and sanctification. The following chart outlines Paul's teaching on salvation as he talks about in these chapters in Romans (adapted from Wiersbe).

Romans 3:21-5:21 Romans 6-8

Justification: God's righteousness imputed Sanctification: righteousness imparted

(put on my account) (made a part of life)

Substitution: He died for me Identification: I died with Him

He died for my sin He died unto sin

He paid sin's penalty He broke sin's power

Saved by His death Saved by His life

It is important to understand salvation is more than our legal standing with God made right. It is also a living relationship with God which transforms every minute of our lives into a testimony of His grace.

Anticipating the objections of people who have lived steeped in the law and with the expectation that the law would save them, Paul defends justification by faith in chapters 6-8. "He anticipated three objections: (1) 'If God's grace abounds when we sin, then let's continue sinning so we might experience more grace' (Rom. 6:1-14); (2) 'If we are no longer under the Law, then we are free to live as we please' (Rom. 6:15-7:6); and (3) 'You have made God's Law sinful' (Rom. 7:7-25)" (Wiersbe).

As he defends justification, he also explains sanctification. As we live by faith, we experience victory (chapter 6), liberty (chapter 7), and security (chapter 8).

Transition

This morning, the glorious truth that we begin to unfold is that though we are sinful and dead in Adam, by God's grace through faith we are righteous and alive in Christ. Just as Christians were "in Adam"- with all the unrighteousness that results in our being estranged from God- having placed their faith in Christ, Christians are "in Christ"- with all the benefits of having died with Him.

As we unpack 6:1-10, we will see that in Christ we have victory over sin.

The first objection

Let's turn our attention to the first anticipated objection. Paul has said that God's grace super-abounds toward us. It is more than enough to overcome the wicked effects of the sinful nature which we have inherited from Adam. It is more than enough to counteract the increase of sin brought about by the law. The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more (5:20).

What, then, is the first anticipated objection? 6:1. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

Is this a possibility? A lot of people seem to think so.

I remember in high school and college a different version of that great hymn, "Love Lifted Me," being thrown around. I was sinking deep in sin . . . Wheee! It made us chuckle. But it is sad that this does seem to be the attitude some people have. They reason to themselves they can continue in sin and it doesn't really matter. After all, God's goodness is revealed in His grace and forgiveness. If I blow it this time- be it lust, anger, gossip, or slander- God will come through. He'll let me off the hook. As a result, we have a casual relationship with sin and a casual relationship with God. We somehow feel the two are compatible and comfortable together. More than that, isn't God's grace even magnified through our on-going sin?

What is Paul's response? By no means! (6:2a). No way! May it never be! Absolutely not! Forget it! Not possible! Wrong!

Then Paul offer his thesis for the following scripture section: We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? (6:2b). He makes a statement which is the basis for the answer the follow-up rhetorical question. We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Death and life are incompatible. If we died to sin, continuing in it does not make sense. If you died to sin, you do not continue to live in sin. That is not what God's grace is all about.

What does he mean, We died to sin?

In the following verses, Paul goes on to develop this thought by demonstrating that our identification is now in Christ. Our identification in Adam brought about sin and death. Our identification in Christ brings righteousness and abundant life.

He puts forth two facets of our identity with Christ: identification with Christ's death, and identification with Christ's resurrection.

Identification with Christ's death and resurrection

Paul turns to baptism to illustrate our identification with Christ's death. 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 (6:3-5).

Paul uses baptism in two ways: literally and figuratively. He seems to be using the literal sense in that baptism means to immerse or dip. He seems to be drawing a parallel with immersion and Christ's death and resurrection. And biblical and historical records verify that the early New Testament church practiced literal immersion in water, even as John the Baptist practiced in the Jordan.

He also seems to be using it figuratively. In 1 Corinthians 10:1, 2, Paul figuratively identifies Israel with Moses by saying they were baptized together under the cloud and in the Red Sea: For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. This is a figurative use of the term which shows that Israel and Moses were identified together. In the literal sense as well as the figurative, we are identified with Christ through baptism.

In our Christian experience there are two aspects of being baptized in Christ. To be baptized into Christ Jesus (6:3) is the same as the baptism mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:13. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. There is a difference in water baptism and this baptism in the Spirit. John testified, The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). This work of Christ in our lives is when we place our faith in Christ. We receive the Holy Spirit and are brought into the body of Christ.

A case in point in which both aspects of baptism are demonstrated in concert is the baptism of Cornelius and his family in Acts 10. Peter, led by the Spirit, came to this Gentile Roman centurion. The Spirit revealed to Peter that God wanted to save the Gentiles as well as the Jews. As Peter shared the gospel, the Holy Spirit came upon these people of faith. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Having been baptized in the Spirit by receiving Him as we place our faith in Christ, we are completely identified with Him, being adopted into His body. We demonstrate this life-changing relationship through immersion.

It is our identification with Christ that is Paul's point. We were baptized with Christ into his death. And just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may live a new life. In the physical act of immersion, we testify to God's grace and the reality of what has happened to us when we place our faith in Christ. 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 (6:4).

This leads us to see that throughout these verses Paul asserts an identification with Christ's resurrection as well. ⁵ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection (6:5).

Identification with Christ gives us victory over sin

Where is Paul heading with all of this? He is teaching us that grace doesn't yield to more sin that grace can more abound. Rather, God's grace which super-abounds to us in Christ Jesus gives us victory over sin. The argument is that if someone is dead, they are dead. If dead, then dead to sin.

We are united with Christ in His death . . . and His resurrection. When Christ died, we died with Him, our identification is so complete. And when He rose, we rose with Him to a life that is His life, victorious over sin. We hear this coming through with resounding clarity in the following verses: ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, ^a 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 (6:6-10).

This isn't some kind of spiritual aberration put forth only by this text. Our death with Christ and corresponding life with Him is clearly asserted in other texts as well.

• Galatians 2:20. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• Colossians 2:20. ²⁰ Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?

• Luke 9:23. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

The first step to victory over sin

My friends, the first step to victory over sin is to know this is true. Salvation and the Christian life is a matter of faith. And how do we have faith?

• Romans 10:17. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
• Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Paul is making the point, including the broader context of chapter 5, that just as in Adam we were dead and unrighteous, in Christ we are alive and righteous. We died to the sinful nature of Adam when we died with Christ. More than that, when He rose, we rose with Him to a life victorious over sin.

Does that mean we never sin? By no means. As long as we are in the flesh, we will struggle with effects of our sinful nature. But in Christ, through faith, we have the victory. Verses 6 and 7 say, 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. When it says "that the body of sin might be done away with," it could be accurately translated, "that the body of sin might be rendered powerless." It may still be with us for the time being until we meet the Lord, but it has lost it's bite. It is rendered powerless through Jesus Christ. We are completely identified with Christ. His life is ours. We have victory over sin through Jesus Christ.

In faith we must know this is true and expectantly live in keeping with the truth. Three times in these verses Paul emphasizes our knowing the truth (6:3, 6, 9).

• 6:3. Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
• 6:6. 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.
• 6:9. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Conclusion

Let us ask ourselves this morning, do we know this truth? Is it firmly planted in our hearts by faith? Have we heard the Word of God and accepted it as true? Is our life being lived accordingly?

When we are tempted we don't have to sin. When impurity enters our minds it can be rejected. Cruel gossip can be exchanged for encouragement. Anger can be replaced by self-control. Self-pity and self-righteousness is replaced by death to self and Christ living in me. Selfishness and self-centered living can be exchanged by Christ's love.

Oh, the glorious truth! We have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us! God's grace super-abounds toward us, not that we might sin more that grace may abound, but that we might not sin, demonstrating His abounding grace. In Christ, we have victory over sin!

(Closing prayer: Thank God and celebrate our identification with Him through His death and resurrection.)

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