Sin No Longer Dominates Us
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
One of the sayings I hated the most when I was in school, was when my high school teacher would ask me to do some school assignment and I would answer “I can’t,” to which she would reply, “Can’t never did anything.”
I did not fully understand that response until I had kids of my own. Until I was in the position of teacher (home school) and I asked my child to do some particularly hard assignment or problem. They get that look of despair in their eyes and yell out, “Dad, I can’t.” Guess what my response is? “Can’t never did anything.” What am I really saying? “That is not true!” Your biggest problem son is that you are believing a lie. I know you can do it, and that is why I am pushing you so hard.
Sometimes, as believers we have this same problem when it comes to sin. Pastor, I have a sin problem in my life, and I can’t stop. I can’t stop living in sin.
This was the problem that Paul wanted to deal with in Romans 6.
Paul introduced this problem in v. 1
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Then Paul pointed out the absurdity of a true believer even asking the question, “are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” by reminding us of our identity. Paul vividly reminded us of our identity by calling our attention to our water baptism.
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
Our water baptism identified us with Jesus Christ, that we are untied to Christ through our salvation, and that we share in the benefits of his death, burial, and resurrection.
How can such a person, who identifies as one who is untied to Christ and all of the benefits of such a union, even consider the idea of continuing in sin? The very idea is ludicrous!
Now Paul, continuing to address the issue of believers continuing in sin that grace may abound, explains to us how our identification with Christ and all its glorious truths works itself out practically in our lives to kill sin.
Paul wanted the Roman Christians to stop living under the domination of sin.
We must stop living in sin because sin no longer dominates our lives.
How do we stop living under the domination of sin?
I want us to look at three steps that will enable us to stop living under sin’s domination.
Step #1
I. We must KNOW the full implications of our death with Christ (vv. 6-10)
I. We must KNOW the full implications of our death with Christ (vv. 6-10)
The first step to killing sin, to stop sins domination over us- is to KNOW something. This is an often repeated theological pattern in Paul’s teaching. Paul never jumps to imperatives in his teaching. Paul never simply says, “Well, just stop living in sin.” Paul first teaches the theological foundation for why we can kill sin, why we can break the domination of sin in our lives. And the first step is to KNOW theology.
This is why you find so many defeated Christians. Because, we are by our nature lazy. We want the quick fix. We want to just swallow a pill and go on our way. So many Christians are not willing to really KNOW theology. But, the first step to stop living under the domination of sin is to deeply and thoroughly COMPREHEND doctrine. We must really know truth, it must abide in us, it must dwell in us richly with all wisdom. This takes sweat, this takes mental fortitude, this takes concentrated study and meditation.
And what is it that Paul wants us to know?
A. Our old man was crucified with Christ (vv. 6-7)
A. Our old man was crucified with Christ (vv. 6-7)
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
6τοῦτο γινώσκοντες
We know
ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη,
that our old man was crucified together with Him,
ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας,
in order that the body (my whole person) of sin (sin corrupted faculties) might be rendered powerless (impotent)
τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ·
with the purpose that we would no longer serve sin;
We KNOW
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
v. 3- You ought to know because of what your baptism identified you with!
V. 6- We know (pres, act, part)- restating the truths he introduced in v. 3-5 and expounding on them. This is what we need to know presently, and continue to know into the future.
The doctrine that Paul wants us to know is the doctrine of our death with Christ. Understanding deeply this theology is essential to breaking the domination of sin in your life.
What specifically do you need to know about your death with Christ?
6τοῦτο γινώσκοντες
We know
ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη,
that our old man was crucified together with Him
You must know that because of your union with Christ, you share in the benefits of the death of Christ. And here Paul gives us further details of this benefit. Because we of our death together with Christ- our old man was crucified together with Christ.
What does it mean that our old self/man was crucified together with Christ?
Firstly, it means that positionally God sees our old self/man as crucified with Christ. So, in the eyes of God, our position is that when Christ was crucified on the cross, our old self/man was crucified right along with Him.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
In Rom 6 6 Paul does not say WE have been crucified with Christ, but our old man has been crucified with Christ.
Much confusion surrounds the identity of our old man.
The doctrine of the “old man” and the “new man” does NOT refer to two natures
Incorrect Doctrine
Why?
Romans 6:6 (ESV)
6 We know that our old self WAS CRUCIFIED with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Was crucified- aorist tense, past tense, our old man is already crucified together with Christ. It does not remain, the old man is dead.
9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
Have put off the old man- aorist tense
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
Have put on the new self- aorist tense
11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Notice most importantly that the concept of old man / new man is connected with the idea of our union with Christ. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man happened the moment we were united with Christ, when we were placed into Christ. It happened the moment of our salvation.
This is not speaking of two natures that coexist simultaneously inside the believer. Rather, it is speaking of our new position. Before we were in Christ were were connected to Adam- this is our old position- our old man. Now we are in Christ, we have a new position- this is our new man.
This is the context of Romans 6:6- remember back to Romans 5:12-21? The whole context is speaking of our position. We used to be connected to Adam, but at the moment of our salvation we were united to Christ. We were taken out of our relationship with Adam, and we entered into a new relationship with Christ. This idea of position is what Paul is talking about when he uses Old Man and New Man terminology.
Old Man Position
Our old man is speaking of our old position in connection with Adam. We used to be connected to Adam, how?
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
And because of our connection with Adam, and our inherited sin nature we were in the dominion of death and under the reign or the rule of sin.
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
21ἵνα ὥσπερ ἐβασίλευσεν ἡ ἁμαρτία
So that, just as sin reigned
ἐν τῷ θανάτῳ,
in (the dominion[1]of) death,
Death has its own dominion: humanity as determined, and dominated, in ADAM. In this dominion sin is in control.
For those who are connected with Adam, and thus with the corrupted sin nature that they inherited from Adam, they are under the dominion of death, because they are still under the realm or the reign of sin.
So when Paul speaks of the “Old Man” he is speaking positionally. You were positionally connected to Adam. This is who you were. Your Old Man.
But remember what Paul wants us to KNOW?
Romans 6:6 (ESV)
6 We know that our old man WAS CRUCIFIED together with him
The old man is dead- when we were untied to Christ- our old man was crucified together with Christ. We are no longer in that old position. We are no longer connected to Adam. We are now a “NEW MAN.”
New Man Position
The OLD MAN is dead- he was crucified together with Christ. You are no longer in a position of connection to Adam. You are now a new man- you are in a new position of connection with Jesus Christ.
You are in Christ, you are united to Christ and because of your union with Christ the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of Jesus Christ abounds to you! You have been made righteous because of your union with Christ. You have been taken out of the dominion of death and placed into the dominion of righteousness. You are no longer under the rule of sin, but under the rule of grace. Your position is entirely new! You are a “NEW MAN.”
This change is so radical, it is so powerful, it is so significant that Paul can speak of it this way.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Your change in position is so significant so powerful that Paul says that when you entered into union with Christ, when you became NEW MAN, you became an entirely new creation!
The old has passed away (aorist tense), the new has come (perfect tense).
Problem text:
22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
How can you put off your old man if your old man was crucified with Christ? How can you put on your new man if you became a new creation the moment you were united with Christ?
Here Paul is speaking of the powers of your OLD MAN that still continue to effect us. Your old man is dead, your old position is radically changed. But, the influence of sin remains. And these influences of sin must be resisted. And we must allow the influences of the NEW MAN to instead effect our behavior.
Illustration: Slaves in the South, one day they woke up and were told that they were free. That their position has changed, they are no longer slaves. But, that same day their former master barks a command at them and the temptation to obey is still very real and strong. Positionally they are no longer slaves, they are now free men, but practically the impulse to obey remains very much a reality in their day to day life.
One commentator put it this way, “What were “in Adam” is no more; but until heaven, the temptation to live in Adam always remains.”
The doctrine that you must know is that your old man was crucified with Christ! Why is this so significant and important?
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
6τοῦτο γινώσκοντες
We know
ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη,
that our old man was crucified together with Him,
ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας,
in order that the body (my whole person) of sin (sin corrupted faculties) might be rendered powerless (impotent)
τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ·
with the purpose that we would no longer serve sin;
Our old man was crucified with Christ- in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing!
Body of sin? We must be careful in our thinking here. Some people understand body of sin to refer to our physical body. Why is that bad? You enter into a heresy known as dualism. This is the notion that the body is inherently sinful and the spirit or immaterial part of man is inherently good. This is a Greek notion that is rejected by the Bible. God does not divide us into two parts. We have a material body and an immaterial spirit, but both are essential to our person.
Paul sometimes uses the Greek word for “body” to refer to the whole person. And I think that is the idea here in Romans 6:6.
We know that our old man was crucified together with Him- why is that important to know? In order that the body or the whole of my person of sin- that is all of our sin corrupted faculties- might be brought to nothing. Before Christ, when I was in relation to Adam, when I was an “old man” I was enslaved to sin. I was bound by its power. I was helpless to serve sin. But now that I am in Christ, and my old man was crucified with Christ and I am a new man- the sin corrupted faculties of my whole person are now rendered powerless. I am no longer under the power of sin. I am no longer enslaved to it. Its power over me has been broken.
With this purpose- that we would no longer be enslaved to sin- that we would no longer serve sin! Sin is no longer our master! I am a new creation. I am united to Christ. I have been transferred out of the realm and the rule of sin. I am now in Christ under the realm and the rule of grace.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
This is what you must KNOW so that you can stop living under the domination of sin. You might be tempted to say, “I can’t stop sinning!” Know this believer, your old man was crucified together with Christ so that all of the sin corrupted faculties of your whole person might be rendered powerless for the purpose that you might no longer serve sin! This is what you must think deeply about if you are to stop living under the domination of sin.
Application: So the slave who was set free just the other day, but is so conditioned to jump at the bark of his old master must know that he has been set free by the proclamation of the land, that the armies of the North have won the battle, that he is no longer required to obey the voice of his old master. He is a new man.
How about you? How well do you know the theology of your death with Christ. Are you allowing yourself to believe a lie? Are you abusing the grace of God to continue in sin? Are you still living under the domination of sin? Friend you need to let the Word of your union with Christ dwell richly in your soul!
How do we know that because our old man has been crucified with Christ that sin’s power over us has been brought to nothing so that we might no longer serve sin?
7 For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Because the one who has died has been set free from sin.
Paul is here using a general truth to prove his previous argument. Sin no longer has power over you! How do you know? Because the one who has died has been set free from sin.
Paul is making a general point here in v.7- the person who has died (literally, physically died) has been set free from sin. He is making a general statement about anyone who has died. Anyone who has died is now free from the realm or rule of sin.
When a person dies they can no longer sin. When a person dies they go out of the realm of sin. When a person dies they can no longer be tempted by sin. You cannot bring a charge against a dead man in a court of law because he is no longer in the realm where sin and law operate. Paul is using a general statement here to prove his argument from verse 6.
V. 8 is a transitional verse. Paul is going on to a second argument that we must know. And v. 8 makes the transtion.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
8εἰ δὲ ἀπεθάνομεν σὺν Χριστῷ,
Now since it is true that we died (aor, act, ind) with Christ,
πιστεύομεν
We are believing (pres, act, ind)
ὅτι καὶ συζήσομεν αὐτῷ,
that we will (future, act, ind) also live together with Him,
Paul now moves on to the idea that we must know and understand the great power of the death of Christ and the effect it had on Himself.
B. The finality and power of the death of Christ (vv. 8-10)
B. The finality and power of the death of Christ (vv. 8-10)
9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Step #2
II. We must CONSIDER the full implications of our death with Christ (v. 11)
II. We must CONSIDER the full implications of our death with Christ (v. 11)
Step # 3
III. We must APPLY the full implications of our death with Christ (vv. 12-14)
III. We must APPLY the full implications of our death with Christ (vv. 12-14)