Sermon Tone Analysis

“Can’t never did anything!”

Common attitude of Christians: I can’t stop sinning.

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.

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)

And what is it that Paul wants us to know?

A. Our old man was crucified with Christ (vv.

6-7)

Old Man Position

Our old man is speaking of our old position in relationship with Adam.

We used to be connected to Adam, how?

By birth- we inherited a sin nature from Adam.

That is what we were before Christ.

But NOW- 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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

Transition: Not only does Paul want us to know that our old man was crucified with Christ, but Paul also wants us to know about:

B. The finality and power of the death of Christ (vv.

8-10)

Paul is reiterating a truth he has already brought to our attention back in v. 5.

Paul wants us to think deeply on connection between dying with Christ and being raised with Christ.

Now IF we have died with Christ- conditional sentence.

Paul wants us to think here: If we died with Christ.

If you are a Christian, if you have been united to Chris through salvation- then it is certainly true that you died with Christ.

So we could actually translate the verse in this manner:

8εἰ δὲ ἀπεθάνομεν σὺν Χριστῷ,

Now since it is true that we died (AORIST, act, ind) with Christ,

Because this is true of me and my salvation as something that has happened in the past, presently:

πιστεύομεν

We are believing (PRESENT, act, ind)

ὅτι καὶ συζήσομεν αὐτῷ,

that we will (FUTURE, act, ind) also live together with Him,

Debated meaning?

Future tense- is Paul only thinking of the believer’s future resurrection from the dead?

Or does Paul also mean for us to see of the believer’s present enjoyment of new life with Christ?

Certainly Paul wants us to connect the truth that since it is true that I already died with Christ, that knowledge bolsters my present faith that one day I WILL one day live with Christ.

I will be raised up in the last day with Christ!

But, it is also clear from the context of the passage that our future resurrection life casts its shadow into our present experience.

Paul wants us to see how our future confidence of resurrection life has present implications on living free from the dominion of sin.

Paul goes on in his argument of helping us live free from the domination of sin, and turns our attention to Christ.

Even though killing sin in my life is my own responsibility I cannot do it on my own!

In fact, Paul purposely directs our eyes off of ourselves and our ability and our strength- and demands that we focus on Christ.

Set yourself completely aside for a moment and gaze at the beauty of Christ and it will make all the difference!

We KNOW- We must know this if we are to live free from the domination of sin!

And what must we know?

9εἰδότες ὅτι Χριστὸς

We know (perfect, act, part) that Christ

ἐγερθεὶς ἐκ νεκρῶν

was raised from the dead

οὐκέτι ἀποθνῄσκει,

He is never going to die again,

θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει.

death no longer has mastery (dominion, rule) over Him.

Paul wants us to gaze upon the finality and the overwhelming power of Christ’s death to sin!

In v. 9 we are to see that Christ’s death was final- he will never die again.

Unlike Lazarus for instance, who was raised from the dead by Christ.

His resurrection was temporary.

Lazarus died again.

But Christ’s death was final.

It was complete.

And it was powerful!

Death no longer has dominion (mastery, rule) over Him.

Think about this for just a moment.

The power of his death is connected to his resurrection.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead… How was Christ raised from the dead?

What power effected Christ’s resurrection?

Paul has already told us.

Christ was raised from the dead by the GLORY of the Father!

Do you know what that means?

It means that the Father fully accepted Christ’s death as satisfaction for the payment for sin.

If Christ’s death did not have the power to fully pay for sin, to fully satisfy the justice of God for sin, then the Father would not have raised Christ by means of his own glory.

But, because the Father raised the Son by means of his own glory, its like a stamp of approval on the sufficiency and the power of death of Christ.

We know that Christ was raised from the dead (by the glory of the Father), and because of this Christ will never die again, and death no longer has dominion over Him.

In what way did death, at one time have dominion over Christ?

Christ was born under the law, he was born under sin, not that He had sins of His own, but Christ entered into our realm.

He entered into the realm of sin and death.

He had no sins of his own, but he took upon himself the sins of the whole world, and in that sense death, for a time, had dominion over Christ.

But, now because of the finality and the power of the death of Christ- death no longer has any dominion over Him.

He is finished with all that.

He has conquered sin and death.

He no longer has anything left to do in the realm of sin and the dominion of death.