Romans 6:1-11 New Life

Romans 6:1-11 (Evangelical Heritage Version)

1What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase? 2Absolutely not! We died to sin. How can we go on living in it any longer? 3Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.

5For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.

6We know that our old self was crucified with him, to make our sinful body powerless, so that we would not continue to serve sin. 7For the person who has died has been declared free from sin. 8And since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he will never die again. Death no longer has control over him. 10For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

New Life

I.

Paul was a fellow that might be described as brutally honest. In the first three chapters of the Letter, Paul had told the first readers of this Letter that all people are sinners. You might say that conclusion is somewhat obvious. Anyone can take a look around and see all kinds of flaws and faults in everyone around them. Even those who are held up as role models have flaws—it’s impossible to miss if you look closely.

But you can’t just look around at everyone else. Introspection is needed. Examine yourself and it will be impossible not to notice that you are not squeaky clean, either.

Paul announced the inescapable conclusion: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...” (Romans 3:23, EHV). It was a depressing thought, but it was a transition verse. He didn’t leave his readers hanging, but went on to announce in the next verse: “...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24, EHV).

Paul goes on for the next two chapters to assure his readers that God declares sinners justified—that is, not guilty—through Christ. That must have felt like such a relief as Paul reached the end of chapter 5. Righteousness, they learned, is not something the individual can produce, but something God gives.

God’s grace—God’s undeserved love—gave freedom from sin. Freedom from sin brings new life.

II.

And then... Paul said it. “Where sin increased, grace overflowed much more” (Romans 5:20, EHV). In the minds of some, freedom from sin became freedom to sin. It’s only logical, isn’t it?

Paul starts today’s Reading by asking: “Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1, EHV). If grace is going to increase wherever sin is, then sinning even more is not such a bad thing after all. God would simply step in and increase his grace.

Perhaps the typical Christian doesn’t come right out and say that—or even think it—overtly. But isn’t that what rationalization really is? It’s what Mardi Gras is built around. Mardi Gras embraces the idea that everyone ought to get in as much sinning as possible before the season of Lent begins when you “have to” show a little sorrow over sin.

But rationalizing sin isn’t restricted only to Mardi Gras. A week ago people all over the world celebrated the New Year. A big part of the celebration of that day, and all the holidays leading up to it, was overindulgence: too much alcohol, too much food, too much of too many things.

Is that a new life? Is falling back into the old ways new life? Paul answers the question: “Absolutely not! We died to sin” (Romans 6:2, EHV). Sin is the old life. When the old life starts to rear its ugly head, it’s the old sinful nature living inside. The old self wants you to think freedom from sin is freedom to sin. “Don’t worry about it; ask for forgiveness tomorrow. Keep on sinning, so that God’s grace may increase.”

III.

“Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:3-4, EHV).

Today is the First Sunday after the Epiphany—the Baptism of our Lord. Baptism naturally runs throughout the Theme of the day: From the river to the mountain: it begins with baptism. (The Baptism of our Lord) Jesus’ baptism reveals to us who he really is. Our own baptism does the same; it is the beginning of a new and better life.

At his baptism Jesus is identified as who he really is. John had pointed it out even before he baptized Jesus. He said: “Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, EHV).

On this day we commemorate the time Jesus stood in the Jordan River beside John the Baptist. The Baptist lowered his hand, dipped it into the water, and raised it to pour water over Jesus’ head. It was the same method used to anoint prophets, though oil was poured over the head at a prophet’s anointing. The whole Triune God was in evidence at this special event. The heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove; the Heavenly Father’s voice could be heard speaking from the heavens: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you” (Mark 1:11, EHV). Jesus was anointed into his office to be our Savior from sin.

In the Old Testament, the sin offering required a perfect, unblemished, year-old lamb. Being the sacrifice for sin required a great deal. Jesus couldn’t be among the typical “all have sinned” that Paul spoke of earlier in his Letter. He couldn’t have some Mardi Gras attitude of getting all his sin out of the way before his anointing into office. By the time Jesus was anointed at his baptism into his earthly ministry he had already been perfect and holy for 30 years. That was a great start, but Jesus had to be perfectly righteous and holy, from birth to death to serve as the true Lamb of sacrifice God demanded for the sins of the whole world.

And, of course, he was. Jesus hung on the cross as the perfect sacrifice God demanded for sin. He died to pay for our sins—every one of them. “We died to sin. How can we go on living in it any longer? 3Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” (Romans 6:2-3, EHV). God’s grace does, indeed, cover every sin we could ever commit. The sin that once held us captive has been put to death in Jesus. Our baptism connects us to Jesus’ baptism into his office to be our Savior. We are redeemed. We are forgiven. Sin is dead to us. Your baptism is the visible evidence of God the Holy Spirit working faith in your heart and strengthening that faith in your heart.

“We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life. 5For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:4-5, EHV).

Faith in your heart means that you walk in a new life. This doesn’t mean that you are—or ever will be in this life—completely without sin, even though sin is dead to you as a believer in Jesus.

But sin in the life of a Christian is different than sin in the life of an unbeliever. Sin in the life of a believer is like that of a recovering addict. Addicts can backslide—take another drink or another dose of the dangerous drug they worked so hard get free of. The addict must constantly fight to remain in recovery. The Devil is still prodding at the sinful self inside each believer trying to get us to backslide. With enough backsliding, the Devil is convinced he might be able to pull us back into sin addiction.

“We know that our old self was crucified with him, to make our sinful body powerless, so that we would not continue to serve sin.” (Romans 6:6, EHV). We have a weapon in our fight against the Devil and the sinful self inside us: that sinful self is dead to us—powerless—just as sin itself is. The sinful self was crucified with Jesus on the cross. The Christian has no desire to serve sin anymore. Like the addict who fights old urges to stay in recovery, the recovering sinner fights each day to remain in our recovery from sin.

“For the person who has died has been declared free from sin” (Romans 6:7, EHV). When you stand at the gates of heaven, no accusation can be made against you because of your sin. Your baptism makes it clear that you have died with Christ.

IV.

“We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life... 8And since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him” (Romans 6:4, 8, EHV). The result of dying with Christ is living with him; walking in a new life.

Today is a day we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The body and blood of the Lord Jesus is given to you in, with, and under the bread and wine as a sacrament from God to strengthen your faith for the daily struggle to remain in the new life with Jesus. Receive it often. Give thanks to the Lord that you are given the privilege to taste and see the goodness and mercy of God in this sacrament for your salvation.

“We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he will never die again. Death no longer has control over him. 10For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:9-11, EHV).

Of course we have spoken much about baptism today. It’s only natural, since today is the Baptism of our Lord Sunday. Live in your baptism. Remember the things Luther taught as you learned them in your Catechism instructions. Baptism is not something that happens only once and then is to be forgotten. Every day put it on once again. Use it to drown the Old Self with its evil deeds and desires day after day; put on the New Self to live before God in righteousness and purity once again that day.

Let’s be brutally honest. You are a sinner. But you have been justified by faith—faith that was given to you in baptism and strengthened in baptism. Being brutally honest, you now have a new life. Every day live in that new life, always being grateful and giving thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for giving you that life. Amen.