Dead to Sin
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Romans explains everything
1-5 life outside of Christ, 6— life for those in Christ
1–5: Sinful world. Out there, gets out of hand. Perversion celebrated. Dobbs took mask off—Melania, Amendment 3. Why? Romans 1
Not just out there—in my heart. Don’t love God, don’t want to submit to His rule. Everyone a sinner, including me. Romans 2-3
Why everyone? Ch 5—in Adam. Original sin, total depravity
Also told us the way out: justification by faith, grace alone
Ever thought, justification by grace sounds great—but it doesn’t match my experience
Doesn’t SEEM like I have the righteousness of God. Starting here in ch 6, Paul’s going to explain how we can escape, not just the penalty of sin in eternity, but the power of sin in our lives now.
Read
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.
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. 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. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
A Reasonable Question
A Reasonable Question
Your bulletin says 1-11. We read 1-11. But I’m really going to deal this morning only with vv 1-2. 1 starts with a question:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Know answer is no, but why? And why even ask the question? Perfectly reasonable question, if you’ve been following
Everyone’s a sinner. We’re justified by faith apart from keeping law. In fact, all law accomplishes is increase sinning. BUT,
Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
Uses that word 3x: Law increased trespass, but where sin increased, grace… hyper. Super-increased
What does that grace bring? Justification. The righteousness of God, counted to me
Now if increased sin brought super-abounding grace, maybe we who have been saved by grace should keep on sinning?
In fact, those of us who preach justification by faith alone often accused of teaching just this
He says you’re saved w/o obeying law, means you can just do whatever you want. Won’t salvation by grace encourage sinning when you don’t have law-keeping to curb it?
So, reasonable question: should we, those who are saved by grace through faith, continue in sin. Know the right answer
But do you know Paul’s answer
A World-Changing Answer
A World-Changing Answer
If witnessing, asked you: so if I believe in Jesus and I’m forgiven, should I keep sinning, what would your answer be? Might say: no, sin is evil, you shouldn’t do it
But that’s not Paul’s answer
The question asked, should we continue sinning?
The answer you expect is, no, don’t sin
The answer you get is,
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
There’s a huge difference between those answers. Let me start to show you how different by reminding you of the difference between
Indicatives and Imperatives
Indicatives and Imperatives
Those two words are about verbs. Ugh, a grammar lesson!
Hang on—want victorious Christian life? Key to victorious Chr living is understanding indicatives and imperatives
Verbs are words that describe what someone or something is doing, or what its state is. Run to the car, sit on a chair, play the piano
Verbs have what are called tenses. You know tenses, right? Tense is when the action happens. I ran to the car, I am running to the car, I will run to the car
Verbs also have moods. Did you know verbs can get moody? Sure can
Mood conveys the speaker’s attitude about the state of being the verb describes. Two primary moods: indicative and imperative
Simplify a bit, the indicative mood states a fact:
You are competent in grammar.
The imperative mood expresses a command or a request.
You should be competent in grammar.
Easy enough? Let’s try:
Sit on the chair (imperative)
You are sitting on the chair (indicative)
What does this have to do w/ Paul’s answer? You expected an imperative:
Should we keep sinning? No, do not sin
Instead, you got an indicative:
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Doesn’t just say “no,” says “God forbid”
But then he doesn’t tell you what to do; states a fact
It’s in the form of a question: How can we who died to sin still live in it? What’s the fact in that question? “We died to sin.”
Such a big deal. Ch 1-5 for unbelievers. Ch 6 is for believers. You who have been justified by faith alone. Okay, I’ve been justified—how should I live? Should I keep on sinning?
IOW, Paul has turned a corner: was talking about justification, now talking about sanctification
Justification: God’s act as judge of declaring a believing sinner to be righteous
Sanctification: growing in holiness, to be conformed to the image of Christ
Justification is God declaring us righteous; sanctification is about us becoming more and more like what God has declared us to be
So if Paul switches from just to sanct here, asks ? about sanct,
An imperative answer here would change the whole Christian life
It would be like Paul saying: okay, God has saved you: now get out there and act right
Justification was up to God, now sanctification is up to you
But that’s not what he said. He didn’t give an imperative, not yet. He started with an indicative
You’re going to see that relationship through rest of letter. Indic/imp incredibly important in Scripture, esp. Paul. But to understand them, have to know this: always distinguished, never separated
For instance, here he asks if beliers should sin. The answer will ultimately be imperative: NO, don’t sin. But behind the imperative is an indicative: you died to sin
That’s always how it works in Paul’s theology: The indicative comes first, is the basis for the imperative
Absolutely crucial, because without the indicative, the imperative is worthless. Moo:
The Epistle to the Romans 1. “Dead to Sin” through Union with Christ (6:1–14)
The imperative “Thou shalt” would be a futile and frustrating demand without the “Thou hast” of the indicative.
What is “do not sin?” Law
Does law have power to enable you to obey it? Learned in ch 5, no, only increases sin
So God did not justify you and leave you to sanctify yourself. He’s done much more. Paul uses the shorthand here of “we died to sin”; what he’s really talking about is
Realm Transfer
Realm Transfer
Didn’t call out in ch 5, but 2 realms
Sin and death (Adam)
Righteousness and life (Christ)
In one or other
Sin very active, almost personified:
Romans 5:12 (ESV)
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin…
Not sins, sin—a principle that rules over children of Adam. In fact,
Romans 5:21 (ESV)
so that, as sin reigned in death…
How many caught up in realm and reign of sin and death? All
But as we saw in ch 5, sin and death can be defeated, because Christ’s work was more powerful than Adam’s
So those who trust in Christ are justified. But not only justified—they’ve been transferred to another realm
In new realm, sin and death don’t reign—Christ and righteousness reign
Remember, learned in ch 5 that future glory is certain:
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Not wishful thinking, certainty
That hope of glory matters for eternity—and this life
How do you get in the realm of sin and death? By participation w/ founder, Adam
How get in realm of righteousness? By participation w/ founder, Jesus
Just as we really were made sinners in Adam, we really are made righteous in Christ
On the human side, simply by faith. On God’s side, by His grace, full participation
You didn’t just have faith in Christ—those who believe, 6:2 tells us, have been crucified with Christ, and are therefore dead to sin
Remember, we had two problems: original sin (guilt in Adam), and a sin nature, inherited from Adam
Justification by faith deals with the penalty of sin. By faith, those in Christ are forgiven of their sin and counted righteous in Him
Being united to Christ, in His death in v. 2 and in His resurrection, as we’ll see—that deals with the power of sin
That monster sin owned you when you were in Adam’s realm. But you’ve been transferred to Christ’s realm, with Him—and sin has no claim on you there
This changes our whole thinking about sanctification
Popular Christian thinking is, as one Bible teacher put it, “justification by faith and sanctification by struggle”
But Paul here is putting them together—it’s all been provided for in Christ
Forgiveness from past sins—Christ
Glorification in the future—Christ
Restoration of relationship from current sins—Christ
Jesus paid it all: past, present, and future
See how this all hangs together? Spiritually dead in Adam, Haters of God, rebels. Father sent son to atone for sin, and to purchase righteousness for those who believe in Him
So God doesn’t forgive us, pat us on the head, and shoo us off telling us “now do better”
The old you who was enslaved in the realm of sin and death—he’s gone. He was buried with Christ
As we’re going to see in this chapter, sanctification isn’t about gritting our teeth and saying, well, God forgave me, so I owe him—gotta try harder. No, it’s all been bought and paid for. Your past sin is gone, your current sin has been dealt with, your future holds perfect righteousness in the presence of God—all purchased by Christ
Pray
Lord’s Supper
Lord’s Supper
Thinking about being transferred to realm of Christ perfect time to observe Lord’s Supper. Paul told Romans they had died to sin. He told Corinthians,
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
One at each side up front, (late service two in back)
Leave seats, come up outside rows, receive elements, back down center to your seats
Gluten free, need assistance
This is the Lord’s table, not Antioch Southern Baptist’s table, and we invite all those who belong to Christ, who have called in faith on His name and been scripturally baptized, to partake
Deacons come forward
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,
Distribute elements
and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
eat bread
pray
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
drink cup
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
pray