Rom 6:1-14 "Union with Christ"

Some of my earliest Television watching can be traced to Roy and Johnny on Squad 51. Medical Television has changed a lot since Emergency, Marcus Welby M.D.and M*A*S*H!

One grandchild of those early shows is set in the city where I attended College. In episode 11 of the current season a man was trapped under a concrete slab and Dr. Archer had only one option to save his life. Just 4 episodes later a woman was stuck in a well shaft and the only path to her freedom was for Dr. Ripley to use the same procedure.

For life to continue, what was dead had to be removed!

Today’s text begins with the Apostle asking if holding on to what is dead is any possibility for those who wish to live in the justifying grace we just admired in the previous chapter.

TRANSITION: V.4 in front of us describes the Christian life with a strong adjective—newness. Today I ask us to consider 3 views of this newess of life.

A new Lifestyle (Rom 6:1-4)

Romans 6:1–4 ESV:2016

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.

Mortification of the Flesh

400 years ago Puritan Pastor Christopher Love wrote a book entitled The Mortification of the Flesh.

The description of this book on Amazon reads:

“With keen insight, Love teaches us to discern the genuine marks of true mortification from self-serving and counterfeit motives that lie camouflaged as grace. He then provides a wide array of practical helps for cooperating with the Holy Spirit's work of subduing the vitality and vigor of our worldly corruptions. Pastor Love concludes with additional counsel for rooting out the troublesome sins of lust, pride, and anger.”

3. We get our English words mortuary and morticianfrom the same Latin root that gives us mortify. Therefore, mortification of sin / the flesh is the “killing” of sin and the flesh. We find the word mortify in the King James translation of two passages: Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5.

4. One key difference between puritan mortification and modern “giving up for Lent” is that many modern churchmen fully plan to resurrect this dead sin after Easter.

5. How many of you are married to a person who would accept the proposal, “I’m going to be faithful to you for 40 days then consider if I want to continue.”?

By no means! (Ro 6:1)

The absurdity of a temporary faithfulness is communicated in 2 words in Paul’s language that require 3 words in English.

In the language Paul wrote this is the absolute strongest way to state a negative.

In the language of today, Paul says to that idea “not only ‘no’ but ‘No way Jose!’”

3. None of us would want to live with a corpse in our home. Some of us would not even consider buying a house if at any time it contained a dead body.

4. 2 Cor 2:14 mentions a Roman practice of triumphal procession.

When an army was victorious, they would occasionally drag their victims behind the horses during their homecoming parade.

2 Co 2:15-16 go on to describe a reality of that procession—aroma.

Because the stench of death was so offensive, incense would be waved before the soldiers to cover the hideous scent.

Bury the dead (Ro 6:4)

Whether buried in a cave or under the earth, buried at sea, cremated or floated off on a funeral pyre. Every civilization chooses to distance the living from the dead.

Paul challenges that he stench of your sinful attitudes and actions deserves the same separation.

Any person who has found an abandoned gym bag with worn clothes that have been hidden for weeks or months may quickly realize it is better to buy a new bag and new workout clothes rather than try to launder the old.

3. Similarly, the lifestyle of a Christ-follower demands burial of the dead, the old sinful ways, if we wish to live the abundant life promised in John 10:10.

4. absurdity of a temporary faithfulness is communicated in 2 words in Paul’s language that require 3 words in English.

A new Liberty (Rom 6:5-11)

Romans 6:5–11 ESV:2016

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.

Let it Go! (Ro 6:7-8)

This truth is more than a song in a Disney animated film

As long as we hold on to the dead, we are prevented from the life intended by our Savior in Ro 6:7-8.

Consider this story. I had heard it before but didn’t know if it would actually work until I saw this video that is too grainy to be an AI deep fake: https://youtu.be/kWJOQYdgiKs?si=yaQ0kVwhQLkeAY_9&t=5

Some of us hold on to our old sins. We hold on to our “secret” sins. We hold on to our “respectable” sins and we have no mor sense than a baboon!

Follow our leader (Ro 6:9-10)

This truth is more than a song from a childhood game.

How much did the life of Jesus change between Thursday and Sunday? The Sunday life was demonstrated on earth for days or weeks until Christ went back to Heaven in the clouds

Much like a victim of Stockholm syndrome, or the PTSD subcategory known as battered person syndrome, some prefer to stay in a painful known past rather than walk into a better unknown future.

Ro 6:11 gives a challenge to each of us: consider the sin dead! Consider your life God’s!

A new Master (Rom 6:12-14)

Romans 6:12–14 ESV:2016

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Same body, new master (Ro 6:12,14)

As a believer indwelt by God’s Spirit, the Devil can’t make you do anything! He and his demons may entice you to want to do something. But he has NO AUTHORITY to make any demands.

I normally fast before going in to see my primary care physician so that she can order labs if she thinks they would be helpful. I try to make these appointments as early in the morning as I can to avoid the temptation of food. But walking out of the office I face a quandry and must make a choice: will I listen to the advice of my doctor and make healthy choices, or will I listen to the cravings of my flesh and pursue either donuts or biscuits and gravy?

2. I have to decide if health or carbs becomes a better master. Vv.12-14 says that you must decide if sin or God is a better master.

Same instrument, new tune (Ro 6:13)

1. I recently listened to a radio drama of the biography of Rodney “Gipsy” Smith from the mid-1800s. Rodney became a well-known evangelist in both England and America.

Gipsy was the 4th of 6 children born to Cornelius and Mary Smith, When Mary died of smallpox, Cornelius fed the family by skillfully playing his fiddle in the local pub. The environment of the pub provided many addictive and sinful behaviors that soon enslaved Cornelius Smith.

Several years later, Cornelius came to personal faith and determined to never play that fiddle again because of its connection to his downfall. He sold that violin and soon bought another. This 2nd fiddle was nicknamed the Hallelujah Fiddle because it was used to gather crowds so that Cornelius and his brothers, Woodlock and Bartholomew could preach the Gospel near Cambridge and London.

2. For Gipsy’s father, he could not use his skill on that old instrument, he needed to present his talent to God on a new instrument that brought great harvest in God’s kingdom.

Conclusion

In the words of the “notable theologian” Bob Dylan,

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You're gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the Devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Light & Lamp Application:

Light for my Path

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody”

Lamps for my Steps

When tempted by hurts, habits and hang-ups, sometimes a decisive amputation is your best choice.

When holding on to melon seeds or secret sins robs you of the abundant life, you’ve got to “let it go!