So You Got Some Grace…

Review! What’s happened in the last 5 chapters?

Now we turn a corner. What are the first 5 chapters of Romans, in a nutshell?

God is Holy

Man is sinful, and always chooses to disobey God

There is nothing Man can do to fix themselves. No matter who you are or what you do to try and fix things.

Salvation is a gift from God, grace is free.

Grace is a wonderful thing, and it’s incredibly liberating. But what happens when someone gets something free? They take, and take, and take. Paul was dealing with people like that here, and he had to correct some of their thinking.

Shall we continue?

Romans 6:1–4 ESV

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? 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.

People thought that because grace was unlimited, that meant sin could be unlimited too.

This thought comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of what grace means, and why we have it.

Paul says “by no means.” Absolutely not, the strongest rejection possible. Paul is indignant here. He cannot believe that people would think like this, because it does not make sense. Why does this not make any sense?

You Are Dead

Ephesians 2:1–2 “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—”

What can dead people do? Nothing! When we were dead, we could not save ourselves. We could not do anything good.

Now, let’s flip it. We’re no longer dead in sin, but dead to sin! See the difference? If we’re dead in Christ, and then raised with Him in new life, we cannot be continuing in the constant sinful ways we used to.

United & Free

Romans 6:5–11 ESV

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. 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. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

What does it mean to be “united in death & in resurrection?”

Jesus’ death was the payment for sin. His resurrection secured victory over death.

Our death is freedom from sin. Our new life (born out of death to self) gains victory over eternal death.

Several observations about Man

We were enslaved to sin, the only way to get out of that enslavement is death. Literally nailed to the cross

Death to self results in freedom from sin

Death to self results in life with Jesus, eternally.

Paul corrects the errant thinking in v1 in verse 11. The reason people are abusing grace and living in sin is because they do not correctly understand their new state, their new nature.

So, What Now?

Romans 6:12–14 ESV

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 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. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Therefore, what is it therefore?

Dead to self, alive to Christ. New mental framework means new action.

To present. Hold up for use, approval, etc. To deliver.

Do not give your body to sinful things, but give it to God for good uses, instruments of righteousness!

BECAUSE we are under grace, we have the ability to NOT SIN, not the freedom to sin as much as we want.