Book of Romans Chapter 6, verses 1-11

Death to Sin, and Life in Christ! Romans 6:1-11 Berean Baptist Church Pastor Skylar Bernick INTRODUCTION Grace reigns! Romans Chapter five declares that the victory won by the last Adam's grace has overcome the death earned by the first Adam's sin. God's free gift of righteousness (right standing in His sight) provides victory over sin and death to all who will accept the gift. Tragically, there are some who will never accept it. The door has been open, the price paid, freedom won and offered. But some still sit in the prison of their own sins, desiring freedom but not knowing how to accept it. Die to sin and self, and place your entire hope of life in Christ – and you will be free from judgment, sin, and death. But anyone who does that will still struggle with sin in their daily life. Why should we battle with sin? And if we do fight, how can we win? Romans 6:1-11 provides a powerful weapon in the fight against sin: life-changing truth. Three times in this passage (Vs 3, 6, and 8) we are told to know a truth that changes the way we think about life, death, good, and evil. “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:31-32).” This is the truth that will make you free from sin: repenting and receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior means that you die to sin, and are set free to live with God in the power of Jesus' resurrection! Trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and daily count yourself dead to sin but alive in Him! Romans 6:2-5 Know That Trusting Christ Means Dying To Sin Vs 1 This all starts with a question: why resist sin if God is glorified by showing grace? Or, why not just keep sinning if I'm forgiven by God's grace? Vs 2 “God forbid!” This is a complete and passionate denial. Paul immediately shows the absurdity of a Christian living in sin: death is once for all, but living is a continual action. How can someone who has once for all died to sin, live continually in sin? This is the truth that sets people free: anyone in Christ is dead to sin! How do we "die to sin?" - by explicitly rejecting sin and your sinful nature. You die to sin by turning your back on sin and turning to God! Before you can have a new life with God you must be willing to die to your old life! If you want to be saved from your sin, die to sin by rejecting your own evil broken nature and ask God to give you new life in Christ! Vs 3 “Baptized” is an ancient Greek word referring to being totally submerged. Secular writers used the word to describe a ship sinking into the ocean or a scalpel's blade being plunged into flesh during surgery. Jesus commanded us to be baptized (immersed) in water to symbolizes our new birth in Christ and the washing away of our sins. Baptism is a life-changing, unifying experience for all Christians. It does not save (1 Pet 3:21) but it teaches a powerful lesson and makes a powerful statement. Vs 3- 4 “ baptized into his death ...buried with him by baptism” From the beginning of the church, Christians were baptized by being completely submerged in water as a picture of going down into the grave dead to sin, and being resurrected from the grave alive to God. Just as Christ died and was buried in the flesh, you must be willing to die to sin and be buried if you want to follow Him. Just as death should precede burial, a decision to die to sin should precede baptism. Being baptized before you have committed yourself to God is like being buried before you have died. Vs 4 “We are buried...” Notice how Paul refers to baptism and assumes that all in the Christian community have shared this powerful experience! This is because baptism is not optional for Christians, it is the work that shows a believer's entry into Christ. Jesus commands his followers to be baptized (Matt 28:19). Without this first step, everything else in the Christian life is harder than it needs to be and less fulfilling than it can be. If you trust Christ alone as your savior, be baptized! And then walk every day in the waters of your baptism; be dripping every day with the cleansing grace of God! Vs 4-5 "like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life." When Jesus was resurrected, no one could deny that something important had happened. Some believed, but others made up stories to explain the empty tomb, Jesus' appearances, and the power of His disciples. But everyone had to give some kind of explanation! No one could deny that something had happened, and so many gave glory to the Father. The same should be true in our lives! Whether you were saved early in life or late you should conduct yourself as a person with a new and fresh life! Die to sin, deliberately choose to walk in new life with Jesus, and the same holy power that raised Him from the dead will work in you! Romans 6:6-8 Know That All Who Have Died With Christ Are Freed From Sin Vs 6 “our old man is crucified”A crucifixion is a past event that has been already accomplished, “henceforth we should not serve sin.” but our present life in righteousness should be an ongoing reality. Vs 7 If you are in Christ, then you are dead to sin. If you are dead to sin, then you are free from sin. But we still must make the daily choice to walk in this liberty and new life. This is the Christian's relationship to sin: dead (Vs 2), crucified (Vs 6), destroyed (Vs 6), freed (Vs 7), and again dead (Vs 8). Although a Christian may still sin, this language speaks of a decisive break in the relationship between a Christian and sin. Vs 8 And the motivation to live in this new life comes from the sure hope that we have that we will live with Him. If you trust Jesus, He will set you free from sin and complete the work of making you sinless. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1 John 3:2-3)." Trust Christ as your savior and accept freedom from sin. Know that God's grace makes you free. Romans 6:9-10 Know All Who Have Died With Christ Will be Resurrected With Him Vs 9 The concrete, historical fact of Jesus' resurrection is the foundation of all a Christian hopes. After devastating injuries, after three days in a grave, he physically took his life up again and arose. Vs 10 “once” This term emphasizes that something only happens once and is never repeated. See its use in Heb 7:27, 9:12, and 10:10. But "liveth" is a continual, sure, and eternal truth. In the same way, we must make the decisive choice to die to sin and make the daily choice to live to God. CONCLUSION Romans 6:11 perfectly brings this liberating truth to us: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is the way to have victory over sin: count yourself to be dead to sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ your Lord. Each section of this passage repeats this powerful theme of Death to Sin and Life in Christ! Vs 2 Christian, don't you know that you are dead to sin... Vs 5 But...we will be raised like Him Vs 6 The Christian is crucified with Him... Vs 8 Now...we believe that we shall also live with him So practically, how does this work in our lives? Be saved by dying sin and self-righteousness, turn your back on these things and place all of your hope for life in the death and resurrection of Jesus. If you do this you will be born again and freely given a new life. Know that everyone will die. You will either die to sin, self, and the world, or you will die to God (Col 2:20, Gal 2:19). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4 ).” After you turn your back on sin, learn to walk in this newness of life by training your mind and heart in the truth of Romans 6:11: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” “Reckon” means to count or consider. So, when tempted to sin we must learn to consider that we are dead to to sin. Just as God “counts” the faithful as righteous, we must lead to “count” ourselves dead. To sin. You are dead to sin but alive in Christ, you are free from the power of sin, and in the sight of God, you are alive in Christ. Trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and daily count yourself dead to sin but alive in Him!