Romans 6.9-Christ's Resurrection Broke The Tyranny Of Death
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 24, 2008
Romans: Romans 6:9-Christ’s Resurrection Broke the Tyranny of Death
Lesson # 188
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 6:1.
This evening we will study Romans 6:9, which teaches that physical death no longer has dominion over Jesus Christ because He has been raised from the dead.
The implication of this is that if physical death no longer has any control over Christ, then neither does the sin nature, which resides in the physical body, have dominion over the believer who is identified with Christ in His physical death and resurrection.
Romans 6:1-9, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him. knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”
In Romans 6:8, Paul “reiterates” or “resumes” the connection between the justified sinner being identified with Christ in His physical death and being identified with Christ in His resurrection that he taught in Romans 6:5.
Paul does this in order to present the significance of this connection in the light of the nature of Christ’s own physical death and resurrection that he mentions in Romans 6:9-10.
Romans 6:9, “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”
“Knowing” is the verb oida (oi‚da), which denotes that Paul and his fellow like-minded Christians were in full possession of the facts or knew for certain that Christ’s resurrection broke their indwelling old Adamic sin nature’s tyrannical rulership and power over their lives.
The apostles knew this since they were instructed by the Lord and the Holy Spirit and all Christians in the first century knew this as well since they were taught this by the apostles and pastor-teachers under their authority.
The first person plural form of the verb is an “inclusive we” referring to Paul and his audience, who like himself, are sinners who have been declared justified by God through faith in Jesus Christ.
The fact that Paul uses the first person plural form of the verb indicates that he is addressing all the believers in Rome with the implication that it was common knowledge among all Christians that physical death is no longer master over Christ since He was raised from the dead, never to die again.
The verb oida functions as a “participle of cause” indicating that Paul and his fellow like-minded Christians were confident that they would live with Christ in a resurrection body “because” they knew for certain through instruction that death is no longer master over Christ since He rose from the dead, never to die again.
“Christ” is the proper name Christos (xristov$) (khris-tos), which is a technical word designating the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ as the promised Savior for all mankind who is unique as the incarnate Son of God and totally and completely guided and empowered by the Spirit as the Servant of the Father.
“Having been raised” is the verb egeiro (e)geivrw) (eg-i-ro), which is used of Jesus Christ and means, “to raise from physical death.”
Romans 6:9, “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.”
“From the dead” means that the human nature of Jesus Christ was raised “out from” those who are physically dead.
“Is never to die again” is composed of the adverb ouketi (ou)kevti) (ook-et-ee), “never again” and the verb apothnesko (a)poqnhv|skw) (ap-oth-nace-ko), “is to die.”
The verb apothnesko refers to the physical death of the Lord Jesus Christ because Paul is speaking in the context of Christ being raised from the dead, which involves the giving of life to the life-less physical body of Christ.
The verb’s meaning is emphatically negated by the adverb ouketi, which means, “never again.”
This word implies that at one point Jesus Christ was physically dead and that His body was laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea.
“Death” is the noun thanatos (qavnato$) (than-at-os), which refers to physical death since in context Paul is speaking of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The word is being “personified” by the verb kurieuo.
“Personification” is the ascribing of human characteristics or actions to inanimate objects or ideas or to animals.
Paul is ascribing the human actions of having dominion over someone to physical death.
“Is master over” is the verb kurieuo (kurieuvw) (ko-ree-yoo-o), which means, “to be lord of, to rule over, to have dominion over” and thus speaks of physical death’s “dominion over” Jesus Christ.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the adverb ouketi (ou)kevti) (ook-et-ee), which means, “never again.”
Together, these two words denote that physical death never again will have dominion over Jesus Christ.
This word implies that one point physical death did have mastery over the Lord Jesus Christ when His body was laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea.
However, on the third day He rose again, thus He was victorious over death and He is now Master over it!
Acts 2:22-24, “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know -- this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”
1 Corinthians 15:50-58, “Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, ‘DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.’ ‘O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”
Hebrews 2:14-15, “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
Revelation 1:9-18, “I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, saying, ‘Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.’ Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’”
Therefore, in Romans 6:9, Paul teaches that physical death no longer has any control over Christ because He has been raised from the dead and possesses a immortal resurrection body.
The implication of this is that if physical death no longer has any control over Christ, then neither does the sin nature, which resides in the physical body, have dominion over the believer who is identified with Christ in His physical death and resurrection.
Paul is teaching that not only did Christ’s physical death and resurrection resolve the sinner’s problem with the sin nature but it also resolved the his problem with physical death as well.