United to Christ thus Dead to Sin Pt 2

“I like committing crimes. God likes forgiving them. Really the world is admirably arranged.” —W.H. Auden

“Christians are by no means immune from the temptation to slip from a celebration of grace to an abuse of grace.” —Douglas Moo

Are you guilty of abusing God’s grace, of using God’s abounding grace as an excuse to sin?

This is what the Apostle Paul wants to get across to the Romans. How did we get to this point in the argument?

Romans 1-4: Paul’s theology of justification- by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Rom 5: What are the benefits of justification?

We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1)

We have access to a new realm of grace by faith (v. 2a)

We have the future hope of sharing in the glory of God (v. 2b)

We have great cause for rejoicing both in the future blessings of our salvation and even in our present sufferings (vv. 2b-5)

We have the love of God poured out abundantly in our hearts (v. 5-8)

Then we get to the primary concern for Paul that will occupy his time for the rest of chapter 5 all the way to chapter 8.

Romans 5:9 ESV

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Because we have now been justified (Our sins have been forgiven and we have been counted righteous)

by means of the blood of Jesus Christ !

HOW MUCH MORE (God has already done the hard part- He justified the ungodly! If God has already done that, how much more certain is it that God will do a much less difficult task? What is the less difficult task?)

We shall be saved from the wrath of God

by means of him (Jesus Christ)

Your justification makes absolutely certain your glorification. This is the great theme that Paul will be dealing with from chapters 6-8.

How do we know that we shall be saved one day by his life? The first answer Paul gives us to this question is because of your union with Christ! (vv. 12-19)

Our union with Christ is one of the assurances that we will one day experience final salvation!

Because we are united to Christ, this new position that we have enables God to cause his grace to abound to us!

Now as Paul ends chapter 5 and begins chapter 6 he is going to deal with a common misunderstanding and misuses of the grace of God that is ours because of our union with Christ.

Paul wants us to understand something about our union with Christ so that we do not abuse the grace of God, but instead celebrate it.

Paul wanted the Roman believers to understand the realities of their union with Christ so that they would not continue living in sin.

Comprehending your union with Christ is essential for you to stop living in sin.

What must we understand concerning our union with Christ so that we can stop living in sin?

Several truths about our union with Christ.

The first truth we need to understand so that we might stop living in sin is:

I. Our union with Christ transferred us from the realm of sin to the realm of grace

Romans 5:20–21 ESV

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(v. 20) Where sin increased (even increased considerably),

grace abounded all the more (grace increased to an extraordinarily greater degree)

(v. 21) For those who are united with Christ you have an entirely new position. You have been transferred out of the realm or the reign of sin. You are no longer under the dominion of death. What dominion are you in now? The dominion of righteousness! And what realm or reign do you belong to now? The realm or the reign of grace! For those in the realm of grace it will ultimately lead them to eternal life! How? Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is by means of our union with Christ that we are transferred into a new realm- the realm of grace. In this realm of grace no matter how great our sin- God’s grace increases to an to an extraordinarily greater degree!

Friend, if you are Christian, if you have been justified, if you have been united with Christ, then you must realize something this morning. Because of your union with Christ you have been transferred out of the realm of sin and into the realm of grace. You are right now part of a new kingdom, a kingdom characterized by grace and righteousness. Live like it! Comprehending this truth is vital for you to stop living in sin. No longer live like you used to when you were a citizen of the realm of sin and death. Live like a citizen who is in the realm of grace and righteousness. And stop taking advantage of God’s grace by continuing to sin. Don’t abuse God’s grace, but rather celebrate it by living godly righteous lives.

The second truth we need to understand so that we might stop living in sin is:

II. Our union with Christ caused us to share in the benefits of his death, burial, and resurrection

Some people say chapter 6 and 7 are parenthetical. That is, Paul begins talking about how justification leads to glorification (or final salvation) in chapter 5, then he sets that topic aside for a while in chapters 6-7 and returns to it in chapter 8.

I think it better to understand chapters 6 and 7 as part of the argument. How so?

Paul makes this wonderful, beautiful theological argument in chapter 5

Romans 5:9 ESV

9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

How so Paul? How does our justification guarantee our glorification?

Romans 5:21 ESV

21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of your justification you have been united with Christ, you are in Christ, and because you are in Christ you have been transferred to a new realm- the realm of grace! How does being in the realm of grace guarantee our final salvation?

Romans 5:20 (ESV)

20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

Once you are united to Christ, and transferred to the realm of grace, wherever sin increases (even if it increases significantly), grace abounds all the more (grace increases to an extraordinarily greater degree). Do you understand the argument? Do you see how Paul is proving that justification absolutely guarantees your future glorification? It is a beautiful wonderful thing!

Illustration: In the forward of the book Evangelism For the Fainthearted by Floyd Schneider, a man named Luis Palau tells of a 3 hour long conversation he once had in Ecuador with a woman named Maria. Turns out Maria was the secretary of the Communist Party in Ecuador. For three hours she yelled insults at Luis, she proudly proclaimed that she was an atheist and didn’t believe in God. She also told him her life story including all the sins she had committed. Listen to the end of their conversation:

“Listen, Palau,” Maria said. “Supposing there is a God – and I’m not saying there is, because I don’t believe in the Bible, and I don’t believe there’s a God – but just supposing there is. Just for the sake of chatting about it, if there is a God, which there isn’t, do you think He would receive a woman like me?”

​The Lord gave me Hebrews 10:17, one of my favorite Bible verses because it is so short and says so much: “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ​I said, “Look, Maria, don’t worry about what I think; look at what God thinks.” I opened to the verse and turned the Bible so she could see it. ​“But I don’t believe in the Bi-”

“You’ve already told me that,” I said. “But we’re just supposing there’s a God, right? Let’s just suppose this is His Word. He says, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” ​She waited, as if there had to be more. I said nothing. “But listen. I’ve been an adulteress, married three times, and in bed with a lot of different man.” ​I said, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more,” and began to count the times I repeated it.

​“But I haven’t told you half my story. I stabbed a comrade who later committed suicide.” ​“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

​“I’ve led riots where people were killed!” ​“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ​

“I egged on my friends and then hid while they were out dying for the cause.” ​“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” ​

Seventeen times I responded to Maria’s objections and confessions with that one Bible verse. It was past lunchtime. I was tired and weak. I had no more to offer. “Would you like Christ to forgive all that you’ve told me about, and all the rest that I don’t even know?”

​She was quiet. Finally she spoke softly. “If He can forgive me and change me, it would be the greatest miracle in the world.”

I led her in a simple simple prayer of commitment. By the end, she was crying. ​Maria returned a week later to tell me she was reading the Bible. Eventually, despite death threats and a brutal beating by her comrades, she resigned from the Communist Party. In fact, her witness to party leaders and invitation to read the Bible thwarted plans for a student-led disturbance that was supposed to trigger a revolution.

“where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,”

This is the beauty of the gospel. No matter the extent or degree of your sins, God’s grace is greater! The power of God and the grace of God is greater than all your sins. He offers this grace to you freely! He will forgive all your sins, and He will count you as righteous because of the work of Jesus Christ. Jesus died for your sins, he was buried, and on the third day He rose again. You can be justified today. Turn from your sin, come to Christ by faith, and ask Him save you!

Now that kind of teaching- that justification is by grace alone apart from works, and that it is received by faith alone, through Jesus Christ alone, and that once you are in the realm of grace because of your union with Christ no matter how much you sin grace will also abound to a greater degree- that kind of teaching can lead to some major misunderstandings about the matter of sin. That is what chapter 6 is all about. How do you deal with the issue of sin and the potential abuses of sin when you teach the doctrine of God’s grace?

Romans 6:1 ESV

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

1Τί οὖν ἐροῦμεν;

What shall we say then?

ἐπιμένωμεν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ,

Should we remain in sin ( In the state of sin)

ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσῃ;

In order that grace might increase?

Antinomianism- lawlessness

License- does God’s fee abounding grace give the believer the license to sin all the more?

Romans 6:2 (ESV)

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (ESV)

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (KJV)

What is the difference in interpretation between these two translations?

We who died to sin vs. we that are dead to sin

What’s the difference?

If you read this verse as “we that are dead to sin” you might think that Paul was talking about our present state and condition. We are now dead to sin, that is our present state and condition.

But that is not what Paul said. He was not concerned to say that here in Rom. 6:2.

Neither does Paul say “We have died to sin” because similarly it might suggest that he is speaking of a process. What do I mean by a process? Well, he might have meant that once we were very much alive to sin, but then gradually we became more and more dead to it. Until finally we have reached a point where we can say that after a lot of struggle and effort that now, I have died to sin.

That is not what the Apostle is saying in Romans 6:2. How do we know that? Because the verb “died” in the original is in the aorist tense, and this most often points to an even or act that has happened in the past. It is a statement of fact. It has happened once and for all and the matter is concluded.

So the better translation is the ESV in this case: “How can we who died to sin still live in it?:”

Paul is pointing back to something that has already taken place in the past. This is a statement of fact about us, an event that has already happened. He is not describing a present position or condition, he is not describing a process. Paul wants us to see that there is something that has already happened to as as a fact, as an event in our past experience.

Because you are in Christ, you died to sin.

What does Paul mean when he states that we died to sin?

The idea is a decisive separation from sin. Paul is not speaking, in this context, about a separation from the penalty of sin. Paul is concerned here with the power of sin. We died to the disadvantage of sin- that is, its power over us was broken! When we were united to Christ we died to sin, that is, we were separated from the “rule” or the “realm” of sin. A person outside of Christ, the one who is in the dominion of death, is under the rule or the realm of sin. But, when we were justified by faith through Christ, we were united to Christ, we were in Christ, and at that moment we were transferred to a new dominion, the dominion of righteousness that leads to eternal life. If you are in the dominion of righteousness, you are no longer under the rule or the realm of sin (you died to sin), you are now under the rule or the realm of grace. The moment you were united to Christ, sin’s power over you was broken! You died to sin! You died to its rule or its power!

Refutation: That’s all well and good to say that I died to sin, that it’s power over me is broken. But, Pastor Jon- I still sin! And sometimes it sure doesn’t feel like its power has been broken. It still fells at times to have a lot of power over me.

What the Apostle Paul is showing us here in Rom 6 is the truth of our position. Positionally, I am in Christ thus I died to sin and its power is broken over me. But, what is true of us positionally, sometimes takes a while to translate to what is true of us experimentally.

Illustration: Working for FedEx Office for 7 years, always having to say “Hello, welcome to FedEx office.” We were disciplined if we didn’t say it. It was ingrained into my mind over the period of seven years. Then I became the senior pastor and I was able to quit my job at FedEx. I had a change of positions. I went from being an employee of FedEx to now being a full time pastor. That change happened instantly. The moment I quit my job, my position changed. But, I remember going back to FedEx after I had quit to visit my coworkers. I’m standing in the lobby having a conversation with my former coworkers and another person enters the store and the little bell goes off when someone opens the door, and guess what I did? “Hello, welcome to FedEx.” Why did I say that? I didn’t have to say that anymore! I was not longer under the rule of FedEx, my position was entirely new. I was not under the power of FedEx any longer. I didn’t have to obey that company policy. But, the habit was still very much a part of my life.

So it is with Christians, especially new believers or believers that have not progressed very far in their spiritual growth. You have an entirely new position. You are now in Christ. And the moment you were united to Christ you died to sin. You were transferred out of the realm and the rule of sin and into the realm and rule of grace. The power of sin at that moment was broken. But, because you were under its rule for so long the habit of obeying the voice of your former master still remains. And sometimes that habit is strong.

What must we understand concerning our union with Christ so that we can stop living in sin?

Romans 6:1–2 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?

The first step to take so that you can stop living in sin is to know that you died to sin! So much of your sanctification, your spiritual growth, depends upon your understanding of your justification. What really happened to you when you repented of your sin and put your faith in Christ? You were justified- your sins were forgiven and you were counted righteous in God’s eyes. Then out of your justification came so many other benefits of your salvation. Primary among those benefits is that you were united to Christ, you are IN CHRIST. And the moment you became united to Christ you died to sin. Know that truth Christ, understand it, and believer it. It is vital if you are to have victory over sin in your life.

How does that work?

The next time you are tempted to sin. The next time you feel the power of sin tempt you, you can say to yourself- “Self, you are justified by the blood of Christ, you are united to Christ, you are dead to sin. It no longer has any power over you!” And that is a tremendous benefit in living a godly live. Knowing what is true about you because of your salvation in Christ, considering it true about yourself, reckoning it true about yourself, so that you can present yourself to God is key to your sanctification. But the first step is to cement to the truth of Scripture in your mind. Let it dwell richly in your hearts in all wisdom.

I encourage all of you to spend some time this week meditating on this glorious truth- “How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

Next time: What does it mean that believers are baptized into Christ Jesus? And how does that knowledge help us stop living in sin?

III. Our union with Christ rightly understood compels us to godly living