Sermon Tone Analysis

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.

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

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

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?

Remember the better translation is: “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.

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?

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 Christian, understand it, and believer it.

It is vital if you are to have victory over sin in your life.

Paul continues on then in chapter 6 highlighting even more vital and significant truths concerning our union with Christ.

Do you not KNOW?

Pause and think about this!

This idea of KNOWING something is a repeated idea in Romans 6.

Do you not know?

Are you uniformed or uncomprehending?

Are you ignorant of this?

Who is Paul writing this letter to?

The church at Rome.

Believers in Christ who are part of a local church in the capital of Rome.

Did Paul start this church?

No. Has Paul ever even been to this church?

No.

Most likely the church in Rome was started as a result of Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2. There were some people from Rome who were in Jerusalem who got saved under the preaching of Peter, went back to Rome, and began a local church.

Paul didn’t start this church, he has never been to this church (Rom.

1:10-11), he has never taught theology extensively at this church!

And yet, Paul says don’t you know?

Are you uniformed?

Do you not comprehend?

Are you ignorant of this truth?

Remember the argument Paul is refuting…Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

If I am now under the rule of grace and the dominion of righteousness, and if no matter how much my sin increases grace abounds all the more, well then shouldn’t we continue to sin so that grace may abound?

God FORBID!

Don’t you know?

Don’t you know who you are?

Or you ought to know!

Every believer ought to know this one vital truth.

And when you rightly understand this vital truth- the question, “are we to continue is sin that grace may abound,” becomes absolutely ludicrous.

What does Paul expect these believers to know about their salvation?

That all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Don’t you know this?

Are you ignorant of THIS truth?

Every person who was baptized (aorist tense, past tense, statement of fact) into Christ Jesus was baptized (aorist tense) into his death.

Two very important questions:

What does it mean to be baptized into Christ Jesus?

What does it mean to be baptized into His death?