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Romans Chapter 6:1-23
Memory verses for this week: Psa 118:29 O give
thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for
ever. Introduction: Last week, in the
chapter 5 , Paul in very clear language showed how that we are
justified to God by what Christ has done for us. Because of what Jesus did on Calvary, we work for God. I.
Believers Are Dead to Sin
Rom 6:1
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace
may abound? Rom 6:2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any
longer therein? When
the soul of man is made alive, when the sinner is born again, our
soul is now dead to sin. Christ’s
sacrifice on Calvary perfected our salvation, and our spiritual man
lives to serve the Lord. Paul
begins by asking “What shall we say then?
This is in reference to Romans 5:20 where he penned “Where
sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”
Because of this, we should strive daily to rise above the sin
that so easily besets us.
God’s desire is not for us to continue in sin that grace
might abound more, but His desire is for us to grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Savior and live a life that glorifies God.
Verse 2 points out that if we are saved and freed from sin,
there is no way that we will continue to live in sin day after day.
The moment that we are saved, a person becomes dead to sin.
The Holy Spirit comes and dwells in the believer, and our
even our physical desires become tuned towards honoring the Father.
It was by the cross of Christ that Paul became crucified unto
the world. Gal 6:14
But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I
unto the world. Eph 2:20
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Eph 2:21
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto
an holy temple in the Lord: Eph 2:22
In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God
through the Spirit. II.
Buried with Christ in Baptism
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? When
we accept Christ as our Personal Savior and submit to baptism, we
have been baptized into His death.
Baptism is one of two ordinances of the church, and it is the
picture or symbol of the old man dying
as we are laid back, and the new man rising up to walk in
newness of life. It
symbolizes that we are so united with Christ as to be followers of
Him in His death by dying to sin as Jesus did. Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that 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. As
we just stated, Baptism is a symbol of the old man being put to
death. All who have
received Christ are dead to sin. Rom 7:4
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by
the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to
him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit
unto God. Gal 2:19
For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live
unto God. Gal 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave
himself for me. Col 2:20
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the
world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to
ordinances, Col 3:3
For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Baptism
is one of the things that many are confused about in the Christian
world today. It is not
complicated nor hard to understand.
When a person is baptized, he or she confesses that they have
died to sin but are alive unto Christ.
Baptism is a picture of the death, burial, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. It is not the picture that saves the soul, but the one the
one who the picture speaks of, namely Jesus Christ. Rom 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. 1 Cor 15:1
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye
stand; 1 Cor 15:2
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I
preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 1 Cor 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; 1 Cor 15:4
And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
according to the scriptures: Rom 6:5
For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his
death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Verse
5 shows how that we are planted together in the likeness of
Christ’s death. This
symbolizes how Christ died for our sin, how we have died to sin.
And Jesus was buried in the tomb, where we are buried in
baptism. He arose after three days and three nights in the tomb, and
when we come up out of the baptismal waters, it
shows we are raised in his resurrection. III.
A Changed Nature
Rom 6:6
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin. Rom 6:7
For he that is dead is freed from sin. The
old man refers to the old Adamic, sinful nature that we have
inherited. That old man
was crucified the day you received Jesus as your Savior.
On that day, you become a new creature. 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. When
the old man becomes dead (the moment of salvation), we have been
delivered from sin. That
does not mean we will not continue to face temptations and trials,
but because of Christ, the sin is not imputed against us. Rom 6:8
Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also
live with him: Rom 6:9
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more;
death hath no more dominion over him. Verse
8 gives the believer great assurance of the resurrection.
If Christ was raised from the grave, and he was, then we can
trust that if we have turned to Jesus for our salvation, one day He
will raise us up. This
may be on the day of our death, or if we are living at Christ’s
return, we will be resurrected and taken into the clouds at the
sound of the trumpet. We
have a living Savior. Heb 7:23
And they truly were many priests, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death: Heb 7:24
But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an
unchangeable priesthood. Heb 7:25
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for
them. Rev 1:18
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive
for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Rom 6:10
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he
liveth, he liveth unto God. Rom 6:11
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto
sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Believers
are dead in reference to sin. We
should put it away from us and have no more to do with it. We are children of the King, and we should live a life
that lets others see what we have living within us. IV.
Sin Should not Reign over Believers
Rom 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye
should obey it in the lusts thereof. Rom 6:13
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those
that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God. In
the Crossway Classic Commentaries, Charles Hodge had this to say
concerning the control over the old nature. “We
should not obey sin by yielding to bodily appetites.
A man must always serve.
There is not middle ground between the service of sin and the
service of God. We have
justification completely, or we do not have it at all.
Sanctification, which springs from a living faith, and which is the
fruit of God’s love to us, does have different levels, and may be
more or less earnestly cultivated.
But sanctification does not decide our salvation, only the
measure of future blessedness.
No wisdom or caution can guard this doctrine from
misunderstanding, whether such misunderstanding arise
unintentionally from the misunderstanding or insincerity of
heart….. We strive to obey, not in order to be saved or to please
God, but because God saves us without works or merit of our own.
Because he is reconciled in the Beloved, we delight to
serve.” In
summary, believers are servants of Jesus Christ and should never let
sin reign in the lives. A
servant is supposed to obey his master, and we are servants to
Christ. Because of
this, we should submit all of our members unto the service of the
Lord.
V.
The Believer is Under Grace
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. Rom 6:15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law,
but under grace? God forbid. It
is crucial that the child of God realize that while we are under
grace, that does not give us the right to sin.
To walk before God with a pure conscience means bringing the
body under subjection each day.
The cross always speaks of death, and we are told to bear our
cross each day. That
means to put the old sin nature behind us, and to walk in the
spirit. Whoever
we yield our selves to, to that one we will serve.
Satan wants us to serve our flesh, God desires us to walk
after the new, spiritual man. Rom 6:16
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Rom 6:17
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye
have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered
you. Rom 6:18
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of
righteousness. Do
we want to be people who are servants of God?
If so, we must obey Him and follow the commandments and turn
away from the things that drag us down.
We can be saved and out of fellowship with God and serve the
creature more than the Creator.
But one thing is for sure.
And person who has not accepted Christ is a servant of Satan.
They are servants of sin, and Satan is their father. John 8:42
Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love
me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of
myself, but he sent me. John 8:43
Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot
hear my word. John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father
ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:45
And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. John 8:46
Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth,
why do ye not believe me? John 8:47
He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them
not, because ye are not of God. If
you have never accepted Christ as your personal savior, you don’t
have to wait until you die to find out if you are condemned. The bible teaches that if we don’t know Christ, we are
condemned already. John 3:18 He that believeth
on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned
already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. When
we are saved, we are made free from sin.
What a blessing from God.
After we are set free from sin, we become a servant of
righteousness. Think
how effective we would be if we were as dedicated to God after
salvation as we were to sin before we were cleansed and made whole.
If were that dedicated, more souls would hear about Jesus,
both here around us and in the mission fields around the world. Rom 6:19
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of
your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your
members servants to righteousness unto holiness. Rom 6:20
For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from
righteousness. Rom 6:21
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now
ashamed? for the end of those things is death. When
we were the servants of sin, our fruits were of no value.
What we brought forth brought shame.
But things change when we turn to Christ and accept Him as
Savior. Rom 6:22
But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God,
ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Rom 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. After
we are saved and freed from sin, our fruits become good and honor
God. God gives us the
fruit of holiness and
everlasting life. Death
is the wage of sin, but note that the gift from God, the free gift,
is eternal life. What a
Savior we have in Jesus Christ. J.
Vernon McGee had this to say about verses 22 and 23.
Rom 14:21
It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any
thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made
weak. Rom 14:22
Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. Rom 14:23
And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth
not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Internet Bible Studies are prepared and distributed free of
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If you have questions or wish to discuss the lessons, or
possibly need help in finding Jesus Christ as your Personal Lord and
Savior, contact David Parham at 940-322-4343. Prov 4:18 But the
path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more
unto the perfect day. e-mail at: davidparham@cst.net
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