Romans 5 has proclaimed the powerful work of Christ to reverse our condition as we were under the power of sin. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). But Christ’s magnificent, saving work requires a response. In our last lesson we noted the apostle Paul teaching that our baptism means something. Our baptism symbolizes our union with Christ. In baptism we are joining to Christ in his death and also in his resurrection. We join Christ’s death by dying to sin. We join Christ’s resurrection by being raised to walk a new life, knowing for certain that when he returns we will experience a final resurrection like his (cf. Romans 6:4-5). We participate in baptism and live out the meaning of our baptism. Now the apostle Paul is going to teach us a very important reality now that we belong to Christ and then teach us what we must do to live in that new relationship. Open your copies of God’s word to Romans 6 and we are going to focus our attention on verses 6-14.
No Longer Enslaved (Romans 6:6-11)
I want us to see a repetition that the apostle Paul makes to drive a very important teaching into our hearts. Read Romans 6:6. Paul tells us that we know that our old self was crucified with Christ. We looked at this idea in our last lesson. We have died to sin and are raised to walk in a new life. But now we need to see what has happened. Our old self was crucified with Christ so that the body of sin would be brought to nothing. What does Paul mean? Keep reading the rest of verse 6. “So that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” Notice that Paul says this again in verse 7. “For the one who has died has been set free from sin.” Paul says this again in verse 9, using Jesus as the illustration. Christ died and rose from the dead, never to die again. Death no longer has power over him. Then Paul shows us that he not only means that we see this in the physical body of Jesus but also in the life of Jesus. Look at verse 10. The death that Christ died, he died to sin, once for all. But the life he lives he lives to God. We are united in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Two observations are being made about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus died and then rose from the dead, never to die again. Further, Jesus died to sin and the life he lives he lives to God. We are united to this image of Christ. The key thought is that we are not longer enslaved to sin. Christ has set us free from the power of sin. But the body does not have to be ruled by sin any longer. This was the critical work that Christ came to accomplish for us. Listen to how the prophet Isaiah proclaimed this hope.
1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3 ESV)
This is also the prophecy Jesus read about himself when in the synagogue in Nazareth (cf. Luke 4). I want us to hear the language of freedom in this prophecy about the gospel. The Lord has anointed Christ and sent him with the mission to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, to open the prison doors to the prisoners, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. These images are showing every person’s condition, bound under the power of sin. We are in chains held in prison. We are held captive to our sins and passions. But Jesus has come to proclaim liberty and freedom. Jesus has come to heal and comfort. But notice the new life that is pictured. These things have happened so that we are now called oaks of righteousness. We are not trees of wickedness. We stand as trees of righteousness. We are the planting of the Lord so that the Lord is glorified. This means that we can live lives that glorify God. We can live lives that honor him because he has planted us to be oaks of righteousness. Friends, sinning is not our destiny. We have been set free from the power of sin. We do not say, “I am only human.” We say, “The Lord has made us oaks of righteousness.” Please come back to Romans 6:11. We are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. We are to have a new way of thinking.
Sin Does Not Have To Win (Romans 6:12)
In Romans 6:12 Paul tells us that this change is meaningful. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its passions. Friends, sin does not have to win. When you are tempted, sin does not have to win. You do not have to obey those desires. You do not have to obey those passions. Friends, this is what is so freeing about the gospel. This is the hope we have in the gospel. You do not have to do what your flesh wants to do. You do not have to give into to those urges that you do not want to obey. You do not have to let sin rule over your life. You can win over sin. Stop letting sin rule over you. Stop letting sin have its power over you. Do not let sin be the king in your life. Do not let sin control the way you live. We have these habits that we can change. We have these inclinations that we can master. The gospel of Jesus gives us the power to say no to sin.
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2:11-12 ESV)
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16 ESV)
Do we see how the apostle Paul keeps tell us that we do not have to give in? We are being trained to say no worldly passions and ungodliness. We are being trained to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives right now. We have been given the power and the ability to live new lives. Do not let sin rule your life.
Present Your Body to God (Romans 6:13-14)
So what do we do so that sin does not win? Look at Romans 6:13. Do not present the parts of your body as instruments for unrighteousness. Rather, present yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life. Present your parts of your body to God as instruments of righteousness. This is a great way for us to look at our new lives in Christ. We are now going to present every part of our body as an instrument for righteousness and not unrighteousness. So now we will evaluate every aspect of our lives. I am presenting my hands as instruments for righteousness. Am I am doing things that with my hands that represent God or represent sin? I am going to present my eyes as instruments for righteousness. So am I doing things with my eyes that represent God or represent sin? I am going to present my feet to God as instruments for righteousness. So I must be considering where my feet are going. I am going to present my mind to God as an instrument of righteousness. Please just think about every part of your body as being given to God as a tool to do his will.
Notice that Paul does not give us a neutral position in our choices. We are either presenting the parts of our bodies to God or we are presenting the parts of our bodies to unrighteousness. There is no third option. Yet again I want us to see that Paul is telling us that we have a choice in this matter. Christ broke the power of sin and we are to consider ourselves dead to sin. We are to stop letting sin control the way we live. Therefore, the way we will do this is having a mind and a desire to present every part of our body to God as instruments for righteousness. This is the path to victory over sin and over our passions.
Sin will not rule over us because we are under grace, not under law (Romans 6:14). This is the power of grace in our lives. Grace does not lead us to sin. Grace leads us to NOT let sin rule over us. Being under the law means that we are condemned for sins with no hope to do anything for ourselves to solve the fact that we have broken the law. Perhaps an illustration of the system of law in our lives would help us at this point. If you are pulled over by law enforcement because you broke the law, the officer is supposed to give you a ticket for your infraction. There is nothing you can do about this ticket. You can plead ignorance. You can proclaim your sorrow. But none of those responses erases the fact that this ticket for breaking the law is coming to you and it is coming to you rightfully. However, what if the officer comes back from his vehicle and tells you that he or she is going to let you off with a warning? Rather than giving you the ticket you deserve for your infraction, the officer tells you to pay more attention next time and be aware of the law that you have broken. It is my hope that you are now going to rightly do two things. First, you are going to be grateful to the officer for not giving you what you deserve. Second, you are now going to be more carefully. I dare say that you are not going to peel out of there, speeding along, and doing the things that caused you to receive the ticket in the first place. Rather, wisdom says that I will be more careful and I will follow the law because I have receive grace. We are to have obedience to our Lord driven by grace. We live for God, presenting our bodies as instruments for righteousness because we are so grateful that Christ has set us free from sin. Sin does not have to rule over us and we are going to live for the Lord in that grace. Perhaps you have gone through this illustration personally in your life but have returned to breaking the law. What does that mean? It means you have forgotten the grace you received and the law will eventually catch up to you again.
The Message of the Gospel
We must see that the message of the gospel is that we are to consider ourselves dead to sin.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24 ESV)
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 ESV)
And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:23-25 ESV)
Are these scriptures true about our lives? Have we crucified the flesh with its passions and desires? If not, then we do not belong to Christ and we are not living the meaning of our baptism. Are we able to say that it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me? If not, then we have not been crucified with Christ. Are we able to say that we have denied ourselves and taken up our cross every day to follow him? If not, then we have not lost our lives for Jesus but are trying to save our lives.
The challenge Paul gives to us is to present our bodies to God, considering every part of our bodies as instruments of righteousness. What part of your body is still an instrument of unrighteousness?