“Dead but Alive” (Romans 6:1–14), Part 2

“Dead but Alive” (Romans 6:1–14), Part 2
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, October 15, 2017

Romans 6:1–14 (NIV)

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

1. The true preaching of justification by grace through faith alone often results in misunderstanding by those who would seek to abuse it for licentiousness (1).

2. But the grace of God does not give us a license to sin (2).

3. No, the grace of God has delivered us from the reign of sin and death and has brought us into the reign of righteousness and life (2b-5).

a. Our break with the old life of sin, judgment, and death is so complete that it can be described of as a death (2b–4).

i. What does “dead to sin” in Romans 6 mean? [See Tim Keller, Romans 1–7 for You.]

1. It does not mean (either wrong or insufficient or not appropriate to the context of Romans 6):

a. That we no longer want to sin or that sin no longer has any power or influence over us.
b. That we no longer ought to sin; sin is now inappropriate for the Christian.
c. That we are moving slowly away from sin; sin is weakening in us.
d. That we have renounced sin; at some moment we disavowed sinful behavior.
e. That we are no longer guilty of sin; our sins cannot condemn us for they are pardoned in Christ.

2. What “dead to sin” does mean in Romans 6:

a. We are no longer under the “reign”—the ruling power—of sin. Sin still has power, but it can no longer force its dictates on you.

b. And, our entrance into the new life of grace, righteousness, and life is so complete that it can be described of as a resurrection (4b–5).

Main Idea: Our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection means that sin no longer has power over the believer and is no longer welcome in the life of the believer.