Romans 6:1-11

Chapters 1-5 of Romans has made it clear to us that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works.

! Grace alone, 100% by God's grace. Salvation is His work on the sinner, for the sinner, and not the other way around.

We receive what we do not deserve by God's grace.

By faith alone, it is 100% by faith alone. We cannot earn or work towards salvation.

No religious activity, no number of prayers during the day, no good deeds.

It is by faith alone in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

And in Christ alone, Christ, only Jesus Christ, paid the price with His sinless life that we should have paid so that we can be made righteous.

Nothing else can accomplish what He accomplished on the cross for us.

Meaning, that this salvation, the title that we carry with us, Christian, is all because of Christ and nothing that we have done.

There's nothing that you and I have done to deserve or earn this title.

It's a big deal.

There's nothing in us that made us desirable.

There's nothing in us that screamed to the world or to God,

look at me, look how deserving I am of grace and mercy.

See, God's grace is shown to the undeserving and to the dead.

Grace founded in Christ because of Christ and His obedience.

See, God's grace is huge.

We truly cannot grasp this grace.

We can't grasp what He has done for us.

We have words to help.

Words like, dead, the dead made alive.

Or words like, a child of wrath, now at peace with God.

But when we really try to wrap our heads around the grace of God, we just can't.

And that's why you'll hear some of us say, in a situation, we'll say,

well, that's God's grace or God's given me grace or God's grace this.

Because it is just so huge.

God's grace is wonderful.

To be the recipient of such love and such care is wonderful.

So to the person in here who does not feel loved,

cling to Christ for He loves you.

Cling to Him.

The Father cares for you as His child because you have been adopted.

God's grace is magnificent.

It is truly beyond our comprehension.

The God whose breath put the stars in the sky and the mountains to their specific heights

is the same God who loves you and is for you.

God's grace is real.

God's grace has a taste.

It has a feel to it.

It's not just an idea thought up by some apostle 2,000 years ago

or even me or some author of a book that you've read here recently.

It's real.

You know it's real because His grace has a real effect on your life.

Even when you might not understand.

God's grace is everlasting.

The impact that God has is everlasting.

It's final from now until forever.

It was started before the foundation of the world and it goes to eternity.

God's grace is personal.

You have been created in His own image.

You were created by Him, for Him, and it brings Him great glory.

And us great joy to bring Him glory.

We can cry Abba Father.

We can cry Daddy to Him because we have been adopted as sons of the King.

Romans 8 verse 15 says,

Romans 8:15

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,

but you received the spirit of adoption as sons,

by whom we cry Abba Father.

Listen to this.

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

And if children, then heirs.

Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.

Provided we suffer with Him in order that we also be glorified with Him.

The Spirit Himself bears witness that we are His.

It is personal.

Jesus died bearing the sin of you and me.

For you and me.

And God's grace is radical.

And this is where our text is this morning.

This is kind of where we sit.

It is radical enough to kill us.

And it is radical enough to give us life.

We are going to look at these two truths and their implications.

So as a quick review,

I kind of need to do this because Paul is making an argument throughout this letter.

Romans chapter 1 basically starts off with the depravity of man.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

That we are all sinners.

That we are in need of a Savior.

He even touches on the person in a jungle far away who has never heard the gospel.

And he says that they are without excuse because even creation speaks of the glory of God.

We come to chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is about the Jewish people are depraved.

The Jewish people are sinners.

There is no religion, no activity that saves you.

Chapter 3 kind of sums up 1 and 2.

We are all sinners in need of a Savior.

That no one is righteous.

No, not one.

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Chapter 4.

Okay, we've got to establish.

Here's our problem.

Chapter 4 is the solution.

We are justified by faith alone.

Not by works.

So, as I've said already, no religious activity, no good deed, no prayer, no nothing can earn your salvation.

It is by faith alone in Christ alone.

And that is a gift from God.

Chapter 5 is kind of the result or starts in the result of being saved by faith alone.

We are given peace with God.

We are given peace with God.

That our standing with God is right and at peace because of the work of Christ.

And then at the end, last week, we talked about either belonging to Adam or belonging to Jesus Christ.

Adam brought sin into the world.

Jesus brought life into the world by living a sinless life and dying for our sins.

So, here's where we kind of step.

So, as we gather this morning, the majority in this room bear the title Christian.

I think it's safe to say.

But there may be some who have never tasted it.

You've never heard of Jesus or never even considered this Christian thing.

And if that's the case, then I'm glad you're here.

Because my prayer is that you would see that Jesus is all you need.

No matter the situation in which you're living.

No matter the bad thing that you think you've done that will not be taken care of, will not be forgiven.

No matter the baggage you brought with you this morning, He is all you need.

He will take that baggage from you because He loves you and He cares for you.

God's grace leads to a certain type of living.

And this, I hope and I pray, is what we will all see, be convicted of and commit to live.

So, let's dig in.

I'm going to start reading in verse 20 of chapter 5 and then read through 11 in chapter 6.

Verse 20.

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

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

So stop for a second.

Our salvation is Jesus Christ alone.

On what He has done, not what we have done.

So that's kind of, okay, so we're all on the same page.

Verse 1.

What shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

By no means.

How can we who died to sin still live in it?

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

We were buried, therefore, with Him by baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,

we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing,

so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.

We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again.

Death no longer has dominion over Him.

For the death He died, He died to sin once for all.

For the life He lives, He lives to God.

So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

God's grace is radical.

One point this morning, two sub-points, and then some other things mixed in there.

God's grace is radical.

And it's radical enough to kill us.

See, all Christians, no matter what maturity,

nominal Christian, immature Christian, mature Christian, growing Christian,

all would agree that Jesus died for our sins.

All Christians acknowledge that Jesus is what Christianity is all about.

You'll see bumper stickers and signs and coffee mugs that say,

Jesus is the reason for the season.

We're getting into that season.

You'll see, Jesus is my co-pilot, or Jesus is my pilot.

Or the heretical version, Jesus is my co-pilot.

You'll find it's all about Jesus on t-shirts and church signs and mugs,

and you name it.

But I wonder, I wonder if you'll find in your bookstore or in your local church parking lot,

I died so that I will live.

I wonder if you'll find I crucified my life,

or I killed myself for life,

or my own life is dead and it is a good thing.

You're not going to find it.

You're not going to find it because these things aren't nice.

They're not uplifting.

But that's exactly what our text is saying this morning.

And it's not just here in Romans.

Jesus Himself spoke of dying to yourself,

picking up your cross.

Luke chapter 9,

Luke 9 · chapter mention

Mark chapter 8,

Mark 8 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 8,

Matthew 8 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 16,

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

all speak to having to die yourself.

It's not something new.

This isn't some new idea.

It's not something abusive or callous or carnal.

It is truth.

The reason it doesn't get taught, though,

is because we, mankind, think we know best.

We think that it will cause more harm than good to speak about dying,

especially ourselves dying while living.

That might even confuse somebody.

But I would rather confuse a little than condemn a lot.

Adam and Eve thought that they knew better.

They thought that I'm going to eat of this fruit and it's going to be okay.

God is just trying to keep us, keep something from us.

So just so there's no misunderstanding, no confusion,

we're not talking about a physical death, but a spiritual death.

So how does this affect us?

How and why does this matter to us?

Well, it begins with God's grace is radical enough to kill us.

Look at some of the language in our text this morning.

Chapter 6, verse 3.

We have words into Christ Jesus or into His death.

Verse 4, we have buried with Him.

Verse 5 says we have been united with Him in a death like His.

Verse 6 says we are crucified with Him.

Verse 8, died with Christ.

See, Paul, as he does often in his letters,

is repeating a theme over and over.

He's repeating himself so that the audience, us,

the readers of this letter,

the early church in Rome,

would grasp what he's trying to communicate.

They would understand what he's trying to say.

And he repeats two things in our text this morning.

One being that we're united with Christ.

Somehow, someway, we are united with Christ.

The other thing is that we have died with Christ.

Somehow, someway.

115 times in the New Testament,

when describing or talking about Christians,

it is described as in Christ, with Christ,

united with Christ.

And we see it here in our text.

The Christian life is not a certain way to act.

It's not a certain thing to do,

although there is a bit of that.

It's not presenting yourself in a certain way,

although there is a little bit of that.

Both of these, though, acting and presenting,

come out of being united with Christ.

So, we may do good deeds,

but those good deeds are out of being united with Christ

and bearing His righteousness.

So, get the idea out of your head

that you have to act a certain way

or abstain from certain things in life

because none of that makes you a good Christian.

In fact, there's no such thing as a good Christian.

You are united with Him.

His righteousness you bear.

Your sin removed.

Christ has done it all.

See, the life of a Christian is based on what Christ has done

and not what you do

or how you act.

We're also united with Jesus in His death on the cross.

Look at verse 5 and 6 in chapter 6 of Romans.

It says,

For if we have been united with Him in a death like His,

we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.

We know that our old self,

our old man,

was crucified with Him

in order that the body of sin

might be brought to nothing.

See, we died with Jesus.

Our old self died with Jesus on the cross.

If you are a Christian,

your old self died with Jesus on the cross.

So someone may ask you,

When were you born again?

This came up a couple of weeks ago

at our Q&A on Thursday night.

When were you born again?

Is it important to know the date?

Now you can say 2,000 years ago

is when I was born again.

When Christ died on the cross

and bore my sin.

We are united with Him on the cross

and that killed us,

our sinful nature,

our old self.

Look at these verses again.

In chapter 6, verse 2,

We died to sin.

Verse 3,

Baptized into His death.

Verse 4,

Buried by baptism into death.

Verse 5,

United with Him in a death like His.

Verse 6,

Crucified with Him.

Verse 7,

For one who has died.

Verse 8,

Died with Christ.

Verse 11,

Dead to sin.

See, God's grace

is radical enough

to kill us.

And that's good news.

That's good news.

Here's why it's good news.

The last part of verse 6

that I did not read

says,

So that we would no longer

be enslaved to sin.

We have died to sin.

On the cross,

we have died to that sin.

We are no longer enslaved to sin.

It is no longer our master.

Now, this idea of dying to sin

doesn't mean that sin

no longer exists.

Bad news.

It still exists.

It's still there.

Sin didn't die.

It will die.

It will end.

But it hasn't died.

The believer died.

Sin remains,

but does not reign.

Sin remains,

but does not master you

if you are a Christian,

if you are a child of God.

Our sinful nature

is no longer alive.

It is powerless

to the Christian.

So,

for the Christian

to continue in sin

like verse 1 says,

what shall we say then?

Are we to continue in sin

that grace may abound?

So,

for the Christian

to continue in sin,

in verse 2 it says,

how can we who died to sin

still live in it?

For the Christian

to continue in sin

and to live in sin

is not possible.

It's impossible

for the Christian.

That part of you

is dead.

And dead people

can't sin.

Paul is telling us

that if you are

truly born again,

if you have tasted

the freedom

from the tyranny

of sin,

you will not

and cannot continue

in sin.

You cannot live

a life of sin.

Your life will not

be ruled

by temporary pleasures.

Your life will not

be consumed

by pornography.

Your life will not

be consumed

by material possessions

that you don't have.

Your life will not

be consumed

by pleasing

and or fearing

people.

your life will not

be consumed

by your addictions

to drugs,

alcohol,

sex,

food.

Your life will not

be consumed

by selfishness.

Your life will not

be consumed

by always being

the victim.

And your life

will not be consumed

by conforming

to what others

are doing,

saying,

or buying.

To the radical

grace of God

changes your being.

And out of your being,

being changed,

your behavior

then changes.

God's radical grace

gives you a new heart,

a new life,

and is no longer

mastered by sin.

So here are three

implications of being

dead to sin.

The first one,

first implication

is that sin

is voluntary.

Sin is voluntary.

So,

before you were

a Christian,

if you're not

a Christian,

then this applies

to you.

There was no

decision for you

to make regarding

whether or not

you were going

to sin.

There wasn't a choice

to be made

in your head,

in your life.

You were going to sin.

That's what you did.

It was like breathing

for us.

We just breathe.

We don't think

about breathing.

We just do it.

And for the non-Christian,

we just sin.

We just live

sinful lives.

See,

as a non-Christian,

you were ruled

by sin,

which means

everything you did

was under the rule

and reign

of sin.

You were a slave

to it.

You had one master

and its name

was sin.

There's a

saying out there

that I sin

because I'm a sinner

or I'm a sinner

because I sin.

Which one is it?

Well,

you sin

because you are

a sinner,

not the other way

around as an unbeliever.

As a Christian

whose sin nature

has died,

all sin committed

is voluntary

on your part,

on my part.

All sin

is voluntary

because it no longer

has power.

It no longer

has master.

It masters over you.

You volunteer

to sin

and in so doing

cause yourself

to be consumed

by that sin.

that in all reality

is powerless.

So not only

is sin voluntary,

but implication

number two,

sin is temporary.

See,

when we're faced

with a temptation,

when we're in that

moment,

when we're

seconds or minutes

before volunteering

to sin,

the lies we choose

to believe

or are faced

with are something

like this.

God is not worth it.

God is not real.

God is busy.

God is holding

certain things

from you.

God is cruel

and He doesn't care

about your life.

God wants you

to celebrate

and take pleasure

in His creation,

whatever that may be.

God is not

and it does not

bring God glory

and it certainly

does not bring

us joy.

See,

sin is enjoyable.

I'm not telling you

anything you don't know.

There's a time

for a moment.

It might be a second.

It might be a minute.

But in the end,

that enjoyable feeling

ends

and you are faced

with the reality

of being enslaved

to sin.

Which is what

Jesus died

to remove.

You've been set

free from sin,

not temporarily,

not as long

as you're good,

not as long

as you read

your Bible

every day.

You've been

set free

from sin

forever.

We have died

to sin

forever.

It no longer

will have power

to defeat you

because

1 John says

He who is in you

is greater

than he

who is in the world.

So,

implication number

three.

And this goes

without saying

because our text

says it,

but sin

is weak.

Sin no longer

has reign over us,

but it still

exists.

It's still there.

We must look

to the cross

and find our strength

there

to overcome.

There are going

to be struggles.

There are going

to be moments

of weakness

in our lives.

But we have

got to remember

that sin

has no power

over us.

Jesus has defeated

death and sin.

Look at verse 6

of chapter 6.

We know

that our old self

was crucified

with Him

in order

that the body

of sin

might be brought

to nothing.

Our old self

has been brought

to nothing.

No power.

No dominion.

No strength.

And yet,

we give it power.

And yet,

we give it strength.

We give it dominion

over us

when we choose

to sin.

let your life

be a celebration

of God's grace.

Let your life

be rejoicing

in God's radical

grace

that He has shown

you.

That His radical

grace

kills you

instead

of what

verse 1

is alluding

to,

abusing

God's grace.

His radical

grace.

So not only

is God's grace

radical enough

to kill us,

it is also

radical enough

to give

life.

Follow me

through these

verses.

Verse 4

says,

we too

might walk

in newness

of life.

Verse 5

Be united

with Him

in a resurrection

like His.

A new life.

Verse 6

A new life

looks like

no longer

being enslaved

to sin.

Verse 8

We believe

that we also

live with Him.

Verse 11

Alive

to God

in Christ

Jesus.

Galatians 2

20 says,

I have been

crucified

with Christ.

It is no

longer I

who live

but Christ

who lives

in me.

We have been

crucified

with Christ

and that sin

no longer

exists.

But the second

part of that

verse,

it is no

longer I

who live

but Christ

who lives

in me.

This is a

reality.

This is real.

Christ

lives in us

and gives us

a new

life.

Back to

Romans 6

Romans 6:2

verse 2

We have the

question in

verse 1

It says,

What shall we

say then?

Are we to

continue in

sin that

grace may

abound?

His answer

of course

is by no

means.

May it

not be

so.

No.

Impossible.

Then he

answers with a

rhetorical

question.

How can we

who died to

sin still

live in it?

In other words,

it is impossible

to do so.

It is

impossible.

You can't

because you

have been

given a

new life.

And that

new life

cannot be

dead again.

It doesn't

happen.

See,

once you've

been made

alive by

God,

you cannot

continue in

sin.

It is

impossible.

We have

been given

a new

life.

It is

impossible

to live

in sin.

Impossible

to live

without

conviction,

without

repentance,

without

confession.

I'm

repeating

myself

because I

want to

make sure

we

understand.

It is

impossible

to be a

Christian and

to live

in sin.

Now,

it's possible

to be a

Christian and

sin,

but not to

live in

sin.

Not to

have a

life

consumed

and mastered

by sin.

So the

question is,

right here,

right now,

is your

life mastered

by sin

or not?

Are you

living in

sin or

not?

You

guys

seen the

guy who

spins

plates,

you'll

know what

I'm

talking

about?

He

spins

plates on

a stick

and on

his other

hand and

on his

knees and

on his

head.

I don't

know how

many plates,

but there's

just tons

of plates.

He starts

stacking them

and they're

spinning and

spinning.

Eventually,

at some

point,

he's going

to run

out of

being able

to spin

plates and

then they

all come

crashing down.

Whether that's

the Guinness

Book of

World Record,

who cares

really?

But it

gets to a

point where

he can't

spin any

more plates.

We make

the Christian

life out to

be spinning

plates.

If I do

this,

if I read

my Bible and

I say a

prayer before

bed and

after meals

or before

meals,

I

share my

faith with

somebody,

if I

talk about

Jesus,

if I

listen to

Christian

music and

wear Christian

t-shirts,

and if I

do this,

and if I

do that,

and if I

do these

things,

if I go to

Bible study,

if I go to

Thursday night

Bible study,

and I'm at

community group

on Wednesday,

and I'm Sunday

night Bible study,

and I sit down

on Sunday

morning at a

church,

and we

try to do

all these

things,

and eventually,

if that's

what our

Christian life

is,

if that's

what we

think it

is in

our head,

eventually,

we're going

to run

out of

the ability

to spin

plates.

Our

Christianity,

our life,

our religion

will be based

in self-effort

and not in

grace.

Here's the

problem.

If this

happens,

if your

Christian life

is based

not on

grace,

not on

God's

radical

grace,

but based

on your

self-effort,

when you

fail,

however

many

times that

is,

eventually,

you're going

to quit.

Eventually,

you're going

to say,

it's too

hard.

And it

happens because

we fail to

understand God's

radical grace.

We fail to

understand what

He has done

for us.

So,

living in

sin is not

possible to

avoid on

your own

merit.

sin.

It's not

possible to

say,

I am

not going

to live

in sin.

It's

impossible.

No matter

how good

you strive

to be,

you cannot

avoid living

in sin

outside of

Christ,

outside of

His grace,

His saving

grace.

But since

you have a

new life,

since you

are born

again,

you've been

reborn,

you've been

resurrected,

as verse

5 says,

because of

Jesus and

His grace,

you don't

just avoid

living in

sin,

it becomes

an impossibility.

And you

can stop

trying to

spin plates.

We receive

life through

the life,

death,

and resurrection

of Jesus

Christ,

and we are

given a

completely

secured

new life

in Him.

And we

no longer

are enslaved

to sin,

we are no

longer hindered

by chains

of sin,

but free,

free to be

sinless,

free to live

perfect lives.

Look at

verse 10.

It says,

for the death

He died,

He died to

sin,

once for

all He

being Jesus,

for the life

He lives,

He lives

to God.

Jesus is

our friend,

He is our

advocate,

and He is

our example.

Jesus lives

for the glory

of God.

He,

from His own

words in

the book of

John,

says,

I live

for the glory

of the Father.

I do what

I see the

Father doing

repeated over

and over.

If Jesus

is our

example,

then our

lives live

for the glory

of God.

In other

words,

we bring

glory to

God when

we don't

give in to

temptation.

We bring

glory to

God when

we choose

to cling

to the

cross.

We bring

glory to

God when

we turn

the TV

off when

that show

comes on.

We bring

glory to

God when

we don't

visit that

website.

We bring

glory to

God when

we are

content in

our

situation.

We bring

glory to

God when

we lay

our

burdens

at His

feet.

We bring

glory to

God when

the gossip

stops.

We bring

glory to

God when

we love

our wives

as Christ

loved the

church.

We bring

glory to

God when

we work

to our

fullest

potential.

We bring

glory to

God when

we treasure

Christ.

We bring

glory to

God when

we admit

our weaknesses

and beg

Him for

help.

God's

radical

grace gives

us a

new life.

A new

life where

we can

bring glory

to God.

This new

life that

you've been

given is

dead to

sin.

Give God

glory with

your lives

not just

in the

knowledge or

theology that

you carry

with you.

This new

life will

no longer

die.

Give God

glory with

your entire

life and

not just

your Sunday

morning when

you attend

a church

gathering.

This new

life is free

from being

mastered by

sin.

Give God

glory with

your life,

not just

when you

experience

something

emotional.

This new

life is

secured by

Jesus.

Give God

glory this

morning by

repenting

from your

self-effort

and sin.

This new

life is

because of

His radical

grace.

Give God

glory with

your mind,

your heart,

and your

soul.

God's

grace is

radical.

It is

radical enough

to kill

you and

it is

radical enough

to give

you life.

Let us

celebrate this

grace forever

and not

abuse it

as our

question in

verse 1.

Hence

act.