Romans 6:1-7

Romans 6:1-7

Walking In Newness

I.                    Only transformation in Christ truly frees us to live a new life, but we must know that in Christ we’re separated from the power of sin in life (Vv. 1-3)

a.       Paul has been expounding the qualities and benefits of justification in Christ through faith in Him alone, apart from any personal effort or merit. We have hope and assurance in God’s grace in Christ that there’s no amount of sinfulness which the super-abundant grace of Christ doesn’t far exceed. Now Paul considers how the reality of a believer’s justification in Christ must impact their lives, and he begins by anticipating a question. If it’s true that God’s grace increases super-abundantly in the presence of our sin to overcome it, does that mean that we should keep on sinning so that God is glorified through His increasing grace? Paul answers in the strongest negative terms, absolutely not! Not only should we not continue in sin so that grace may super-abound, but Paul says that we must know that because God’s grace has super-abounded in our lives in Christ, that it’s not possible for us to continue in sin! He illustrates His point by reminding the Romans and us of the symbolism of baptism. He says that we must know that just as we’re submerged in the water and raised up out of it, in the same way we died with Jesus on the cross, were buried with Him in the tomb, and were resurrected with Him from the grave to new life! Just as in Adam humanity is spiritually dead, and thus completely separated from God and unable not to sin, so in Christ we die with Him, are reconciled to God, separated from sin’s power, and not able to sin continually. At this point you might be asking yourself, “If I’ve died to sin in Christ, and I can’t continue in sin, why do I still struggle with sin so much every day?” While in our spiritual and positional rebirth in Christ we die to sin and are separated from sin’s powerful reign over our lives, the possibility of the influence and temptation of sin remains while we still live physically. Our justification, whereby we’re declared righteous by God in Christ, is a single instantaneous event, but our sanctification, or our being made into the image of Christ, is a continual, and gradual process. But because we’re free from the reign of sin and death in our live in Christ, we must grow to continually separate ourselves from sin in our lives. That means that contrary to those apart from Christ, knowing and believing that we have the power in Christ to separate all our thoughts, feelings, choices, and actions from the influence of sin, must result in a distinct life. Is the world truly seeing anything different in us? How do we exercise God’s grace in Christ daily to separate ourselves from sin? (Vv. 1-3; John 8:30-36; Acts 2:38-41; 8:35-39; 9:17-19; Rom. 5:1-21; Gal. 2:17-18; 5:17; Col. 3:3; 1 John 1:8-2:1; 3:9)

II.                 Only transformation in Christ truly frees us to live a new life, but we must walk in the newness of life in Christ (Vv. 4-7)

a.       Paul says that it’s knowing and believing the reality of our freedom from the reign of sin and death in Christ, knowing and believing that one day we’ll be eternally in Christ’s presence completely devoid of the presence of sin, and then knowing and believing that that means that our old sinful self was nailed to the cross, died, was buried in a tomb, and resurrected to new life in Christ, which unites us together with Him and grants us power today to walk in the newness of life! Simply put, it’s the gospel, the good news of Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death, burial, and glorious resurrection, which not only frees from the penalty of sin, but which also frees continually from the power of sin, and empowers us to walk in newness of life growing to become more like Him. Only a union with Christ transforms us, frees us, and empowers us to continually walk in newness of life. In this way we’re separated from the power of sin, and empowered to walk in newness in every area of our lives. Our thoughts become distinct, our motives become distinct, our attitudes become distinct, our emotions become distinct, our character becomes distinct, and actions become distinct. We gradually grow to respond to live differently and distinctly from the world because we know that what happens in this world isn’t final and doesn’t define us. Who we are in Christ must affect every area of our lives. We must view life differently, value life differently, view and value people differently, spend our money differently, invest our efforts differently, and must invest time differently because we believe and act on our union in Christ. Are you walking fully and continually in the newness of life which Christ secured for you and in which He frees you to walk, or are you still struggling under the influence of sin? We must walk in the gospel continually, every day, and every moment so that we might walk in and testify to the newness of life in Christ. (Vv. 4-7; John 12:1; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; 5:17, 21; 10:3-5; Gal. 2:20; 5:13-26; Eph. 4:17-24; Col. 2:9-14; 3:1-4; Jas. 1:13-17; 1 John 2:3-6; 3:1-10; Rev. 20:1-8)