Newness of Life

Romans 6:1-14

Transcript

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 we've been united in 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 to 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. But the life he lives,
he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to
God in Christ Jesus. Let no sin therefore reign in your mortal body to make you
obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for
unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought
from death to life. And your members to God as instruments for righteousness,
for sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under
grace. This is the word of God. Would you pray with me this morning? Father, we
thank you for how you work in our lives. We thank you, Lord, for the good news
that Christ has set us free. Free indeed, that we might walk in newness of life.
So Lord, I pray that as we spend time in your word this morning, that you would
open our eyes, that we would know the truth about our union with Christ and then
apply that truth in our day-to-day living. We ask this that Jesus might be
praised. For it's in his name we pray, amen. January 1st, 1863. The nation was
being torn apart by civil war. And in the midst of this tumultuous time,
President Abraham Lincoln signed one of the most important historical documents
in American history, the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation was a
decisive legal declaration that stated that all those who had been slaves were
now set free. Now imagine hearing that news as a slave. As a slave, you are
essentially property. You own nothing. You have no rights, you have no future,
you have no hope. Every day from sunrise to sunset, you exhaust all your energy
laboring in someone else's field. And now with the stroke of a pen, your whole
life has fundamentally changed. You're no longer a slave, you're free. You have
a new life that you can walk in. But sadly, there was a major gap between what
Lincoln declared to be true and then what was practically experienced by most of
the slaves. In this day, Lincoln wasn't able to make that proclamation through
Twitter or on the evening news. News traveled slowly. So in some places, it took
years before people even knew. So on January 1st, even though there were people
who were in truth set free, in experience, they were still living as if they
were slaves, simply because they did not know or had not stepped into the new
life that was rightfully theirs. So we come to Romans 6, where the gap between
what is true and what is experienced and lived out, Paul here addresses. Because
in truth, in Christ, we who were once slaves of sin have been set free. Jesus
has done something far greater, far more significant than any politician or
legislation could ever accomplish. Through his death and through his
resurrection, Jesus conquered sin. He conquered the power of sin. He set us
free. He gives us new life so that in Christ, we who were once dead in sin are
now dead to sin, no longer slaves anymore. That's the truth. And yet in
practice, so many times, we live as if we were still slaves of sin, slaves of
worry, fear, lust, anger, pride. But Romans 6 gives us gospel hope so that we
might walk in newness of life. And so as we open up Romans 6 this morning,
here's what we'll see. In Christ, you're free. So walk in newness of life. And
this passage shows us how. If we're going to walk in this new life that Christ
has purchased for us, we need to, number one, know the truth. We need to, number
one, know the truth about our union with Christ. That's verses one through 10.
And then secondly, we need to apply the truth about our union with Christ.
That's verses 11 through 14. So we begin with verses one through 10, knowing the
truth about our union with Christ. Verses one through three begin, 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 anymore? Now the section begins with four
rapid fire questions. And Paul here is addressing a misunderstanding that folks
often have about the Christian gospel. For five chapters, Paul has been arguing
that we are saved from our sin, we are declared righteous before God, solely on
the basis of God's grace. Grace alone, received through faith alone in Christ
alone. This is not something that is achieved by human effort or received or
merited by our works. Right before in this section in chapter five, Paul has
explained that sin and death entered into the world through one man, Adam. They
spread to all humanity. But in contrast, through one man, Jesus, grace and
righteousness bring life to those who are in him, trusting in him. The power of
grace, in other words, overcomes the power of sin. And so the question might be
asked, well, if grace is greater than our sin, and if there's nothing that we
can do to merit or earn eternal life, why bother with good works? Why bother
with holy living? Why not just continue in sin? Paul says, by no means. As my
grandma would say, uh-uh, not gonna happen, okay? Why? Because in Christ, you
died to sin. And if you died to sin, there's no way you can keep living in it.
It doesn't make any sense. If we're dead to it, we're not gonna keep living in
it. You say, well, what do you mean dead to sin? What does that mean? Well,
that's what the rest of the chapter explains. To live as one who is dead to sin,
to walk in newness of life, we need to understand or know the truth about union
with Christ. Verse three begins, do you not know that all of us who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Verse six also begins,
we know that our old self was crucified with him. Verse nine says, we know that
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again. Paul emphasizes that if
we're going to live in the reality of our freedom in Christ, we need to know the
truth about our union with Christ. Now I'm sure we've all heard the expression,
ignorance is bliss. Mark Twain once noted, all you need in this life is
ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. We might look at certain
people and think that might be true but when it comes to the Christian life,
ignorance is not bliss. In fact, it's devastating. If we're gonna walk in
newness of life, it begins as we learn and embrace a new biblical way of
thinking. You'll never grow beyond what you know. Knowing and applying the truth
sets us free. So in verses one through 10, here's what Paul wants us to know,
here's what God wants us to know. Through life-giving union with Jesus, both in
his death and resurrection, we have been set free from sin's power, from sin's
authority. We who were once dead in sin, separated from God and the life that is
in him, are now dead to sin. Not only delivered from sin's penalty, but now
delivered from sin's power so that we're no longer slaves of sin. We're dead to
sin, we're alive unto God. In other words, Christ has signed, if you will, our
emancipation proclamation so that we can walk in freedom and newness of life.
Now let's see how this is developed in our text, beginning in verses three
through six. The section begins, 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've been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly
be united with him in a resurrection like his. What does he want us to know?
Notice this repetition of with or in Christ, baptized into Christ, identified
with him in his death, buried with him, raised with him so that we might walk in
newness of life. He's saying we're dead to sin because we have participated with
Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. What does it mean participating
with Christ? You see, Jesus was not only our substitute dying in our place, he
is also our representative. He acted on our behalf, and we who have faith in him
participate with him in his death, resurrection, and victory. You say, okay, but
I'm still not quite following what you're saying, we participate with Jesus.
Well, maybe this illustration will help. It's a Monday morning in the fall, and
the bills have beaten our arch enemy. The Patriots. And you go into work with a
smile on your face, and you say, ah, we won. Question, what did we do in this
victory? Not much. Last time I checked, I don't have any messages or texts from
Brandon Bean asking me to be the backup for Josh Allen, or to fill in as a slot
receiver. I don't contribute anything to the bill's victory. I just sit on a
couch with wing dip and enjoy myself. That's it. That's what I do, and yet, when
the bills win, we say we won. Because somehow the bills are like our
representative. Sadly, it's not always been so great and we who are bills fans
know a lot about disappointment and perhaps a lack of victory or triumph. But we
get this sense of identification. We win when the bills win. Now, that might be
true to some extent, but it's very true when it comes to our union with Christ.
When Jesus died, there was a very real sense in which we died. We died to the
old way of life, a life that was in bondage to sin, a life that was separated
from God. When Jesus rose, victorious over sin, death, and hell, we rose and
share in that victory. We have new life, a life that is spiritually now alive
unto God. And so his victory over the power of sin is our victory over sin as
well. And so notice in the text that this was accomplished in history. When
Christ died, we died. When he rose, we rise. This isn't something that we do.
It's something that has already been done. Because of the work of Jesus, sin and
death have no more power or authority over us. We don't have to yield to the old
boss anymore. Through the years, I've had the opportunity to work a number of
different jobs. And thankfully, most of my bosses have been pretty good. But
I've had some unusual bosses through the years. One boss was named Lou. He lived
half of his life in Kentucky, half of his life in New York City. His accent was
completely messed up. Half the time, I had no idea what this poor man was
talking about. But he was my boss when I worked at the flower shop. That was
part of my job in the past. I cleaned trucks, cleaned the place up. But Lou
would frequently say, Maka, you must have spalled over here. Or you need to do
this over there. Sometimes Lou would call me and say, hey. He wouldn't say it
that way. He was like, hi, we need someone to come to the shop today. Come on
over. Okay, so that's what I did. I worked for Lou. He was my boss. I did what
he said. But the good news today is if Lou called me, it's not alive actually,
but if he were to call me, I don't have to pick up the phone. I don't have to
clean the shop. I don't have to cut the thorns off the roses and get myself all
prickly. I don't have to do that anymore. He's not my boss. He has no authority
over me anymore. In a sense, I am dead to him. And so when the scripture says we
are dead to sin, it means we're no longer in bondage to that master anymore. We
don't have to pick up the phone when the temptations come. This was something
that was accomplished in history. It's applied by faith as we trust in the Lord
Jesus, and it's signified through our baptism. Last week, we celebrated
baptisms. Dead to the old, alive now in Christ. What a beautiful picture and a
symbol of the liberty, the newness of life that we can now walk in as God's
people. So being free from sin's dominion, we don't have to continue it anymore.
We can and must, as verse five states, walk in newness of life, resurrection
life, a life that is alive in the truest sense, because it is alive unto God.
Raised to walk in newness of life. It means that I'm infused with the life from
God to experience real, vibrant joy in a daily walk with Jesus through the highs
and through the lows, through the ups and through the downs, through the sorrows
and through the joys. It's a life that is now God-ward. Newness of life means
that Christ is our life. Life doesn't just simply become about existing or being
safe. It becomes about knowing and loving and becoming more like Jesus. It means
that because we have newness of life, we're not consumed with the things of the
here and the now, but we seek those things which are above, because that's where
Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. We set our minds on those things
which are above, not simply on those things which are on earth. And it's a life
that is lived in hope, because we know that when Christ, who is our life,
appears, we will appear with him in glory. And so he elaborates more on this
newness of life in verses six through 10. He says this, 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 slaves to sin, for the one who has died
has been set free from sin. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe we will
also live with him. He says we know that our old self, who we were prior to
Christ, has now been crucified. We're no longer enslaved to sin. The body of
sin, the power of sin, if you will, has been brought to nothing. That's good
news. Sometimes we think of the gospel only in terms of being delivered from the
penalty of sin. In Christ, those who deserve hell are free from the wrath of
God, and we rejoice in that. We rejoice in the hope of everlasting life in the
presence of a holy God. But the good news of the gospel is not only that we're
delivered from sin's penalty, but we're also delivered from its power, and
that's something that we were meant to experience right here, right now. Now,
you might have a couple questions here. You say, well, Micah, if the old man is
crucified, the old self is dead, then why does Paul later on exhort believers to
put off the old man in Ephesians four? Throughout the Bible, we often find this
statement of truth followed up with a command. We're holy, so we're called to be
holy, to live in the light of who we are. Paul's saying, look, you're no longer
that person, the one enslaved to sin anymore. You're not that person. You were a
slave, but now you're free, so live like it. That's a fact. Walk in newness of
life. Because of what God has done, now we can put sin in practice to death.
We'll see that in a moment as we look at the second section. But another
question you might have is, well, if the rule or the power of sin has been
brought to nothing, then why do we still struggle with sin? If the power of sin
is broken, does that mean that we're now no longer influenced by sin? Well, the
truth is, even though we are dead to sin, sin is not dead to us. As long as we
are alive and live in this body, we have this thing the Bible calls the flesh,
these inward sinful desires that would seek to dominate us. The desires of our
flesh, these sinful inclinations, fight against the desires and the will of the
Spirit of God within us. And the reality is, this fight is the normal Christian
life, so don't read this and think, well, if I can somehow attain to this being
dead to sin, I'll no longer face temptation anymore. No, we are dead to sin, we
still have sin dwelling within us, but we don't have to yield anymore. And so
the Christian life will be a fight. But the good news is, as those who are alive
under God, we can now present ourselves as servants of righteousness. And so in
verses nine through 10, he concludes by saying this, 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 and for all. But the life that
he lives, this ongoing life, he lives unto God. The good news is, there is a
finality to the old life. We are once and for all dead to it, the moment we
trust in Christ. And now we can live and walk and experience daily the joy of
newness of life, life in fellowship with God, in fellowship with God's people,
knowing that we can do those things which bring glory to him, which advance his
kingdom. So if we're gonna walk in newness of life, we need to know the truth
about our union with Christ. We're dead to sin, we're alive unto God. But we
need to live in the light of that truth. It's not enough just to know the truth
about our union with Christ, we must apply the truth about our union with
Christ. And that takes us to verses 11 through 14. Paul says in verse 11, so you
also must consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Interestingly enough, verse 11 is the first command in the entire book of
Romans. And what is he saying? Don't just know the truth generically, but know
that it's true for you. You must apply this truth about your union with Christ.
What does that mean? It means that when temptations arise, I must preach this
truth to myself so that I don't answer the phone when sin and temptation call.
Every time I'm tempted, every time you're tempted to define yourself in the
light of a sin struggle, every time you're tempted to think, well, I just can't
help it, it's just who I am. I'm just defeated. You need to remind yourself. No,
no, no, no, no, I'm dead to sin. And I'm alive unto God. Now practically, what
does that look like? Years ago, I was a part of a church in inner city
Pensacola. And me and a couple other guys were interning under Pastor Ruffin,
and there was a deacon, Deacon Slaughter. And if you can imagine what a deacon
slaughter looks like, you probably are imagining him correctly. He was a
military guy, discipline guy, and he took the young men aside. He says, guys,
we're gonna memorize Romans six, seven, and eight, it's what we're doing. You
ready? Here is your assignment. And that was our assignment. Yes, sir, Deacon
Slaughter, we're doing it. So we would meet on a weekly basis, and we would
quote back verses that we had memorized together. And I remember Deacon
Slaughter said, okay, it's good. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound? But listen, when temptation comes, don't just say we.
You need to say, what shall I say then? Shall I continue in sin that grace may
abound? You need to inform those temptations with the truth of this passage. You
need to personalize this. Know it in your heart and personalize it so that when
those temptations arise, you're preaching the truth to yourself and to that
temptation. I tell you what, that was helpful. Tremendously helpful. Because
it's not just good enough to say, okay, that's something for us out there. It's
for you. If you know Christ, this is your reality. So consider it to be true. In
Christ, we have everything we need for life and godliness. Everything that we
need to say no to sin and yes to God. There's no such thing as defeated
Christians, only disobedient ones. So consider the truth and personalize it. And
then he goes on in verses 12 through 14 and says, don't let sin therefore reign
in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Don't present your members to
sin as instruments for unrighteousness. Present yourselves to God as those
who've been brought from death to life, your members, as instruments of
righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under
law but under grace. Negatively, he says, don't let sin reign. We let sin reign
when we give in or we choose to yield ourselves to sinful desires or impulses.
He says, don't let sin reign by God's grace and for God's glory, fight it. The
Christian life is war. Bishop J.C. Roll once noted that a true Christian is one
who has not only peace of conscience but war within. He may be known by his
warfare as well as by his peace. When the doubts and discouragements and
temptations arise, we don't have to obey or give in. You may have been a slave
in the past but you're not a slave today. So don't let sin reign. Positively
though, yield or present yourself as those who've been brought from death to
life unto God. And I love what he says here. He talks about presenting your
members as instruments for righteousness. In other words, your body parts. What
a beautiful picture. Lord, today, here's my mind. Help me to identify and reject
the lies of the evil one. Lord, help me to renew my mind in the truth of who you
are and all that you've done for me in Christ. Lord, help me to think on what is
true and honorable and just and pure and lovely, whatever is commendable,
whatever is excellent and worthy of praise. Lord, here's my eyes. Help me to see
your grace at work in the lives of those who are around me. Help me to see
opportunities to serve. Help me to see the ways in which you are preparing good
works for me to walk in. Lord, here's my hands. Give me the grace to serve and
bless and to work as unto you. Here's my mouth. Lord, may I sing your praises.
May I speak those things that are true that which help edify and evangelize and
praise and glorify. Here's my heart. Grant me a thankful heart, a humble heart,
a heart that longs for more of your presence and power in my life. This morning
as I was contemplating this, yielding of our members, I began to wonder what
would happen in my own life. What would happen in our homes? What would happen
in our relationships, in our church family? Of each of us began the day renewing
our minds with the truth about our union with Christ and then actively yielding
our various members as instruments for righteousness, for service to God and
others. Here's the promise and in verse 14, sin will have no dominion over you
because you're under grace. Once we were under the law, slaves of sin, but now
we live in the realm of God saving, strengthening, life giving blessings that
come to us in Christ. This grace defines our past, gives direction for our
present and grants us hope for the future. You live in grace. And so, united
with Christ, you can now walk in newness of life. So know the truth. Renew your
mind in the truth about your union with Christ. Apply that truth as you consider
and yield. And by doing so, here's the good news. You can and will experience
the freedom and the joy of walking in newness of life. So let's pray. Father, we
thank you for Jesus. We thank you that Jesus in his death and resurrection has
defeated our enemy sin, that you have liberated us from its power so that we're
no longer slaves anymore. Lord, I pray that we would know that truth and truly
believe it and that we would walk in the light of it, daily renewing our minds
with your word and then yielding all that we are and all that we have to you, to
serve you, to know you, to love you, to become more like you. So Lord, help us
not to be hearers of the word only, but doers, I pray that Jesus might be
glorified. First in his name we pray, amen.