Romans 6, 21 July 2024

Romans 6, 21 July 2024

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ: 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.

Slaves to Righteousness: 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

19 I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

SIN: Hamartia: a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero or heroine.  Odysseyus, Paris, Agememon.  Shall we give in to our ‘hamartia’ so that grace may abound?  No.  Do we need to get rid of our ‘hamartia’ to be saved?  Also, “No”… but, as Paul refers to us, we are slaves, soldiers, athletes, firstborn sons so that we know how to behave.  Hamartia – worshiping the creature instead of the Creator in chapter 1.

DEATH: Thanatos: Now you MCU fans know.  Bible study on Hell?  Why does v.23 say ‘wages is death’ and not, cooking, burning, torment forever…

NEWNESS OF LIFE: Looking forward: Psalm 51:10 Create a new spirit within me * Ezekiel 36 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you… promises to Israel

And now!: Romans 6 & 2 Corinthians 5:17-“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

And we have the FULLNESS for the BODY!: Eph. 2:15 – “… His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,” – no more Jew first, Gentile second.

RESURRECTION: Anastasis: like what?  A body like His body! Philippians 3:20-21: Body like his glorified body – citizenship in Heaven; Ephesians: reckoned seated with him above all heavens 

WE DIED (reckoned) WITH CHRIST: we are dead to sin – we have a choice.  If you don’t know Christ, you have no objective moral ‘North’, you can borrow His morality, purpose, be good to and better than your neighbor, etc., but there is no way for you to participate in that sacrifice which has won over sin! – a sacrifice you could never make.

SLAVES – 1 Cor. 7:23 – “Bought with a price...”, but Paul talks in his prision epistles of Philippians, “we are citizens of heaven” (3:20); in Ephesians “raised and seated with Christ” (2:6) and in Colossians, “complete in Christ”; 2 Tim. 3:3,4 – “behave like soldiers”, Eph. ‘whole armor of God”; Run the race.

WHAT ARE WE NOW ASHAMED OF? – Shame = letting the side down.  Jesus says “If you are ashamed of me & my words”; letting down the Body of Christ. Paul encourages Timothy not to be ashamed of the Gospel.

Reading from the NIV, I get the impression that there is a “work” here!

THE RESULT IS ETERNAL LIFE – Adam got eternal life, but just being Adam and not eating of the tree.*** Abraham was considered rigtheous through faith *** John the Baptist (Matt. 3): Repent and be baptized for the forgivenss of sins *** The young ruler (Matt 16): “Teacher, how do I get eternal life?” Jesus: “If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” *** Romans 6: by grace + obedience to holiness to eternal life (grace reigns through rigtheousness) *** FULLNESS OF OUR SALVATION = Ephesians 2:8,9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”  That sounds about right!

ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED – You only need believe in Who Christ was and that he paid the price for your sins and His gift is free and irrevocable. There is no more even the dirtiest sinner needs do!  Eph. 1:13,14 – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.