Romans 6

Romans 6:1

Here, we come to a new section and break new ground in our study through the Epistle to the Romans. Chapters 1 through 5 dealt with justification. In chapters 6 through 8, the emphasis switches from the positional truth of justification to the practical truth of sanctification. To be sanctified means to be set apart. Because we are justified positionally, we are sanctified practically. That is, we are set apart to be used by the Lord, and to become more like the Lord. Romans 1 through 5 tells us we are dead in sin. Chapters 6 through 8 tell us we are dead to sin. Chapters 1 through 5 tell us we are free from the penalty of sin. Chapters 6 through 8 tell us we are free from the power of sin. Thus, we have arrived at one of the most powerful and potent passages ever penned by the apostle Paul. As a lawyer, Paul masterfully and persuasively made his point in the first five chapters that salvation is apart from works. But this causes problems for people who say, “If you preach grace, people will live loosely unless you lay down the law, and tell them what to do and how to think.” In chapter 6, Paul will address that issue as he presents his argument to those who insist that grace leads to loose living. Paul will make a three-fold argument against grace being a danger. All too often, Christians try to fight sin by preaching, “No, no, no.” Paul’s method was to teach, “Know, know, know.” He said, “Know you have a new identification with Jesus Christ (verses Rom_6:3-5); know you have liberation through Jesus’ Cross (verses Rom_6:6-15); and know some things about Jesus’ cause” (verses Rom_6:16-23).

Romans 6:3

Our identification with Jesus Christ is symbolized by baptism. An army chaplain reported his amazement at the large number of Desert Storm soldiers who gave their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ, then asked if they could be baptized. To accommodate their requests, a wise pastor used the only “baptismal” available in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert: a coffina potent and perfect symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of which baptism is a picture. “Know this,” Paul said. “When you were baptized, you received a new identification. Dead to your old life, you became publicly linked to Jesus Christ through baptism.” Does one have to be baptized to be saved? Ask the thief on the cross, to whom Jesus said, “Today you’ll be with Me in paradise” (Luk_23:43). There are those who say, “Unless you are baptized in a specific manner, your salvation is invalid.” Not true. Anyone can be saved without baptism, for salvation is by faith alone in the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. The role of baptism simply serves as an outward symbol of an inward commitment. On the day Tammy and I were married, I gave her a ring. That ring didn’t make us married. But if she had refused it, saying, “No thanks. I’m not into outward symbols of inward commitments,” although we would still be married, I would wonder why she didn’t want to publicly identify with me. Chuck Colson tells of an event that took place when Russia was still very much closed to the gospel as a group of Christians meeting secretly in the basement of a home outside Kiev heard a knock on the door. Because they refused to answer the knock, suddenly the door was kicked in, and two armed KGB officers walked into the room. “This meeting is illegal,” they thundered. “If anyone wants to deny he’s a part of this Christian movement, he can leave right now. If you stay, however, you must be willing to pay the price and suffer the consequences.” With terror on their faces, two or three left the meeting, after which time, the KGB officers said, “Anyone else want to join those who left?” No one did. “Keep your hands up,” they said to those who remained, “and we’ll put our hands up and worship the Lord with you. You see, two weeks ago, we broke into a group like this one and we got saved. But as KGB officers, we know that if people are not fully committed to Christ, we cannot trust them in our company.” Baptism is a marvelous way of getting Christians out of the spiritual closet. And Paul refers to this by saying, “Know this: when you were baptized, you were identified with Jesus Christ and a new way of living.”

Romans 6:6

When Jesus died on the Cross two thousand years ago, something incredible happened. My old sin nature was crucified with Him. I’m thankful that my failure to fully understand this concept doesn’t prevent me from being forever grateful for it. Katargeo, the Greek word translated “destroyed” in this verse, means “rendered inactive” or “paralyzed.” It doesn’t mean “annihilated.” Therefore, when your old sin nature screams, “You’ve got to take that smoke, pour that drink, toy with that fantasy, lose your temper, or gossip"Paul says that, although he can yell, he is powerless to act, since the Cross paralyzed him from the neck down.

Romans 6:7

In other words, the work of the Cross was complete. The word logizomai, or “reckon,” is an accounting term. “Add it up,” says Paul, “and the answer you’ll arrive at will be that you are dead to sin.” Communion has two elements because, in taking the cup, we celebrate the fact that we are free from the penalty of sin. And in taking the body, we appropriate the fact that we are free from the power of sin. Consequently, when I partake of the body in Communion, sometimes I will chew thirty-nine timeseven as Jesus received thirty-nine lashes on His back, because it is by His stripes that we are healed (Isa_53:5). You see, the shed blood of Jesus provides forgiveness of sin. But the breaking of His body provides victory over sin. All of this is ours to chew on and appropriate through the simple act of Communion.

Romans 6:12

Following the radical information that we are free from the power and penalty of sin, and on the heels of Paul’s exhortation to simple appropriation of this fact, here is practical application. When you are about to give in to gossip, lose your temper, or fall prey to jealousy, say, “Lord, I understand I no longer have to succumb to this because the old man of sin was crucified. I reckon it to be so and I appropriate it even now.” There you are in the grocery store. A Mounds bar is calling your name. Your old sin nature whispers, “You’ve got to give in. Dark chocolate, coconut, you’ve just got to have it. You’ve got to steal it. Just think how much you’ll enjoy it. You have no power over it. It’s just too great a temptation.” But on the basis of Romans 6, before you take the candy bar, you can say, “I yield this hand to You, Lord.” And you’ll be free. Gang, if you will pause and, even audibly if necessary, yield to the Lord whatever instrument of your body with which you’re struggling, your inclination to sin will decrease dramatically. There you are, in the car. You’re struggling with passion as you take your date home. What do you do? On the basis of Romans 6, say, “Lord, bless these next few moments. Cause us to honor You. We give ourselves totally to You right now.” And the mood in the car will change radically. Precious people, you’re free from the power of sin. How? Three ways: through the radical information that the power of sin is broken, through simple appropriation as you reckon this to be true, and through practical application as you give your body to the Lord. The Old ManNailed! A Topical Study of Rom_6:1-14 While at Hometown Buffet many years ago, without asking permission or finishing her dinner, Mary, my kindergartener, scooted away from the table and made her way to the ice cream dispenser. When she returned a few moments later, she brought with her a bowl that had ice cream overflowing and cascading down its sides. So even though Mary had failed to get her father’s permission, even though she had failed to finish her dinner, she discovered something very important. That is, even though she was a sinner, if she positioned herself under the spout where the blessing comes out, she would be on the receiving end because the dispenser didn’t discriminate against her, saying, “Here comes Mary. She didn’t ask permission. She didn’t finish her dinner. I’m shutting down.” So, too, the sister or brother who realizes that grace is based solely upon the work Jesus did on the Cross will continually be a recipient of good stuff because they realize it’s not based upon who they are or anything they’ve done. And even if, like Mary, they’re sinning, as they position themselves under the spout where God’s blessing comes out, His grace keeps flowing. For where sin abounds, grace abounds even more (Rom_5:20). This brings us to Paul’s question in Rom_6:1. That is, if grace abounds when we sin, why not keep sinning? Paul answers this question with two words: “God forbid,” or “You’re nuts,” or “That’s crazy!” You see, folks, although Mary carried an abundance of ice cream in her bowl, she also wore a look of panic on her face. “Daddy, look,” she said as she drew near. And as I did, I was shocked to see vanilla ice cream pouring out of the machine onto the floor below. The handle was stuck. Yes, you can sneak away from the table and disobey Daddy and pull the lever, and good stuff will still be given to youbut watch out. There are also inevitable repercussions and problems. You get in sticky situations that cause people to slip. After David confessed to committing murder in order to cover his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan said to him, “Thou shalt not die, David. With your confession comes instantaneous and complete forgiveness. But because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme His name, the child born unto you shall surely die” (see 2Sa_12:13-14). In other words, “You’re forgiven, David. Your sin is forgotten. But know this: There will be inevitable repercussions of your sin. You planted seeds, and even though you’ve made confession, even though you are forgiven, the crop will come in. The enemies of the Lord will put your sin on the cover of TIME magazine. They will use your sin to blaspheme and make fun of the Lord. People will slip and stumble because of your sin. And your child will die.” “Be not deceived,” warned Paul, “whatever a man sows, he’ll surely reap” (see Gal_6:7). And no one beats the rap. Driving through a rural section of Pennsylvania, a man crossed a wooden bridge, where he saw a boy fishing. “Hey, son,” he called out, “are the fish biting?” “No,” answered the boy. “But the worms sure are.” The stranger chuckled and kept on driving. About five miles later, he stopped at a gas station and asked if there were any good fishing spots in the vicinity. “Sure,” answered the attendant. “There’s a great one about five miles back at the bridge you just crossed.” “Oh, I know all about that one,” answered the traveler. “I saw a kid there and he said the fish weren’t biting, but the worms were.” The two men chuckled togetheruntil a look of horror came over the gas station attendant’s face. He dropped the hose, ran to his car, and raced down the road toward the bridge. When he got there, he found the little boy on the edge of the riverbankdead. You see, after his initial chuckle, the attendant suddenly realized that the “worms” the boy was playing with were actually baby rattlesnakes, which are every bit as venomous as their adult counterparts. So, too, when we see people playing with sins they think are cute or interesting, horror fills our hearts and we say, “They’re going to die.” Oh, not physically perhapsbut their lives will be filled with sadness and despair. The Bible says there’s pleasure in sin for a season, but after that comes destruction (Heb_11:25). And that’s what Paul’s letter to the Romans is all about. Through it, the Father says to you and me, “You’re forgiven. I pronounce you just as righteous as My dear Son. But if you fool around with sin, you’re going to bring venom and deadly repercussions not only upon yourself, but on those around you.” Therefore, after walking with the Lord for a while, we begin to say, “Father, You’re right. Sin stinks. It brings terrible repercussions and I hate it. But what can I do about it? This sin seems to have a grip on me.” At that point, there is the temptation to enroll in a twelve-step program in order to get victory over our substance abuse, addiction, or depression. But the Bible knows nothing of a twelve-step program, folks. Romans 6 has a way of cutting through the fuzziness, the dysfunctional excuses, the reasons we cannot have victory. Romans 6 sweeps it all away as God clearly says, “Here is the solution. It’s oh, so simple.” Appreciation Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.Rom_6:6 The first step is appreciation. When Jesus Christ was crucified on the Cross two thousand years ago, not only was His blood shed for your salvation, but His body was broken for your liberation. Thus, there are two elements in Communion. His blood brings about forgiveness of our sin, while His broken body provides freedom from our sin. Appreciate the fact, saint, that when Jesus Christ was crucified, your sinful nature was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be destroyed. When Jesus was pinned to the Cross, my old sinful nature was there with Him.

When the body of Christ was being broken physically, your body of sin was being broken on that same tree. How can this be? It beats me. Yet although I don’t understand it mentally, I’ve tied in to its reality and have found that by faith it works tremendously. Whenever God declares a truth, Satan will deny it, saying, “Get real, how can that be?” At that point, I must decide whether to believe what God declares or believe what Satan denies. It’s like three men walking on top of a fence. The first man is Fact. The second man is Faith. The third man is Feeling. Now, Faith, the man in the middle, will walk straightly and in balance as long as he keeps his eyes on the man in front of him. But if he turns around to check out Feeling, he’s going to tumble. Truly, this is where we err so often, for the point we turn around and analyze our emotions or evaluate our experience is the point we start to fall. Paul says, “Know this: when Jesus was crucified, our old sin nature was crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed.” The world translated “destroyed” is katargeo. Katargeo does not mean “annihilated.” It means “rendered inactive, or paralyzed.” Our old sin nature is a quadriplegic. He’s paralyzed from the neck down. Thus, all he can do is intimidate us verbally as he whispers, “You have no choice. You gotta give in. You gotta gossip. You gotta overindulge. You gotta take another look. You gotta tell that lie. I’ve got power over you.” And so we spend years going through psychoanalysis, trying to get victory. But Paul would say, “Victory is not a matter of positive thinking or imaging. Appreciation of what happened on Calvary two thousand years ago is the point where victory begins.” Appropriation Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.Rom_6:11 The word “reckon” in this verse doesn’t mean what it means todayas in, “Well, ah reckon ah’ll mosey on down to the barn.” No, the word “reckon” as used here in verse Rom_6:11 is an accounting term. It means “add up the figures and come to an irrefutable conclusion.” The figures add up to this: If indeed it’s true that your sin nature was crucified with Christ on the Cross, then you no longer are in bondage to it. “Come to a conclusion based upon this fact,” said Paul. If you were hungry, I might tell you to go to McDonalds. But if you had no money, you’d say, “I can’t. I’m bankrupt.” Then I might say, “Yes, you can. I put money in your account. Here is the deposit slip, signed by the teller and stamped with the bank seal. But if you said, “I don’t believe that,” your failure to reckon it to be so, to add it up, and to appropriate what I did on your behalf would keep you poor and hungry. But the reason for your poverty and hunger would not be due to my failure to provide for you. It would be due to your failure to believe what I did for you. The same is true concerning appropriation. Jesus paid the entire penalty for our sin and paralyzed our sin nature. The question is not whether His provision is sufficient. The question is whether or not we reckon it to be true. Application Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.Rom_6:13 After appreciation and appropriation comes applicationwhen I really understand what Jesus did for me as He yielded His body on the Cross. So here I am, walking into the store, and there it is in a shiny wrapper, fifteen percent larger than last year: a Three Musketeers barmy favoritewith that deep chocolate covering and the light gooey stuff in the center. Immediately, the old man within me says, “You gotta give in. There’s fifteen percent more than before. Be reasonable. It’s a good buy!” My stomach begins to growl. My mouth starts to salivate. My old sin nature demands to be satisfied. “You’re right,” I concede. “I really don’t have very much power over this particular temptation.” So I buy the candy, take a bite, and am hounded by feelings of guilt. Depression sets in, and I say, “Sign me up for a support group. That’s what I need.” Not true! The Word says if we will appreciate, appropriate, and apply, we never have to give in to whatever “Three Musketeers” we’re dealing with at any given moment. Never. Folks, it’s not a twelve-step program. It’s a one step solution called the Cross, for not only did the blood of Jesus cleanse me from the penalty of sin, but His broken body sets me free from the pollution of sin. And when I choose to walk in that fact, I find myself saying, “I will not buy you, Three Musketeers,” as I walk down the aisle toward the bananas. Miracle of miracles! For every New Testament principle, God gives us an Old Testament illustration. And this one is no exception, as seen in the Book of Judges… The people of Israel were in bondage to the Canaanites. For thirty years, they had been intimidated and dominated, repressed and oppressed. The leader of the Canaanites was a man named Jabin. Jabin turned over control of his empire in that particular region to a man named Sisera. Sisera, then, represents the old man, our old sin nature. Jabin is a picture of Satanone whose ultimate desire is to oppress, suppress, and depress you and me. After thirty years of serving Jabin and Sisera, the people of Israel cried to the Lord. The Lord, in turn, raised up a deliverera woman named Deborah. When the time came for the Israelites to engage in battle against the Canaanites, Barak, the Israelite general, said to Deborah, “I won’t go unless you go with me.” “Okay,” said Deborah, “I’ll go with you, but you must realize that credit for the upcoming victory will go to a woman.” Engage in battle they did. With nine hundred chariots at his command, Sisera had a huge advantage. The chariot was equivalent to a Phantom Jet, or an Abrams A-1 tank. And the people of Israel had nothing like that. It looked like the Israelites would be slaughtered. But God intervened miraculously and gave Israel victory. Sisera, however, managed to escape. Running for his life, off in the distance he saw a tent. In front of the tent was a woman Sisera recognized as Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. The word eber, from which we get the word “Hebrew,” means “crossing over.” Who were the Kenites? They were part of the Canaanites. This means Heber the Kenite left the old Canaanite stuff and said to his wife, “Honey, we’re crossing over to a new land.” And they traded their old world for a new country. That’s just what you did when you left the old world system and said, “I want to be a part of Your kingdom, Lord. I’ve had it with the world’s corruption, deception, and pollution. I choose to follow You.” You set up camp in the new landand what happened? Guess who suddenly and unexpectedly showed up on your front doorstep? The guy who used to dominate you, the guy who used to have authority over you, the guy who used to intimidate you: Sisera. “Come in,” said Jael to Sisera. Huffing and puffing, Sisera entered Jael’s tent and gasped, “Give me a little water to drink.” Folks, that’s what the old sin nature always says. “Give me a little something to satisfy mejust one quick look, just one wrong thought, just one more time. I’m thirsty, and if you satisfy me, I won’t bug you anymore.” But we’ve discovered lust is like a fire. The more you feed it, the more it demands and the hotter it gets. Try to appease your lust to satisfy Sisera, and it will never work. He’ll demand more and more, and his lusts will burn hotter and hotter within your heart. Sisera wanted water. What did Jael give him? A bottle of milk. Can you imagine running a great distance on a hot day and being given a bottle of room-temperature, unpasteurized milk? It must have felt like cotton in Sisera’s mouth. The Word says, “Like newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, the profound simplicity of the Scriptures” (see 1Pe_2:2). It is the foolish man or woman who says, “I already know that passage or that book, so I don’t have to study it or meditate upon it,” because Sisera needs to be given a continual dose of the milk of the Word. After asking for water, Sisera made a second request of Jael. “Lie for me,” he said (see verse Rom_6:20). “Cover me up and don’t let anyone know I’m here.” And that’s what our old sin nature says to you and me: “Hide your sin. Cover it up. Don’t let anyone know I’m here.” So what did Jael do? No longer afraid of the old general, this great lady of faith threw a rug over Sisera, knowing that having chugged a glass of warm milk after running a semi-marathon, he would be dozing off before long. At this point, with hammer in hand, Jael snuck into the tent, drove a tent stake into Sisera’s temple, and pinned his head to the ground. Talk about a splitting headache! With spike and hammer, the old man was reckoned dead. What does the spike speak of? It speaks of the spikes that pierced the hand and feet of our Savior. It speaks of Calvary, where Sisera, the old man in you who gives orders to you and demands to be covered up by you, was paralyzed on the Cross. The hammer? It speaks of the Word (Jer_23:29). This is the key, folks. We’re to say, “Wait a minute, Sisera. Wait a minute, Jabin. Wait a minute fleshly tendency. You who are demanding to be satisfied and covered up, I want you to know something. I do not have to give in to you. Even though I don’t fully understand it, I appropriate the finished work of the Cross as I see it in Romans 6.” And you nail Sisera to the ground. Precious people, I don’t care what struggle you’re going through, or what temptation you’re wrestling with. It is powerless in light of the Cross. When you finally have enough of Sisera, when you at last have your fill of the venom that has infected you and those around you, when you finally determine you don’t want to be under dominion any longer, you can be free at that momentno support group needed, no counseling requiredif you say, “Lord, You’ve told me that this old man was paralyzed on the Cross. I believe it. That settles it.” And with the spike of the Cross, and the hammer of the Word, you nail it right there and walk away free. It’s that simple.

Romans 6:15

Why not continue in sin? I’m reminded of the entertainer who, although he was warned that lions could never be completely tamed, treated the lion he used in his act as a petuntil the night the lion jumped on him and killed him. So, too, our adversary goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1Pe_5:8). “Oh, but I’ve got this sin under control,” we say. “Nice lion, nice lion. It’s part of my act; I need it for my job.” Watch out. Paul says, “Know this: the sin with which you’re playing around, the sin you think you’ve got under control, is going to come back and eat you alive.” “But I only shoplift occasionally.” “I only look at pornography sporadically.” “I lie rarely.” Be careful. Paul doesn’t say, “No,” he says “know.” Your pet sin will get you. It will hurt you. It will kill you.

Romans 6:17

“Before you were saved, neither your relationships nor your perspective was right,” Paul said. “Therefore, you couldn’t enjoy the righteous kind of living God intended for you.”

Romans 6:21

At Southern Oregon College, I talked to a student who said, “It’s so hard being a Christian.” “If you think it’s hard being a Christian, imagine how hard it would be to be an unbeliever without hope eternally or peace presently.” Folks, let’s quit saying, “It’s so hard to be a believer.” We’ve been saved too long if we’ve forgotten the sin, the stench, the junk in our lives before we knew Christ.

Romans 6:22

Sin brings death. But righteousnessthe righteousness of the Lord’s waybrings life abundantly. I’m so thrilled we’re free.