Dead to sin, alive in Christ!
Romans 6:1-2 “1 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?”
- If we confess Jesus as savior of our lives and believe that He was raised from the dead, then we have died to sin.
- Given that, we are called to live new lives, which are free from the bondage of sin!
- Legalism vs License illustration: In today’s passage, Paul is discussing license and how we can overcome it by focusing on righteousness, which leads us to Jesus.
- Growing up, this was a huge struggle in my life for many years. I had a saying that "everyone has their vices". Hear me now, that type of thinking is DEAD WRONG. Just because there are things that we struggle with, does NOT mean that we have to keep giving ourselves to them.
Romans 6:8-10 “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.”
- Paul explains here how death has no mastery over Jesus because Jesus defeated death once and for all when He rose from the grave after His crucifixion.
- In the same way, sin, which leads to death, has no mastery over our own lives if we have died with Christ.
- Through our baptism, we are buried with Him through His crucifixion and we rise again to walk in new life through His resurrection.
- Because of the strength that we are given through our faith in Jesus, sin is no longer our master.
- “The life he lives, he lives to God” - This is present tense. Jesus is alive and working in the world today!
- Often, these are little things that can be easy to overlook, but we need to pay attention to catch all of the ways that Jesus is moving in our lives.
Romans 6:11 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
- Paul says here that just as Jesus was dead to sin and is currently living for God, we have that same ability!
- If we have been baptized and have confessed Jesus as our Lord and savior, we have been given the same power that Jesus used to overcome sin and death!
So how do we practically accomplish this? Well Paul gets into that next.
Slaves to righteousness
Romans 6:15-18 “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.”
- Cultural context of the word translated as “slavery” in this passage. Does God endorse slavery? By no means!
- During the time of Paul, slavery was more like what we consider indentured servitude.
- In the old testament and around Jesus’ time, people would often agree to this type of a servitude to pay off a debt.
- Everyone has a master - either God or sin: it is our decision which one we follow.
- How can we still sin, but no longer be a slave to sin? By giving our lives to Jesus, we have chosen righteousness over the world and sin no longer rules our lives.
- We may still commit sins, but our mindset towards it is different. This is the process of sanctification, becoming more holy.
What does being a “slave to righteousness” look like in our lives?
The fruits of the spirit are an excellent litmus test to what righteousness looks like. (Galatians 5:22-23 - Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control)
- Going out of our way to help a stranger (kindness)
- When your child misbehaves, having patience with them instead of yelling at them (patience)
- Someone reveals a sin issue with you and instead of coming down on them harshly, gently walking with them through the issue (gentleness)
- Saying no to that addiction you have been giving yourself to (self-control)
- Use discipleship as a tool which can help to expose any sin issues in your life (faithfulness)
Jesus literally wants all of our lives, he doesn’t just want bits and pieces. Being a slave to righteousness means devoting every single aspect of our lives to Him in order to become more holy.
Romans 6:22-23 “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.”
- The end result of our obedience to Jesus and being a slave to righteousness is eternal life and that we receive the benefit of holiness (which is looking more like Jesus).
- Righteousness is vastly more rewarding than the alternative of sin.
- Sin leads to death (or “the wages of sin is death”) while righteousness leads to holiness and eternal life.
The choice is yours.
