Romans 6 shows the new life of victory we have in Christ. The answer to this life of victory in Christ is represented in four key words: know (verses 3, 6), reckon or consider (verse 11), present (verse 13), and walk or live (verse 4). Our new identity and position in Christ should increasingly correspond with the actions of our daily life. We are being presented with the truth of our identification and position with Christ in His death and resurrection. In the previous chapter, we were instructed that “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” Grace has established us in the position in which we stand in Christ.
Grace is God’s undeserved and unmerited favor.
By grace, God has freely accepted us and forgiven our sins and has freely justified us by faith. When this epistle was written, some were contending that the message of grace released believers from God’s demands for obedience and holiness. This distorted view of grace said: “our sin provides a greater display of God’s grace, so should we not continue in sin so that God’s grace may be magnified and glorified?” “If God’s grace is so great, can we not do whatever we want?”“Should we continue to sin, knowing grace abounds?”
Romans 6:1-2 NKJV What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
- We cannot continue in sin if we are united with Christ,, (vv.1-11).
- We have no compulsion to sin since the dominion and power of sin has been broken by God’s grace, (vv12-14).
- We will fall under sin’s dominion if we present ourselves as its servants again, (vv 15-19).
- It would end in disaster and death should we once again surrender to the power of sin, (vv 20-23).
Romans 6:1-2 KJV What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
The true believer has died to sin and self, and is alive in Christ. As a result, we have received Christ’s nature. His nature is to fully obey God the Father.
1 Peter 2:21-22 NKJV For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth…”
What was Christ’s example?
Jesus lived a life of sinless perfection.
How can we live in victory over sin?
2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Christ not only died as our Substitute (in our place), He died as our Representative. As a result when He died, we died and settled the question of sin. When we are identified with Christ in His death, we gain all of the benefits that His death acquired.
Since repentance is the action of turning from sin to God, how can we continue in sin when we have turned to God?
It is a contradiction to the grace and change that we have received to continue in sin. Grace brings us to God so that we can live free from sin and its judgment and guilt.
Watch how we have been united with Christ.
Romans 6:3-5 NKJV Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Three baptisms are represented in the Scripture.
First, is the baptism into the body of Christ. Second, is the baptism into water which symbolizes believers union with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. Third, is the baptism in or of the Holy Spirit. In the baptism into Christ Jesus the unrestrained control of the sinful nature has been done away with. God counts the believer as having died in Christ. We are identified with Christ’s death, burial, resurrection and victory. We are identified with Christ’s position in the presence of the Father, Ephesians 2:6. As a result, we have been set free from sin’s power, habits, bondage, enslavement, rule, dominion, and guilt.
We have been raised up in Christ to a new dynamic life and have received…
- “a new birth” (1 Peter 1:23; 1 Peter 2:2)
- “a new heart” (Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 18:31)
- “the new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15)
- “the new man” (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10)
The believer’s old sinful self was crucified with Christ.
Romans 6:6-7 NLT We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
The old sinful life has been crucified with Christ.
Our new life in Christ is free from the power of sin and death. The old sinful life and its nature has been destroyed, conquered, forgiven, and crucified with Christ.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
There are two sides to the victory that we have with Christ.
First, we have died with Christ and then we live with Him.
Romans 6:8-11 NKJV Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
By the cross of Christ, God took action to translate us from the kingdom of Adam to Christ.
In Adam we have death, condemnation, weakness and failure, but in Christ we have newness of life and victory over sin. The cross of Christ deals with what we were. Reckonmeans to account, regard, charge to one’s account. You should “reckon” or “consider” yourself to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJVTherefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Galatians 2:20 NKJV I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Romans 6, 7, and 8 give four steps of the life without condemnation.
- We must know.
- We must reckon.
- We must present ourselves to God.
- We must walk in the Spirit.
We must start with knowing that we are not of our old nature.
Our ultimate goal is to know that we are in Christ and walk in the Spirit. Maturity in Christ is recognized by our walk (living) in His victory and life. None of us can progress spiritually until we clearly see and know this.
The Christian life is based on this knowledge that we have all that Christ Jesus has done for us.
We cannot be justified until we know that Christ bore our sins on His Cross. We cannot be sanctified until we know that Christ has taken our sin out of the way, and nailed it to His cross. We must know that our sins have been laid upon Him. We must know what the atonement has purchased for us. We must know that we have been put into Christ Jesus.
The fulness of salvation’s grace is realized by knowing all that Christ has done for us.
Christ has dealt with our sins on His cross and spilt blood. Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for you? The same scripture that says He died for us also says we died with Him.
Romans 6:6 NLT We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
Romans 6:8 NLT And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him.
When are we crucified with Christ?
This is a very important fact for our Christian walk.
Do you know when Christ took your sins?
Why is it important for us to know that Christ died for us and that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ? If Christ did not die for us, we do not have deliverance from our sins. Christ’s death was necessary to secure our salvation. He has put away the transgressions and guilt of our sins.
How do you know that Jesus Christ died for your sins?
We know Christ died for our sins because God’s Word tells us He died for our sins. It is a matter of fact, not a matter of feeling or emotion.
Do you believe the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on a cross?
You believe it because the Bible tells us He died. The two thieves and Christ were crucified at the same time. The Bible tells us that we were crucified with Christ.
This is a fact.
Your sin has been dealt with on Christ’s cross. When you believe, trust and rely on Christ death on the cross, you have died to sin and are free.
Romans 6:7 NLTFor when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
Our crucifixion is made effective by accepting and believing what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross. Calvary finished the work and full salvation has been provided for us on the cross of Christ.
Sanctification is made available on the same basis.
We try to suppress our sins and overcome them. We are constantly impressed with our weaknesses. We know that we are not strong and cannot live a holy life.
The preoccupation with the power of sin and the weakness of our flesh leads us to believe that we need more power.
If I just had more power, I could live in victory and resist evil. I just need to be stronger.
The truth of the matter is, in Christ we are delivered from sin and its power.
God delivers us from sin by making us more and more dependent on Christ. We must decrease and He must increase.
The way to a life of victory is not by strengthening the old man but by crucifying him.
We must be removed from the scene. We can do nothing to become righteous or holy in God’s sight. We cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot grow love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance, faith apart from Christ. We are not able to walk this way before God and the world without Christ. It is Christ in you that is the hope of glory.
Romans 6:6 NIV For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
We must live in Him and have His Spirit live within us.
In 1869 Hudson Taylor wrote a note to his sister: “I knew that if only I could abide in Christ, all would be well, but I could not.” He said he found it impossible to get into Christ. Then one day he said he had a revelation. He said: “Here, I feel, is the secret: not asking how I am to get sap out of the Vine into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine- the root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, all…” “I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord Jesus tells me I am a branch. I am part of Him and I have just to believe it and act upon it.” (“Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission,” by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor, chapter 12, “The Exchanged Life.”)
We must know that we are included in Christ and that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. We must know that we are included in His resurrection life and have received His Spirit and life. “In Him we move, live, and have our being.”
Romans 6:6-11 NIVFor we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Have you been crucified with Christ?
Do you know the body of sin has been done away with? Do you know that you have the life of Christ in you? Do you know that He is giving you His life? Do you know that His life is producing His righteousness in you?
You can know.
This has nothing to do with feeling. The fact is this is what you are in Christ. When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are made a new creation
2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
