Day #157: Romans 6:1-4

BACKGROUND:

Up to this point in the book of Romans, Paul has shown people their need for salvation, God’s gift of that salvation through the death of his Son, and God’s grace in forgiving the sins of all who accept him. This next section of the letter deals with God progressively separating believers from sin and making them more like himself.

Paul realized that his statements about God’s wonderful kindness to sinners could be interpreted to suggest that people ought to keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness. “If God loves to forgive, why not give him more to forgive?” would be their erroneous reasoning. Paul answers with an emphatic, “Of course not!” The availability of God’s mercy must not become an excuse for careless living and moral laxness. The idea that someone would claim to believe the gospel while planning to continue in sin is preposterous to Paul. The point of the gospel was not to find an excuse for sin, but to give freedom from sin.

SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)

God wants us to know three fantastic truths that help us find freedom from sin.

First Paul begins this section with a question. v. 1 "What shall we say then? [He's referring back to the previous chapter in v. 20.] Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?" He's talking about Christians -- all Christians, Paul included. Should we go on sinning? He's talking about continuous deliberate sin. Why does he bring this question up? In chapter 5 v. 20 "Where sin increases, grace increases." Wherever things get real bad God pours out more grace. Some smart-alecs took this and thought "Every time I sin that shows God's grace.

I'm going to do God a favor. I'm going to let Him really show super grace." If grace is shown every time I sin then let's just go for it! Be super sinful and then God can show how much grace He has. That is misusing what God has said. Paul says, Should we continue sinning to show God's grace? His answer is very short, "By no means!" A different translation: "God forbid!" "Absolutely, certainly not!" "No way!" That is a misinterpretation. You don't sin so God can show His grace. The New English Bible says, "No, no, no!"

Why? Because we died to sin. This is the first positional truth. Is Paul saying if you become a Christian you never sin? No, everybody sins. But he is saying, if you are a genuine Christian that you will not deliberately keep on sinning. You will not make a practice of it. If you're really a Christian it's going to show up in your lifestyle. A person cannot say, "I'm a Christian" and there's no change in his life. He's not really a Christian. You do not continue sinning. The most miserable person in the world is a Christian who is trying to sin and get away with it.

I John 3:9 says, "No one who is born of God will continue to sin because God's seed remains in him and he cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God." He's not saying that you don't sin if you're a Christian. He's saying you don't keep on and on doing the sin with no guilt, no feeling, no conscious. It's impossible for a Christian to keep on sinning and get away with it.

How do I break the power of sin in my life?

#1. When I became a believer I was placed in Christ. This phrase "in Christ" is used 120 times in the New Testament. It is the number one way we are called Christians. We are in Christ. 2 Cor. 5:17 "Therefore if any man be in Christ..." There is a tremendous implication here. Because I am in Christ then I was crucified, buried, and resurrected with Christ. God is so concerned that you get this truth that He gives us an illustration that will show this point.

Baptism. v. 3 "Don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We are therefore buried with Him through baptism in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father we too might live a new life. If we have been united with Him in His death we will certainly be united with Him in His resurrection."

Baptism illustrates this truth. We were buried with Christ, crucified with Christ, buried with Him and resurrected with Him. Baptism represents a burial and resurrection. Whenever you see a baptism, think of it as a funeral. It's saying, "I died with Christ." When we take the person and put them under the water it shows they're dying to an old way of life, dying with Christ. When we bring them up they're being resurrected with Christ. This is why we practice immersion in this church because it symbolizes it.

But why make a big deal over baptism? Why does it matter how you baptize? It matters because it pictures this truth. Immersion is important because it shows we were buried with Christ and raised with Christ. How do you show that with a sprinkle? The Bible also says when you're baptized it's a symbol of washing away all your sins? I didn't want to wash away just a few sins; I want complete washing away -- total immersion. All of my sins symbolically are forgiven and that's what baptism shows.

Colossians 2:12 says, "Having been buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead." Baptism is a burial. Every time you see a baptism think of this first truth. I was placed in Christ and I was buried with Christ. Baptism states: I died with Christ. What did Christ die for? Our sins. And we died in Him for sin. Paul is saying that all of us, if you're a Christian, you're in Christ, Christ died on the cross and you were in Christ when He died on the cross. That's a foundational truth.

Let me ask you - have you been baptized? Not as an infant - before you could make a decision for Christ - but now? Have you followed the Lord in obedience and made a public profession of your faith? If not, why not? I used to say to my kids - "Delayed obedience is really disobedience."

I love you guys. Obey the word. Live wholeheartedly for Christ today.