Romans: Session 8 – Grace Reigns

Notes:

Grace Reigns – Rom.6:1-14    See Session Slides Here

Rom.6:1-2. Rom.5:20. The emphasis in v.2 is on the word “we”. “If you teach grace you will encourage people to sin”. But we are not talking about people; we are talking about “we” who died to sin.

What does it mean to be dead to sin? Paul is not talking about anything we do but about something that happened to us. We were freed from the realm where sin reigns and have entered the realm where grace reigns. Acts 26:18; Col.1:13-14; Col.5:17,21;  Rom 6:6&12&14&16&17&18&19&20&22.

How did this happen?  Rom.6:3-5. The Holy Spirit baptised us into Christ. This joins us to Him (v.5). We are in union with Him in His death, burial and resurrection.

  • In that He died, He died unto sin once. He is dead to the realm where sin reigns
  • A person who has died and been buried is finished with the realm in which he once lived.
  • Resurrection is a statement that He could not be held by death. He rose to newness of life.

What happened to Him literally, as a result of our union with Him has happened to us spiritually. We died to the realm where sin reigns and have been raised to newness of life. Eph.1:19. We are seated with Christ. I don’t feel it. I only know that I am in Christ because God has told me. See Rom.6:5.

Rom.6:6-7. Our old man is our old self in Adam (“first man”, “first Adam”). It is contrasted with the new man, which is what we are and have in Christ (“second Man”, “last Adam”). Our old man has been crucified with Christ. We are a new creation. This refers to our spirit, where Christ now dwells by His Spirit. We are partakers of Christ’s very nature. We are now righteous. This can never change. This is our position, and our position is never affected by our condition. Sin cannot touch our spirit. When we sin it is not ‘I’ (the new man), but sin dwelling in our bodies (see Rom.7:17-18).

Rom.6:8-10. Don’t confuse this passage with those other Scriptures that tell us that Christ died FOR our sins (Chapters 3-5). Here Paul is saying that Christ died TO sin! Just as He died for sin once for all, so too He died to sin once and for all, i.e. its realm and reign. We died with Him in both respects.

 We cannot experience the power of the resurrection if we do not believe the finality of the Cross. “We are freed from sin.” These words are addressed to our faith not feelings. Don’t go to God begging for victory. I am not told to do my own dying to sin and self and the world: but to reckon it by faith, i.e. that in His death, I died. Any doctrine which teaches an ongoing dying to sin is error.

Rom.6:8 &10. We have life! We are joined with Christ in His resurrection. Christianity that doesn’t go beyond the Cross won’t work. It won’t bring us into that for which we were destined, i.e. to reign in Christ. What’s important is not the way we were raised but the way He was raised! The focus of the Christian should be on the resurrection life of Jesus, and not on our death efforts.

Rom.6:11. This is a very important verse because it is the first word of application in the entire epistle. Reckon = consider, conclude or deduct. It means to make a proper assessment about who we are. This is not a matter of experience, but of fact. Therefore reckon what is true of you in Christ.

Rom.6:12. “Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies.” He does not say “in you” but “in your mortal bodies”. Sin cannot touch you anymore. It remains in our bodies; we choose whether it reigns there.

Rom.6:13. How do we prevent sin from reigning in our bodies?  2 Cor.5:15.  1 Cor.6:19-20. We cannot serve two masters. We will serve the one to whom we hand ourselves over.


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