Hope

Romans 8:18-25

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT)

According to Scripture, hope will last forever, along with faith and love.

In Isaiah 40:31 the Scriptures say:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31 KJV)

“But they that wait upon the Lord” is sometimes translated “hope in the Lord,” and at other times translated “trust in the Lord.” Hope and faith are tied closely together. The dictionary defines hope as:

...to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

...to trust

The Christian cherishes a desire with anticipation for the return of Christ. We also trust that this will happen, not in a “wishing it to be true” sort of way. Rather, we anticipate it and hope in it because we have great confidence that it is true.

This world attacks our hope in many ways. Doubt and uncertainty are our enemies. Our loved ones are attacked by disease. Family members die. Pain and suffering are a part of every life. In the midst of these attacks, it is essential that we do not lose hope. Hope gives courage to face our challenges, and strength to overcome obstacles.  Hope bolsters up weak hearts and encourages the weary. Hope strengthens weak hands and straightens bent backs.

Romans 8:18-25 teaches us about the hope of the believer.

In Romans 8:18-25, we see our need for hope and the content of our hope.

First, we will examine our need for hope.

Put quite simply, we need hope because we suffer.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV)

Romans 8:18 speaks of “the sufferings of this present time.” The fact is we suffer. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33) The song from the 1970s said, “I never promised you a rose garden along with the sunshine. There’s got to be a little rain sometimes...” Suffering is something that everyone experiences, although not everyone experiences suffering the same in quantity or quality. 

As believers in Jesus Christ, we can speak of two types of suffering. One type of suffering is in this world because of sin. Because we are sinners, all humanity experiences death, disease and the consequences of what is called the Fall. Believer and unbeliever alike suffer the effects of this type of suffering.

Another type of suffering is experienced by believers alone. As believers in Jesus Christ, we suffer persecution for the name of Christ. I am not saying no one else suffers persecution. However, the persecution others may suffer is not for the sake of Christ. This changes the meaning and the content of the suffering. Jesus said:

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12 ESV)

For the unbeliever, this present age is the best they are going to get. For the Bible promises:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment... (Hebrews 9:27 ESV)

So, we know that judgment is certain, However, God sent His Son into the world to save us from the coming judgment. Therefore, John 3:36 warns us:

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 ESV)

We must understand the dividing line revealed in this coming judgment in relation to our suffering. For the one who chooses to pay for their own sins by rejecting the free gift of God, life will end and lead to even more suffering, and that suffering will be eternal. It will have no end. For the one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, this life will end and lead to life everlasting. It too will never end.

For the believer, “the sufferings of the present time” become “light and momentary.” (“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,” 2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV)

Indeed, in light of eternity, what comparison can there be between our short lives here on earth and the never-ending life to follow?

I do not want to diminish the reality of the pain, anguish and torture both physical and emotional that is implied in the fact of our suffering. Indeed, the Greek word translated “suffering” in our English Bibles means:

the capacity and privilege of experiencing strong feeling; felt, deep emotion, like agony, passion (ardent desire), suffering, etc.^[1]

Notice that this definition uses the word privilege in describing our ability to experience strong emotions. This points to the fact that the very capacity that allows us to experience the ecstasies of love and passion has been turned against us by sin to cause us grief and pain. However, for the believer in Jesus Christ, suffering is not all bad. Suffering can be of redemptive value. As discipline from the hand of a loving Heavenly Father, suffering can serve to make us complete in Him. As suffering for the name of Christ, it can help to fulfill Christ’s mission on earth to reconcile all creation to Himself.

Romans 8:20 tells us that all of creation was subjected to futility. The Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes explores the futility of life. Another word for futility is “vanity,” or even better “emptiness.” This futility and emptiness is such that the entire creation groans as if in the pains of childbirth.

Notice also that Romans 8:20 says that the creation was subjected to futility against its will. Now, we know that inanimate objects cannot have a will like we do. However, they have a purpose. Because of sin, they are subjected to a situation in which they cannot function according to their purpose or design. This is why when the Bible speaks of God restoring the order of nature, it says:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6 ESV)

While I have been talking about suffering, I have continually been referring to things that give us believers hope. Our need for hope is so tied to our suffering that this is almost unavoidable. The world has been subjected to futility and we see this best when we consider suffering. This is why we need hope. Hope is what gives meaning to our suffering and imbues it with purpose. Hope replaces futility, or hope fills the emptiness.  Without hope, our suffering would be unendurable and meaningless.

For the person who has not yet put their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, there is but one hope, and that hope is found in Jesus Christ. The believer also has his or her hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our need for hope is best shown in our suffering. Now let us consider the content of our hope.

Again, referring to Romans 8:18, we see that it says:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 ESV)

The content of our hope is contained in the phrase “...the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Verse 19 speaks of “...the revealing of the sons of God.”

We believers are promised many great and glorious things in the gospel. The everlasting life promised to everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ is not just a continuation of an existence like the existence we have here and now. It is life as God created it to be. As I pointed out previously, our ability to experience passion, strong emotion and love are tremendous gifts that have been turned against us by sin. When sin is removed, there will be no more pain or suffering, but the ability to experience strong emotions will be put to its full and intended use. Imagine with me the pleasure of a cool glass of orange juice, the sweet cool tanginess as you enjoy swallowing this treat, and now realize that in heaven there will be pleasure without pain. This is just one example of the glory that will be revealed to us. Eternal life is life as God created it to be, and it is life in His presence.

Romans 8:23 also speaks of the “...redemption of our bodies.”

Here again, it is important for us believers to realize that we are going to get a new body. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 says:

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 ESV

Our new body will be a spiritual body. We do not know what that will be like, but we know that it is glorious. As 1 Corinthians says, “It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory.” We know that our new bodies will be free from the results of sin.

Romans 8:21 says that the creation will be freed from its bondage to corruption. We know that in this world everything tends to decay. Nothing is excepted. It is one of the laws of our physical universe that all things tend toward decay and corruption. Our bodies are no exception, but part of the hope of the believer is that our new bodies will not decay. Our new bodies will not grow old and break down. As a matter of fact, the whole creation will be made new and nothing will grow old and break down.

So we see some of the content of our hope in glory, eternal life, new bodies and a new creation. However, the world asks, where is the evidence of these things? As Romans 8:24-25 makes clear, hope that is seen is not hope at all. We do not see these things at all in the world around us.

However, there is a clue in verse 23. Verse 23 speaks of “...the first fruits of the Spirit.”  The Bible tells us:

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)

For the believer, we have what is admittedly a subjective proof in the eyes of the world, but a certain confidence for us, namely, the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So, although we do not see our hope, we have great confidence in our hope.

Although the Holy Spirit is the strongest guarantee for the believer, He is not the only evidence for our hope. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is objective evidence for our faith and our hope of the resurrection. The evidence is so strong historically that Christians, starting with the Apostles and continuing to this day, base their faith on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ... And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 ESV)

So, although we do not see our hope, we have strong reason to hope. We have the first fruits of the Spirit and we serve a risen Savior. There are other reasons for us to believe, but these two are enough to show us that we have reason for our confidence.

Seeing that we have such a great hope, we need to do what Romans 8:25 encourages us to do:

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:25 ESV)

Hope gives us the strength to wait. Hope causes us to wait with anticipation, eager anticipation. Because of hope, we can persevere in spite of the suffering and discouragement we experience in the world.

Fix your hope firmly on the glory that is to be revealed to us. Keep your hope focused on hope in the Lord Jesus Christ!

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^[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/3804.htm. Accessed July 6, 2018.

Living in the Spirit

Romans 8:1-17

Our world is darkened by sin. Violence, murder, hatred and war abound. Even in our homes, there is violence. While we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, the child of God has been set free from the law of sin and death.

Although sin is at work in the world, the child of God has been redeemed, saved from sin. However, this does not mean that we do not sin, nor does it mean that our physical bodies do not die. It does not mean that we are free from the physical ravages of sin, such as pain and suffering. On the other hand, it does mean that we walk in newness of life. It does mean that we are new creatures in Christ.

Romans 8:1-17 speaks of this newness of life. These verses show us what it means to live as new creatures in Christ. Romans 8:1-17 shows us that we are called to live according to the Spirit. This calling shows up in three ways in which this newness of life affects us. These three things are:

1.       Verses 1-4 show us that we are freed from the power of sin.

2.       Verses 5-11 show us that we have the Spirit of God living in us.

3.       Verses 12-17 show us that we God’s children.

First, let’s consider what it means that we are set free from the power of sin.

Romans 8 starts out with a triumphant verse. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” What a joyful, triumphant proclamation! WE ARE FREE FROM CONDEMNATION!

However, this declaration of freedom from condemnation is not for everyone. This declaration of freedom from condemnation is for those who are in Christ Jesus.

To be “in Christ Jesus” means that we have put our faith in Him for salvation. This is an individual decision that everyone is invited to make. Every single person is invited to come to Jesus for salvation. Salvation is not dependent on church attendance, baptism, denomination or any other action taken by man. One must be born again, and this only happens by receiving Jesus Christ as Savior. Once an individual receives Christ, then he or she becomes part of the group defined by “those who are in Christ Jesus.” John 1:12 explains:

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (John 1:12 ESV)

These “children of God” are “those who are in Christ Jesus.” Because of this connection to Christ Jesus, Romans 8:2 tells us:

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2 ESV)

This “law of the Spirit of life” is a new principle that is at work in the lives of those who receive Christ Jesus as Savior. Before the point of salvation, there is a principle at work that is called “the law of sin and death.” We were all under that principle, under a curse. It happened at the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Eden God told the man:

"You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV)

From the time the man and woman ate of the fruit of that tree, the principle of death has been at work in every person born. This is why Ephesians 2:1-2 tells us:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked... (Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV)

God gave the Law of Moses to make it clear that the law of sin and death is at work in all of humanity. Because of this law of sin and death, humanity can never save itself. God made this clear because He loves us. He did this to bring us salvation and to free us from condemnation. However, He first had to make this next principle clear. This is the principle of Romans 8:3.

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, (Romans 8:3 ESV)

The principle is that the law, weakened by the flesh, could never save us. The law is holy, just and good. However, because of the flesh the law cannot save us. In Christian circles, when we speak of legalism, we are referring to efforts to be saved by keeping the law. However, the law only saves us by pointing us to Christ Jesus. Romans 8:3 contains the wonderful truth that God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. He had a body like ours and He had flesh like ours. However, His flesh was free from sin, and, being free from sin, He was able to present Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews 10:1-10 contains a more detailed explanation of this sacrifice.)

Now, as it says in Romans 8:4, the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in us. Not because of any righteous works that we have done, but because Jesus has paid for all our transgressions. This is why there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. This is described as being free from the law of sin and death.

Having been freed from the law of sin and death, we also have the Spirit of God living in us. Verse 4 begins the transition to the discussion of the Spirit of God living within us when it alludes to “...us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Verses 5-11 show us that we have the Spirit of God living in us.

Being freed from the law of sin and death opens the way for us to have the life giving Spirit of God within us.

Romans 8:9 says:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:9 ESV)

This makes it clear that a child of God is distinguished by having the Spirit of God. This is one way to know whether we are saved. The next section will deal with this when it says that the Spirit bears witness with our Spirit. However, at this point, the text is talking about living a life that pleases God, and verse 8 says that those who live according to the flesh can never please God. Our newness of life begins to show itself here. Before we were saved, we could not please God because we did not have the Spirit of God. Verses 5 through 8 show us the difference between those who walk according to the Spirit and those who walk according to the flesh. Verse 5 says those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, and those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. This then is the big difference, as in, what our minds are set on. Having our minds set on the things of the Spirit would seem to indicate that the habitual bent of our thoughts is toward the things of God continually. Indeed, the Scriptures encourage us to set our minds on things above.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:2 ESV)

It is crucial for us as believers to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It is important for us to set our minds on things above. However, a believer can live with a mind set on the things of the flesh. Now, if a person is a child of God, but lives according to the flesh, then we would not be able to tell the difference between this person and a person who is not a child of God. Because, they both would have their minds set on the things of the flesh. The flesh is hostile toward God, and therefore, it is contrary to the Spirit of God to live according to the flesh. It is for this reason that Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. It is possible for us as believers to walk contrary to the Spirit of God, and thus grieve the Spirit of God.

This is where verse 9 comes in:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Romans 8:9 ESV)

This is a wonderful truth of deliverance for the believer.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11 ESV)

The Power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us.

It is this power that enables us to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8).

It is by this power that we are reborn (John 3).

It is by this power that we are made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Indeed, as 2 Peter 1:3 says:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness... (2 Peter 1:3 ESV)

This incredible truth of God’s Spirit living within us leads us to the next truth of verses 12 through 17.

Verses 12-17 show us that we God’s children.

We are freed from the power of sin and we have the Spirit of God living within us. The full meaning of these two truths are found in this declaration that we are God’s children. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. (Romans 8:16)

Because of this truth, Romans 8:12 tells us we have an obligation.

As God’s children, we are obligated.

However, instead of telling us what that obligation is, this passage tells us what the obligation is not. Having been set free from sin, we are no longer obligated to live according to the flesh. This is part of the powerful life-changing truth of the Gospel. We are children of our Father who is in Heaven. According to Romans 8:15, by the Spirit that dwells within us we call Him, “Abba, Father.”

This is our obligation. We are obligated to live as children of our Heavenly Father. We are heirs with Jesus of the glories of the Father and as such, we are citizens of a heavenly kingdom. We are no longer obligated to live according to the desires and passions of our flesh.

When the Pharisees and teachers of religious law disputed with Jesus about their heritage, Jesus told them:

"If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:42-44 ESV)

“If God were your Father, you would love me...” This is consistent with what we learned from Romans 5:5, “...God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5 ESV)

Herein is the motivation behind true life change, not that we change ourselves as much as we are changed from the inside out. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV)

We are obligated, not to the law to abide by it, but to our Heavenly Father. We are bound by love to live as imitators of our Father. We love God because He first loved us and gave His one and only Son to pay for our sins. This leads us to walk in newness of life.

We are freed from sin and no longer obligated to live according to the dictates of the flesh. In addition, we have the Spirit of God within us, and the power that raised Jesus from the dead enables us to live according to that same Spirit. And finally, the Spirit of God living within us bears testimony with our Spirit that we are God’s children. By this Spirit, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, and it is this love that motivates us to want to please our Heavenly Father in all things.

Living in the Spirit means that there is therefore now no condemnation.

Are you living in the Spirit?

Struggling with Sin

Romans 7:14-25

Have you ever been frustrated with yourself?

Have you ever said things or done things you did not mean?

Even after we accept Christ, we struggle with sin. In Hebrews 12, after telling us to set aside the sin that so easily besets us, the author says, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4 ESV) This shows how serious the struggle against sin is.

The Apostle Paul, the author of the letter to the Roman church, gives us an inside look at the struggle of his own heart. As we look at today's passage, we will see that we are not alone or unique in our struggle against sin.

Romans 7:1-13 explains to us that when we are united with Christ, we die to the law and serve God in a new way by the Spirit. However, death does not mean annihilation. The law still exists and so does our flesh. We are new creatures in Christ, and yet we still live in our earthly tents.

Romans 7:14-25 helps us understand our continuing struggle with sin. No matter how much we may hate sin and love the law of God, we must still make a daily habit of presenting the members of our body to God as instruments of righteousness. Romans 7:25 states the struggle like this:

I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:25 ESV)

Verses 14-25 can be divided up as follows:

1.       Verses 14-17, I am not the one doing wrong.

2.       Verses 18-20, Nothing good lives in my flesh.

3.       Verse 21-25, The Answer is in Jesus Christ.

First, let’s look at the statement, “I am not the one doing wrong.”

Of course, by this we do not mean to say we are not responsible for our actions. We are starting with the conclusion, and verse 17 gives this conclusion when it says:

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:17 ESV)

Let us look at the reasoning that led to this statement. How is it that we can say, “I am not the one doing wrong?”

First, we must recognize that something is seriously wrong within ourselves. The Apostle says of himself:

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14 NLT)

Here, the Apostle is saying that the trouble is within him. He is a slave to sin. Now, we have just come out of Romans 6 that has taught very clearly that we are dead to sin and no longer slaves, and Romans 7 has been telling us we are not under law. These truths contradict what this verse is saying. Because of this obvious contradiction, many teach that verses 14 and following are speaking about the unregenerate. However, the book of Romans and this chapter are written to believers, and Paul is clearly speaking of his own experience, an experience common to all who love the Lord Jesus. We have all experienced this. We love the Lord. We love the law, and are horrified at our own sinfulness. The purpose of this passage is not to disassociate ourselves from reality, but to help us understand the battle that we are engaged in.

The confusion and frustration of this battle is expressed in verse 15:

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. (Romans 7:15 ESV)

Here is the problem within...we find ourselves doing the very thing we hate. We do not understand our own actions. Jeremiah 17 tells us:

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT) 

Romans 7:15 is a case in point. We cannot even understand ourselves.

We see reflected in Romans 7:15 a struggle between two natures where a person literally ends up doing the very thing he or she hates. In Christianity, we speak of the old nature and the new nature.  We also speak of the Spirit and the flesh. It is clear from the New Testament that we can live according to the Spirit or according to the flesh. For example, Romans 6 challenges us to no longer present the members of our body to sin as slaves to unrighteousness.

Sadly, many Christians, finding that they still sin even after coming to Christ, give up and do not struggle against the flesh at all. We call these carnal Christians. Carnal means fleshly. Literally, carnal means meat. To walk according to the flesh is to live as if we never knew Christ at all. If you are a Christian and experience no battle with the flesh, it may be because you have already given up. The alternative is that you are not truly a child of God, and are fooling yourself into thinking you are. The person who does not know Christ has no battle because he or she has no new nature. This is also why we know that Romans 7 is speaking to believers. As verse 16 says: “Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.” (Romans 7:16 ESV) It is the new nature, the new creature in Christ that agrees with the law, that the law is good.

It is important for us as believers to come to the point that we realize the truth of Romans 7:17:

So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (Romans 7:17 NLT)

This is a matter of our identity, and it is the first step toward victory in this battle. While the battle will not be completely done until the flesh is eradicated, victory is possible. First, we must learn our identity.

We are new creatures in Christ. We are dead to sin and the law. We are called upon to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. When we sin, we act in a way that is inconsistent with who we are. It is not our true selves, but our old selves, who sin.

How we see ourselves is extremely important. We are not to deny our sin. We are not to make excuses for our sins. We are to confess our sins. However, we are not identified by our sins. Jesus has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. We are sons and daughters of God, our Heavenly Father.

Therefore, I am not the one doing wrong, but rather it is sin dwelling in me. This brings us to our second truth: Nothing good dwells in my flesh.

Romans 7:18-20 addresses this truth. The full statement of the fact that nothing good dwells in my flesh is found in verse 18:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)

Here is another truth that we must learn in order to enjoy victory over the flesh. Nothing good dwells in my flesh. I cannot love the flesh, that is, I cannot love that part of me that opposes God. I cannot reform the flesh. This is why I am crucified with Christ. The flesh must die. One day my earthly body will die, and the flesh will die with it. Then, I will get a new body. My new body will be a heavenly body and will not be of flesh. My new body will be in line with my new nature and then I will experience perfect unity in body and soul and will no longer experience the struggle between flesh and the Spirit.

It is not that our physical bodies are evil. Rather, our fleshly nature has been corrupted by sin. Verses 18 through 20 repeat the same problem of verses 14 through 17. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:19-20 ESV) So, we are talking about the sin that dwells within me. However, the repetition is to make the point that nothing good dwells within my flesh.

Galatians 5:17 says:

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17 ESV)

This battle started in the Garden of Eden when the man and the woman decided they would be like God. The flesh still wants to be God. In Genesis 6, God describes the heart of man as follows:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5 ESV)

Only evil continually describes the flesh. Christ did not come to reform our flesh. Christ came to give us new birth. This means that Christianity is not a system of morals. It is not meant to be a code of conduct. Trying to follow the letter of the law does not result in righteousness. Trying to follow the letter of the law always results in hypocrisy. This is not hyperbole. Trying to follow the letter of the law ALWAYS results in hypocrisy. The flesh cannot be reformed. The flesh must die. We are crucified with Christ; therefore, we can live “separated” from the flesh. However, the flesh will not be annihilated until this fleshly body experiences physical death.

Our identity is important because sin is inconsistent with who we are in Christ. Knowing that nothing good dwells within our flesh is important because no moral code, set of rules or laws can reform the flesh. This all leads us to the third point: The answer is in Jesus Christ.

Romans 7:21-25 covers this point.

Verses 21 and 22 start out with what looks like a third repetition of the fact that I do not do what I want to do, but do the very thing I hate. 

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, (Romans 7:21-22 ESV)

Here we see a key point. “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being.” The Spirit of God in our heart testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. It is by His Spirit that we cry “Abba, Father.” Our new nature loves God and everything about Him, including His law. Along with the Psalmist we say:

How I delight in your commands! How I love them! I honor and love your commands. I meditate on your decrees. (Psalms 119:47-48 NLT)

We are not happy with our fleshly captivity to sin. Therefore, we say along with the Apostle, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24) 

Romans 8 talks about this when it says:

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. (Romans 8:22-23 NLT)

We believers groan. We wait eagerly for the day when God will give us the new bodies He has promised. However, in this life, we rejoice in Jesus Christ. Chapter 8 goes into detail of how we have been set free from the law of sin and death. However, when the question is asked, “Who will set me free from this body of death,” the answer is given in Romans 7:25.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:25 ESV)

The answer to sin and the flesh is found in Jesus Christ our Lord. Praise God, we are crucified with Christ, nevertheless, we live, not us but Christ lives in us.

We can trust God to deal with the sin that dwells within us. Do not determine to do better. Determine to submit to God. Determine to seek God with all your heart. Seek God with every last iota of your strength. No rules - just love God.  Love Him with all your heart.

Do you have a problem with anger?

Jesus can deal with it.

Do you have a problem with lust?

Jesus can deal with it.

Do you have a problem with alcohol?

Jesus can deal with it.

Now, do not think you can go it alone. No rules, but the Lord has told us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves together. He has told us to bear one another’s burdens. He has told us to confess our sins to one another. If you have one of these problems and think you can keep it a secret, you can forget it. Jesus does not work in the dark. We are here to help each other bear these burdens and take them together to the Lord. I am here to help you bear these burdens and take them together to the Lord.

If you say you do not have this struggle, you are only fooling yourself. We all know better. It is time for us to quit trying to reform our flesh and get serious about walking in the Spirit.

Newness of the Spirit

Romans 7:1-14

How are we to serve God? What pleases Him and how are we to know when we have pleased God?

It would be nice if we had a shopping list, a to-do list that we could check off and, when the list was completed, know that we had done everything required of us.

This is what the law seems to be, a service checklist.

One day, a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

This is the question behind the question of how we are to serve God.  We desire eternal life, life abundant and full that goes on forever. The person making the inquiry of Jesus wanted the “to-do list” for eternal life.

Jesus answered: “You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 19:16-22, contains the whole story)

We all recognize this list as being part of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are the “to-do list” for those who would serve God. However, as Romans 3:20 has already stated:

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20 ESV)

Romans 6 has established the fact that we are dead to sin, but the question remains, “How are we to relate to the Law?” The man who asked Jesus the question, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life,” said he had kept all these laws. But, he went away disappointed when Jesus told him to sell all his possessions and give it all to the poor. Keeping the to-do list was not enough and did not give eternal life.

Romans 7 addresses the issue of how we are to relate to the law as those who have been crucified with Christ and raised to newness of life. In Romans 7:1-14 we will see two things. First, we will see that we serve in newness of the Spirit not in oldness of the letter. Second, we will see that the law is good.

First, verses 1-6 show us that we serve in newness of the Spirit.

Looking back at Romans 6:3-4, it says that the one who is united with Christ is united with Him in His death, burial and resurrection. Therefore, we walk in newness of life. Romans 6 then tells us that we are to present our bodies as instruments of righteousness to God. Now, as we enter Romans 7, it shows us that presenting our bodies as instruments of righteousness does not mean trying to keep the law.

The transition from chapter 6 to the chapter 7 is “Do you not know?” (Romans 7:1) This is the third time the author is using this question. He asks this question in 6:3, 6:16 and now in 7:1.  Each time the question is asked it implies knowledge that should be possessed.  It is like saying, “This is not rocket science,” which implies that the subject matter is not difficult.

Occasionally the New Testament chides us for not knowing what we should know. In this case, what we should know is: “...the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives.” (Romans 7:1) As an example of what this means, the author speaks of marriage. When the spouse dies, a person is no longer bound by the vows they made to that person. The simple logic is that since we have died with Christ, we have died to the law, and are thus free from the law.

This implies that before a person accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, he or she is bound to the law. Now, if we are bound to the law, we are obligated to keep the whole law. Galatians gives us an example of this when it says: “I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.” (Galatians 5:3 NLT) If a person says, “Well, the law of Moses is my list,” another truth about the law must be faced. James 2:10 states it like this:

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law. (James 2:10-11 NLT)

Having the “to-do list” to serve God only results in condemnation. And, condemnation results in shame. For example, a wife who is unfaithful to her husband is called an adulteress. (I choose this example only because it is the example the text has used.) Whether it was one act of infidelity or a thousand acts of infidelity, the label is the same. This is what it means to be bound by the law. Guilt and shame come attached to the law. This is why many of us will give up and say, “Well, I have already messed up, might as well go all the way.” Calling a person an adulteress identifies that person with her shame. She could be a mother who committed adultery, but no, we identify her by her shame.

In Scripture, shame is tied to words like guilt, sin, nakedness, blight, confusion, reproach, folly, poverty, nothingness and contempt. Shame is a painful experience. Most of us will not face our shame, avoiding it at any cost. The pain of shame will bring us to repentance faster and more effectively than anything else. This is why freedom starts by admitting our shame. “Hi, my name is Joe, and I am a sinner (alcoholic, porn addict, drug addict...).”  Shame is so painful that most of us will die rather than face our shame. This is why alcoholism and addictions of all sorts are so dreadfully powerful. We will literally drink, gamble, medicate... ourselves to death rather than face our shame, and shame is exactly what comes from being bound to the law.

As I have said, chapter 7 starts out with, “Do you not know,” because it is something that we all know instinctively. Every single one of us is bound to keep the whole law until we come to Jesus Christ for salvation. This is why Galatians 3:22 says: “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3:22 ESV)

Imprisonment under sin results because, as Romans 7:5 says:

When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. (Romans 7:5 NLT)

Praise God, we have been set free from the law. Romans 7:6 says:

But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:6 NLT)

I am getting way ahead of myself, but the conclusion this is all heading for is stated so clearly in Romans 8:1 that I must share it now:

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1 NLT)

Read that again, slowly. There is no condemnation...no condemnation, none, zilch, zero. What happens to shame? It is gone. What happens to guilt? What guilt?

We have died with Christ and are free from the law. Now we serve in a new way by the Spirit. We are going to spend a lot more time on how we walk according to the Spirit, because it is basic to our Christian life. However, it is clear to most of us and to those who do not yet believe in Jesus, that we are far from perfect. In order to free us completely from sin, God would have to take us home to heaven immediately upon our salvation, but this is not what He does. He gives us His Holy Spirit and empowers us to be His witnesses. He teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight. He grows us from infants to maturity in Christ, and in so doing He leads us into a deeper, fuller fellowship with Him than we could experience any other way. He does this for our good and our glory. As Romans 8:18 says:

Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Romans 8:18 NLT)

Since, we are walking by the Spirit, but are not yet perfect, what then is our relationship to the law? Romans 7:7-14 begins to address this question. It shows us that the law is good. Romans 7:12 says:

But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good. (Romans 7:12 NLT)

Since the law brings condemnation and shame, and since we are no longer bound by the law, we might think that the law is bad. Romans 7:7 goes right to this point when it says:  “Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful?” (Romans 7:7 NLT)

What follows then is an explanation of how sin used the commandment of God to bring about death. The example used is covetousness. If the law had not said, “Thou shalt not covet,” we would not know what covetousness is. Romans 7:11 explains:

Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. (Romans 7:11 NLT)

The law serves a purpose, and we see it in the process described in verses 7 through 12. One of the purposes of the law is described in verse 13 when it says, “So we can see how terrible sin really is.” The law is holy, righteous and good. It really is a bad thing to steal, kill or lie, and the law makes this clear. For this reason, Romans 7:13 explains:

But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. (Romans 7:13 NLT)

The law still serves this purpose. We truly are free from the law. We truly are dead to sin. However, death means we are separated from sin and the law. Death does not mean that sin and the law have ceased to exist. Therefore, the law still serves a purpose. As verse 14 transitions to a practical application, it addresses the law’s continuing purpose. Romans 7:14 says:

So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. (Romans 7:14 NLT)

The English Standard Version translates it:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14 ESV)

The problem is with the old nature. When we are united with Christ, we are born again and we are new creatures in Christ, but the old nature is not eradicated. Therefore, we can live according to the flesh. We are “sold under sin,” in the sense that we are entirely in love with sinning. It is this love of sinning that makes us “slaves.”

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and judgment, so in repentance we accept Christ as Savior. Although we are reborn, our flesh still loves our sin. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. Using the law, He makes us aware that we are walking according to the flesh and not in the newness of the Spirit. He does not condemn us. The law does that. As God’s children, when the Holy Spirit convicts us, we have a choice to make. We can plug our spiritual ears and ignore the Holy Spirit or we can do what 1 John 1:9 encourages us to do. We can confess our sins and allow Him to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Believers live as prisoners of sin because of incomplete repentance. We have been united with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection. We are not under law. Sin has no dominion over us, and yet many of us choose to hold onto our sin in love, rather than repent and walk in the newness of the Spirit. When we are feeling condemnation, shame and guilt, we must realize as verse 14 says, “...the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin.” Let the law do its work in showing sin for what it is, and then take the next step, which is to confess our sin and let Him cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Sanctification

Romans 6:15-23

Sanctification is a big word.

What I mean by big word is that we use and it is not clear what we mean, but it sounds good and hopefully using such a word makes us sound intelligent.

However, sanctification names the process by which we are set apart to and for God. Romans 6 through Romans 8 deal with the subject of sanctification, and I pray that by the time we finish studying these chapters, sanctification will be something that we not only understand, but also joyfully participate in with God our Savior.

In Romans 6:1-14, we began our look into sanctification by learning that we are dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. A dictionary definition of sanctification is “set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred."^[1] The word sanctification has its origins in the Latin word for “sacred,” which is another way of saying “holy.” Our death to sin is the starting point of our sanctification. We are being made holy. We are separated from sin and set apart to/for God.

Romans 6:19 ends with the phrase “leading to sanctification.” The Greek word translated “sanctification” is the word “ἁγιασμόν” (hagiasmon), which is a form of the Greek word for “holy.” To be sanctified is to be holy, and to be holy is to be set apart.

The use of such big words and lengthy explanations can suck the life and energy out of an otherwise exciting and practical subject. In Romans 6:15-23, we will see sanctification explained in a practical way that has meaning for our everyday lives. Romans 6:15-23 shows us that we must choose whom we will serve. The preceding verses show us that we are separated from our sin and that sin no longer has dominion over us. However, we still have a choice to make. Therefore, verse 15 starts out with a question:

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? (ESV)

This question is answered in verses 15 through 23. These verses explain sanctification in three different terms. These terms are:

1.       Slavery

2.       Freedom

3.       Wages

We will look at each term as it appears in the text and will find each term drives us back to the fact that we have a choice to make.

The discussion starts with the fact that we are not under law but under grace. This fact is stated in both verse 14 and verse 15 of Romans 6.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Romans 6:14-15 ESV)

Having been justified by faith and given access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, our sins are no longer held against us. This is described as “being under grace.” All our sins, past, present and future, have been covered by the blood of Christ, and we stand justified before God. Therefore, naturally, we can do whatever we want because we are already forgiven. This is where the question comes in, “Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?” The answer is no, “By no means!”

Thus begins the explanation of sanctification, and the explanation begins in terms of slavery. The text immediately asks a question:

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16, ESV)

The question “Do you not know...” implies an expectation that this should be common knowledge. In this case, the common knowledge is along the lines of the physical impossibility of being in two places at once. You either give yourself to sin or you give yourself to righteousness, but you cannot do both. It is a definite either/or situation. Either we are slaves to righteousness or we are slaves to sin. Jesus put it in the terms that no man can serve two masters. In this case, we are said to be slaves of the one whom we obey. Notice also that the text says whom. We can take this one of two ways. Either sin is personified, or there is a personality behind sin. We know that the one behind sin is called the prince and the power of the air. While we cannot use the excuse “the devil made me do it,” if we choose to obey sin, we end up doing the devil’s will or his work.

When we speak of sanctification, we are not talking about salvation. We are talking about those who have been justified by faith. However, we must still make a choice. We must choose which we will obey, and therefore which we will be slaves of. Either we obey sin or we obey righteousness. 

Before we were saved, we had no choice. We were born into slavery to sin, and could not break free. This is where the text takes us to next. It explains sanctification in terms of freedom. Verses 17-18 say:

But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. (Romans 6:17-18 ESV)

The first part of this passage makes it plain that we were all once slaves of sin. We all once walked according to the dictates of the flesh. This is the definition of slavery. We had no choice. We were separated from God, prisoners of sin and under the power of the prince and power of the air. However, according to this passage we have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which we were committed. Of course, this is speaking of the gospel that Jesus was crucified for our sins and rose again for our justification. We enjoy salvation by believing in His name. It is by this that Romans 6:18 refers to us as having been set free from sin. It is only by being set free from sin that we can become slaves of righteousness.

We are not saved by our sanctification. We are saved and thus become free to be sanctified. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can choose righteousness. Ephesians 5:1 encourages us to be imitators of God as beloved children, and this is what we are. We are God’s beloved children, and with His Holy Spirit living inside us we can walk in love just as Christ loved us. This is what it means to be sanctified. We are set apart as children of God and set free to live in imitation of Him.

In verse 19, Romans 6 makes it clear that it is speaking in human terms, because of our natural human limitations. Verse 3 of Romans 6 asks a “Do you not know” question and assumes there is knowledge common to all people who have believed the gospel. This knowledge common to all who have believed the gospel is our union with Christ. Our union with Christ should make the idea of continuing in sin seem ludicrous. Now, in verses 15 through 19, our knowledge of freedom and slavery should make the idea of continuing in sin seem ludicrous. This is not a deep spiritual truth. These are the simple physical facts of the situation. We are slaves to the one we obey. In light of this truth, Romans 6:19 pleads with us to make the choice of obedience to righteousness, which leads to sanctification.

After presenting the truths of slavery and freedom, the text next explains sanctification in terms of wages. Verses 20-21 say:

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:20-21 ESV)

In these verses, the term “wages” is not used. Wages is used in verse 23 in the conclusion. Verse 21 asks the question, “What fruit were you getting?” Verse 21 also makes it clear that the end of those things is death.

Being free in regard to righteousness is not a good thing. The fruit of sin is ultimately death, but that is not its only fruit. Consider all the heartache, pain and suffering in the world, and realize that it all comes as the fruit of unrighteousness. Horrific, horrific, horrific crimes are committed each day because people are free in regard to righteousness. We think we are okay because we are horrified by the evil in the world, but we harbor malice and envy in our hearts, which are the roots from which these evils in our world come. We are horrified at sex trafficking but for our own gratification, we will step outside the boundaries God has put on sex. It does not take a spiritual genius to see the hypocrisy in this. However, what is strange is that we all seem to be blind to the fruit of our slavery to sin. That thing that everybody is doing has become acceptable. Even though we know it is wrong, do we realize that the end of it is death? We run around busily trying to establish social justice but ignore the elephant in the room, which is our sin. We have chosen to present ourselves in obedience to sin. We see the fruit all around us.

Thank God that we have been set free from sin. Having been set free, the assumption of Romans 6:22 is that we have become slaves of God.

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. (Romans 6:22 ESV)

Just as our slavery to sin bore fruit to death, our slavery to God bears fruit to life. It bears fruit in the lives of those around us as we share the gospel, demonstrate His love and reach out to the lost. Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost, and we are here as His hands and feet to do His work. Our slavery, or sanctification, expresses itself according to our individual gifting. Some have the gift of helps and are good at supporting, encouraging and helping others. They get loads of physical work done. Some have the gift of mercy and are empathetic and can spot and feel the pain of another from across a crowded room. They are good at supporting and encouraging us emotionally and spiritually. They bind up the brokenhearted. Some have the gift of administration. These people keep us organized and help us get things done. The fruit of all these things is life giving as long as they are done in obedience to the Lord.

The practical work of sanctification is expressed in terms of wages as Romans 6:23 gives the conclusion:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

There is no benefit in slavery to sin and it only leads to death. In contrast to this, God gives eternal life. Eternal means never ending, and in addition, it means a new quality of life that Jesus termed “abundant life.”

We have been set free, and yet we should fear lest we fail to enter into the riches of the eternal life that God gives so freely. Hebrews 12:1 encourages us to lay aside the sin that so easily besets us. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV) Having been justified by faith, let us move forward into our sanctification, trusting Him who has begun a good work in us to carry it through to completion.

Let’s close with a verse from Romans 6 that comes before our text for today:

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:13, ESV)

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^[1] google.com, accessed June 8, 2018.

Dead to Sin

Romans 6:1-14

Since February, we have been studying our way through the book of Romans. We come now to the sixth chapter. As a reminder, here is a brief outline of the book of Romans:

Romans 1-3:20             -         Sin

Romans 3:21-5             -         Salvation

Romans 6-8                  -         Sanctification

Romans 9-11                -         Sovereignty

Romans 12-16              -         Service

From the middle of chapter three through the end of chapter five, we have been looking at justification by faith, otherwise outlined as "Salvation." As we begin in chapter six, chapter five has just finished arguing that the more sin increased the more grace abounded. This is the result of justification by faith. We are saved, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy. (Titus 3:5)

In view of this free salvation, a question comes to mind, and Romans 6:1 asks that question. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?”

Romans chapters six through eight deal with this question as they speak of our sanctification. What has become of sin in our lives? Having been justified by faith, how then should we live? What change should it make in our lives? How should being justified change us?

The book of Romans, up to this point, has argued strongly that we are not saved by works, by keeping the law or by any righteousness of our own. It has just argued that that the law was given so that transgression would increase. The law made sin obvious, and, rather than decreasing sin, only served to increase sin. However, in response to this increase in sin, grace overflowed to the forgiveness of our sins and to our receiving eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, it seems natural that if more sin results in more grace, we should sin all the more in order to increase grace.

This sort of thinking is natural, in other words, unspiritual and ungodly.

This is why the immediate, strong negative is given, “By no means!”

The next twelve verses, verses three through fourteen, will respond to this question giving us something we should know, something we should consider and something we should consider that would result in each of us presenting ourselves to God, our Maker.

Here are these three things in outline form:

1.       We should know that “we have been baptized into Christ Jesus.” (Verse 3)

2.       We should consider ourselves dead to sin. (Verse 11)

3.       We should present ourselves to God. (Verse 13)

Returning to the question, “What shall we say then?” the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Paul, asks two questions of His own. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” and “Do you not know?” (Verse 3)

These two questions point out both the absurdity of this kind of thinking, and the expectation that all Christians should know better. In other words, there is knowledge here so basic to our faith that every Christian should know.

Here is that basic knowledge laid out in the words of Romans 6:3-4:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4 ESV)

These verses are a description of what happens when we are born again. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are “baptized” into Him. This is not speaking of water baptism.

Remember when people went to John the Baptist to be baptized in water, he said:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 ESV)

Jesus baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire. It is not by any works, such as baptism, done by the hands of man that we are born again. Rather, we are born again by the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is He who unites us with Christ, baptizing us INTO Christ. We are united with Christ. We are made one with Christ. Thus, we have new life, eternal in duration and quality. As described in Romans 6:4, we were buried with Him and rose with Him so that we might walk in newness of life.

This is something every Christian should know. This is the essence of what it means to be born again. This is one of the basic truths of the gospel.

The truth of our union with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection has ramifications for our daily lives, and this is where the discussion moves to in Romans 6:5-11. There is something we are to consider. This section of the chapter deals with the ramifications, or the meaning of, our union with Christ.

Verse 5 starts out by saying:

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:5 ESV)

This is the underlying truth of what we are about to be told to consider.

The word consider shows up in verse 11 at the end of this section and means to count, think or conclude. It is variously translated: think, consider, count, reckon, reason, decide or conclude. The implication of these words is that we are to take the basic facts that we know and see what they add up to. We are to reason through to the conclusion of the matter. This is precisely what verses five through eleven do. These verses lead us through the reasoning that follows from our union with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection.

The first part of this reasoning is that the old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be done away with. This is what Galatians 2:20 is talking about when it says, “I am crucified with Christ.” In Ephesians 4, when talking about how we were taught to live in Christ, the Scriptures say:

…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (Ephesians 4:22 ESV)

The “old self” is said to belong to our former manner of life, and it is also said to be “corrupt through deceitful desires.” This “old self” is obviously who we were before we were born again. This old self is done away with. However, this does not mean our personalities change or that our tastes, preferences or uniquenesses are lost. Rather, we are given a new heart, one that desires the things of God and is no longer a slave to the passions or desires of the flesh. Before this happened, we were slaves to sin with no choice as to whether or not we obeyed the dictates of the flesh. This is what verse seven of Romans 6 is getting into when it says, “For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Romans 7 will explain this more when it uses the analogy of marriage to explain how we have been set free from the law. However, the point here is that we are given new life, and this new life is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The promise of verses eight and nine is that we have a new life that is in Jesus Christ our Lord and as such, it is eternal in both duration and quality. Our joy, freedom and the richness of this new life can hardly be expressed in words, since it has to do with our being seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Because of these things, verse eleven leads us to the conclusion that we are to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

This “considering,” or thinking, is essential to our Christian life. We must both know the truth and think it through to its logical conclusion. However, it does not stop there. We must take the next step and act upon the truth. It is important here to distinguish between being saved by our works, and being freed from our sins. We are not saved by what we do, but we are freed from the rule, dominion and slavery of sin. As Romans chapter 6 starts out, why should we who have died to sin still live in it? Why would we want to? What profit did we have in those things that lead only to death?

Therefore, verses twelve through fourteen show us that we must present ourselves to God.

Being dead to sin does not mean that we cannot still let sin rule in our bodies. We must first consider ourselves dead to sin, and then verse twelve tells us:

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (Romans 6:12 ESV)

We still have the option of obeying the passions of our body. Death does not mean annihilation. 

Before we are born again, the Bible describes us as dead to God and righteousness. This does not mean that we do not have a spirit and a soul, but it does mean that we are separated from God. In addition, there is an imprisonment or bondage in regard to spiritual things. The Scriptures speak of death and the grave as being equivalent. In Hosea 13:14, the Lord says, “I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol; I shall redeem them from Death.” And in Revelation 20:14, the Scriptures speak of death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire. In these references, both Sheol and Hades are references to the grave or the place of the dead. The grave is seen as a place of confinement. A soul is thus kept from life and from God. Therefore, not only does death imply a separation, it also implies a confinement or removal from the presence of life. Jesus used a parable where He spoke of souls being thrown into outer darkness where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30). Here again there is a removal of the soul from life. However, the soul still exists and is conscious. In regard to our death to sin, this should make us aware that sin, which was a part of us, is now separated from us, and it has been confined in that its power to dominate us is broken. Therefore, as Romans 6:14 says, “...sin will have no dominion over you...” Since we have died to sin, we are separated from sin and sin is confined, it has no power over us.

For this reason, Romans 6:13 says:

Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. Romans 6:13 ESV

Sin still exists. We can still present our members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but we have no obligation to present ourselves to sin. We are now free to present ourselves to God. We are no longer separated from God. We are united with Christ, and therefore we can present ourselves to God. Presenting our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness is what it means to walk in newness of life. Before we were baptized into Christ, this was not even possible.

We have seen that it is necessary for us to know that we are baptized into Christ, to consider that we are dead to sin and then to present ourselves to God.

Is there anything keeping you from enjoying this grace which has been given to us?