In Romans 6:2, we read the words of the Apostle Paul, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein” (in sin)? What does it mean, to be dead to sin? It’s important that we understand this truth from God’s Word because if you are in Christ, born-again by the Spirit of God, you are “DEAD TO SIN”! You’re either saved and “dead to sin” or you’re lost and “dead in your sins”! To be “dead in your sins” is to be estranged from Christ, separated from Him, to be “dead to your sins” is to be one with Christ, united to Him! Being “dead to sin” is good, in contrast to being “dead in sin” which is bad. Since Romans 6:1 starts with a question, I want to look at the latter part of Romans 5 to help us understand. Romans 5:12: Adam “represented” all of humanity, when he sinned, every one of us sinned! Adam’s penalty and punishment is our penalty and punishment! 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 In Romans 5:14-19, Paul contrasts Adam’s disobedience and sin, which brought death, with the Lord Jesus’ obedience and righteousness, which brings eternal life to all who believe. By the offense and disobedience of one man, (Adam), death, condemnation, and judgment came upon all! We were ALL made sinners! By the grace of God, and by the obedience of One Man, (Christ), shall many be made righteous, all who believe are justified in the sight of God! If you’re IN ADAM, you’re united to him, sin and death reign in your life, if you’re IN CHRIST, you’re united to Him, grace reigns in you and you have eternal life! Romans 5:20-21 Paul, in this passage, contrasts our sin and God’s grace, sin reigns unto death in lost sinners, and grace reigns through righteousness in the saved. Either sin is reigning in your life, or grace is reigning…… This is ALSO where we are better able to understand the purpose of the law: The law of Moses ENTERED, “it came in beside” or in addition to the command that Adam transgressed…. WHY? That the offense might abound; the law makes our sin LOOK LIKE it MUST LOOK to us. The law clearly manifests how bad our sins really are, it condemns us with inescapable and divine precision; this is the design of the law, that the offense might abound! Romans 7:5-14, Galatians 3:21-29 For those of you who are saved and in Christ, sin and death are dethroned from your life, hence, “you are dead to sin”; grace now reigns in you by Jesus Christ! Since “grace now reigns in you”; where sin abounds, grace abounds or increases so much more …Since this is true of you in Christ… Romans 6:1: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin”, To get more grace, “that grace may abound”. Shall I think like this??? The more I sin, the more I receive grace…. this is what the wicked think about God’s grace! I’ll just sin and get more grace! But Paul replies God forbid! May it never be in any of our hearts as Christians! Romans 6:2: “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein”? (In sin) Now in Romans 6:3-11, Paul expands on this very important truth for our faith to take hold of…. In Christ, YOU ARE “dead to sin” whereas before you were saved you were “dead in your sins”. (V21): “That as sin hath reigned unto death, (your sinful past), even so (now, as a Christian) might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord”! So, what does it mean to be “dead to sin”? If I could take you back to Matthew 1:21 when the angel Gabriel appeared to Joseph and told him that Mary would give birth to a Son, he told him, “Thou shalt call His Name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins”. When God saved you, He saved you from the guilt, punishment, and condemnation of your sins, but also, from the dominion of sin. In Christ, you are dead to sin’s tyranny and rule over you…. Sin no longer reigns over you; you are no longer enslaved to sin. Paul states this as a Biblical fact for you to take hold of by faith! In the same way that you believe by faith that Christ suffered and died for your sins on the cross, here Paul goes deeper into the wonderful truth of your salvation….and about what happened on the cross…... When Christ died on the cross, He took upon Himself in His body, the penalty, punishment, and condemnation for your sins. BUT THERE’S MORE! When Christ died, THE OLD YOU DIED WITH HIM! This is a Biblical fact, here in the first part of Romans 6, Paul wrote in the indicative, or in the mood of certainty, meaning THIS HAPPENED on the cross! The old you died with Christ! Galatians 2:20: To be ALIVE IN Christ one must be CRUCIFIED with Christ! Romans 6:3-11, 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, Colossians 3:1-3, 1 Peter 2:24. Just as you believed that Christ died for your sins on the cross, you are also to believe THIS wonderful truth that “in Christ” you are “dead to sin”! You are no longer under its dominion, sin no longer reigns over you in your life, you are no longer servants to sin, or enslaved by it! And you are no longer condemned by the law for your sins, as Romans 7:4 states, “You’re dead to the curse and condemnation of the law by the body of Christ”. God’s justice was satisfied upon Christ for your sins! Knowing and believing this wonderful truth, that you were united with Christ in His death, and that your old man was crucified with Christ……now in (V11-13), this what God commands for you TO DO……BY FAITH! Romans 6:11: “Likewise reckon (or consider) ye also yourselves (BY FAITH) to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord”. This is spoken as an imperative command…. This is where each of you as Christians are called to PRACTICE what you BELIEVE TO BE TRUE from God’s Word. Show me your faith in Christ, by how you reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God! And by how you don’t let sin reign in your life! Read Romans 6:12-13 I love Romans 6:14, it is a certainty about you in your salvation…note what this truth must do IN YOU! Cp. Psalm 19:13, 119:133 Let me complete this thought for you here, to be dead to sin, doesn’t mean that you will be able to live a sinless life…. that’s coming…. Regrettably, in this earthly life, we still fall into sin…. We still live in bodies of sin, but in Christ, sin no longer has dominion over you! As children of God, we don’t stay in our sins when we fall, now we hate our sins, when they manifest themselves in us, we mortify, and kill our sins from our thoughts and minds, we acknowledge and confess them to our Father, and we run back to the cross for fresh grace! “Where sin abounds, grace did much more abound.” I love what Matthew Poole wrote: “It is not falling into the water that drowns a man, it is lying in it; so, it is not falling into sin that damns a man, but it is living in sin that damns him”. To be DEAD TO SIN is another way of saying that you’re ALIVE IN CHRIST! You are no longer the person that you once were…. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation (creation), old things are passed away, behold all things are become new”. Christian: When Christ died on the cross, you were united to Christ in His death, now you are united with Him in His life! Now, by faith, you are to reckon your old self to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God! Beloved, this is liberating truth, sanctifying truth for our souls! What a great salvation we have in Christ! Romans 6:15-23 ~Pastor James Downing Sr. |
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