Letter to the Romans -- Chapter 6
Paul starts off chapter 6 by raising a question sure to come up in light of his bold “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” statement from chapter 5: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1). When faced with the fact that grace increases as sin increases, our sinful nature is eager to offer up the rationalized idea that in order to increase God’s grace we should go on sinning. Paul’s response however, is quick and strong and it also asks a question of all of us who would dare let our flesh go this dangerous route: “By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:2). Paul asserts that as followers of Christ that we have died to sin and that it no longer has its hold over us, so how can we dare think of living in it any longer? But deep inside we continue to question: how do we know for sure we have died to sin when it so often doesn’t seem that way in our daily lives?
Being the great pastor that he is, Paul points us to the promise of God: “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). Instead of appealing for us to look subjectively at our own “experience,” our own outward lives, or imploring us to look “deep inside of yourself,” Paul wisely points us to the objective Word and promise of God that lies outside of us and our hands. “Yahweh is faithful to all his promises” (Psalm 145:13). He tells us that in our Baptism God has united us in the death of Jesus Christ, and that we died to sin there so that we might be raised to live a new life of faith in Christ Jesus. In our Baptism we are united with Jesus Christ; it becomes you and me who are nailed to the cross, who die there under the wrath of God, who are buried, and who are raised to new life. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). We are clothed with Christ thru Baptism, and we receive this by the faith that the Spirit works within us. This clothing with Christ assures us of our adoption as children of God thru the promise of God. If we are not clothed with Christ then we stand before God naked; naked and exposed for the filthy sinners that we are. In our Baptism God ceases to see the sinner that we once were; in our stead He now sees the condemned and judged sinner who was crucified and then raised to new life. When God looks at us He now sees Jesus Christ, for we have been united and clothed with Him in our Baptism. “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Under the mantle and clothing of Jesus Christ we are clean, pure, and holy before the sight of God Almighty. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Where feelings, emotions, and daily happenings are never constant and are always ready to fail, we are implored to cling to the constant promise of God in Baptism that stands above all these fickle things of the world. “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting Yahweh’s love is with those who fear him” (Psalm 103:15-17). Everything with man changes and all his “latest and greatest” teachings will pass away, but Jesus Christ, on the other hand, never changes and His grace and promises remain sure and constant throughout the ages. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace” (Hebrews 13:8-9).
Paul then continues on in his letter and begins to really tackle the ever pertinent subject of the relationship between the newly created Christian and sin: “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 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—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:5-7). Because we died with Jesus Christ in our Baptism and have been clothed with His righteousness we have been set free from sin and the slavery that once held us. In Baptism we share in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and therefore who we once were in our sin have truly died. In this death we are freed from the hold that sin once had over our life. “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” (Romans 6:8-11). Because Christ’s death and resurrection was a one time, once and for all event we too need to count our own death to sin and our resurrection to life for God in Christ as a one time occurrence in our Baptism. The life we once lived was one that was mastered by our selfishness and sin, but now in Jesus Christ we are dead to that old life and now live our entire life “to God.” This completed work of Jesus Christ does not give us reason for complacence or sitting on our laurels, but instead this motivates us to live everyday of our lives as baptized children of God in Christ Jesus who are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Because of Jesus Christ’s victory in our life we daily put to death the sin of our everyday life. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14). If we truly believe that we have died with Christ and been set free in Him how can we continue to offer our bodies to sin and to the selfish desires of our flesh? Are we abusing grace and making ourselves a self-created license to sin? This is a tough question that requires from us a daily examination. Paul implores us to offer our entire bodies to God’s will because of the work of Jesus Christ.
Once again however, our flesh grasps at straws and tries to convince us that since we are not under the law, we must be “free to do what we want” since we are under grace. Once again Paul steps in to squash any of these floundering thoughts of our sinful reason: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-18). In order to understand real freedom we must destroy any previous notions of “freedom” that we once held. Freedom is not being able to “do whatever we want,” but real freedom is being free to be the creature of our Creator, loving and serving Him while being free of our self and our fleshly desires. In reality our freedom lies in slavery to righteousness. If we obey our sinful flesh and offer ourselves as slaves to its will then sin is our master, but if we offer our bodies and selves to righteousness and obedience in Christ then we show that God is our true master. If we dare continue offering ourselves to sin then we are living a lie, an empty life that sees God’s grace and yet turns away from it in obstinate rebellion. If we truly believe that we are God’s in Jesus Christ then let us turn away from our selfishness and towards simple obedience in Jesus Christ.
Paul however clearly recognizes that we are still weak human beings who are still in this fallen flesh even though we have indeed been clothed with Jesus Christ in Baptism: “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves” (Romans 6:19). In light of this natural weakness he continues his exhortation and admonition: “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:19-23). We have been set free in Jesus Christ so let us put aside our self-centered living. The consequence of sin is death so we need to run away from the wickedness that has plagued us in our past. In Jesus Christ we have true freedom: slavery to the love and will of God. Thru the promise of God in Christ Jesus we have died to sin and are now free to live lives of obedience to righteousness, leaving behind the life we once lived where we offered our selves and bodies as slaves to our sinful desires. God’s gift is the freedom that comes only thru the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has raised us up to new life, so let us stand firm in His grace in Jesus Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
Being the great pastor that he is, Paul points us to the promise of God: “Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4). Instead of appealing for us to look subjectively at our own “experience,” our own outward lives, or imploring us to look “deep inside of yourself,” Paul wisely points us to the objective Word and promise of God that lies outside of us and our hands. “Yahweh is faithful to all his promises” (Psalm 145:13). He tells us that in our Baptism God has united us in the death of Jesus Christ, and that we died to sin there so that we might be raised to live a new life of faith in Christ Jesus. In our Baptism we are united with Jesus Christ; it becomes you and me who are nailed to the cross, who die there under the wrath of God, who are buried, and who are raised to new life. “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27). We are clothed with Christ thru Baptism, and we receive this by the faith that the Spirit works within us. This clothing with Christ assures us of our adoption as children of God thru the promise of God. If we are not clothed with Christ then we stand before God naked; naked and exposed for the filthy sinners that we are. In our Baptism God ceases to see the sinner that we once were; in our stead He now sees the condemned and judged sinner who was crucified and then raised to new life. When God looks at us He now sees Jesus Christ, for we have been united and clothed with Him in our Baptism. “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). Under the mantle and clothing of Jesus Christ we are clean, pure, and holy before the sight of God Almighty. “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Where feelings, emotions, and daily happenings are never constant and are always ready to fail, we are implored to cling to the constant promise of God in Baptism that stands above all these fickle things of the world. “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting Yahweh’s love is with those who fear him” (Psalm 103:15-17). Everything with man changes and all his “latest and greatest” teachings will pass away, but Jesus Christ, on the other hand, never changes and His grace and promises remain sure and constant throughout the ages. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace” (Hebrews 13:8-9).
Paul then continues on in his letter and begins to really tackle the ever pertinent subject of the relationship between the newly created Christian and sin: “If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 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—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin” (Romans 6:5-7). Because we died with Jesus Christ in our Baptism and have been clothed with His righteousness we have been set free from sin and the slavery that once held us. In Baptism we share in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and therefore who we once were in our sin have truly died. In this death we are freed from the hold that sin once had over our life. “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” (Romans 6:8-11). Because Christ’s death and resurrection was a one time, once and for all event we too need to count our own death to sin and our resurrection to life for God in Christ as a one time occurrence in our Baptism. The life we once lived was one that was mastered by our selfishness and sin, but now in Jesus Christ we are dead to that old life and now live our entire life “to God.” This completed work of Jesus Christ does not give us reason for complacence or sitting on our laurels, but instead this motivates us to live everyday of our lives as baptized children of God in Christ Jesus who are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Because of Jesus Christ’s victory in our life we daily put to death the sin of our everyday life. “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:12-14). If we truly believe that we have died with Christ and been set free in Him how can we continue to offer our bodies to sin and to the selfish desires of our flesh? Are we abusing grace and making ourselves a self-created license to sin? This is a tough question that requires from us a daily examination. Paul implores us to offer our entire bodies to God’s will because of the work of Jesus Christ.
Once again however, our flesh grasps at straws and tries to convince us that since we are not under the law, we must be “free to do what we want” since we are under grace. Once again Paul steps in to squash any of these floundering thoughts of our sinful reason: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness” (Romans 6:15-18). In order to understand real freedom we must destroy any previous notions of “freedom” that we once held. Freedom is not being able to “do whatever we want,” but real freedom is being free to be the creature of our Creator, loving and serving Him while being free of our self and our fleshly desires. In reality our freedom lies in slavery to righteousness. If we obey our sinful flesh and offer ourselves as slaves to its will then sin is our master, but if we offer our bodies and selves to righteousness and obedience in Christ then we show that God is our true master. If we dare continue offering ourselves to sin then we are living a lie, an empty life that sees God’s grace and yet turns away from it in obstinate rebellion. If we truly believe that we are God’s in Jesus Christ then let us turn away from our selfishness and towards simple obedience in Jesus Christ.
Paul however clearly recognizes that we are still weak human beings who are still in this fallen flesh even though we have indeed been clothed with Jesus Christ in Baptism: “I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves” (Romans 6:19). In light of this natural weakness he continues his exhortation and admonition: “Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:19-23). We have been set free in Jesus Christ so let us put aside our self-centered living. The consequence of sin is death so we need to run away from the wickedness that has plagued us in our past. In Jesus Christ we have true freedom: slavery to the love and will of God. Thru the promise of God in Christ Jesus we have died to sin and are now free to live lives of obedience to righteousness, leaving behind the life we once lived where we offered our selves and bodies as slaves to our sinful desires. God’s gift is the freedom that comes only thru the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has raised us up to new life, so let us stand firm in His grace in Jesus Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).
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