November 2, 2011
United With Christ
Romans 6:1-14
I. How We Died: 6:1-10
II. How We Live: 6:11-14
"On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation, which began:
'On the first day of January, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and sixty- three,
all persons held as slaves within any state
or designated part of a state, the people whereof
shall then be in rebellion against the United States,
shall be then, thenceforward and forever, free.'
But, the Confederate and Union armies, would have to fight for many months, before slaves in the South could claim their precious freedom.
(Booker T. Washington, (author, educator, and African-American, civil rights leader, at the turn of the 20th century) was nine, when emancipation reached his plantation, in southwest Virginia. He wrote about that day in his autobiography, Up From Slavery:
' The most distinct thing that I now recall in connection with the scene was that some man who seemed to be a stranger (a United States officer, I presume) made a little speech and then read a rather long paper--------the Emancipation Proclamation, I think. After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother, who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained to us what it all meant; that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.
He went on to say, 'The wild rejoicing on the part of the emancipated colored people lasted only for a brief period, for I noticed that by the time they returned to their cabins there was a change in their feelings. The great responsibility of being free, of having charge of themselves, of having to think and plan for themselves and their children, seemed to take possession of them. It was very much like suddenly turning a youth of ten or twelve years, out into the world, to provide for himself. In a few hours, the great questions with which the Anglo-Saxon race, had been grappling for centuries, had been thrown upon these people, to be solved. These were the questions, of a home, a living, the rearing of children, education, citizenship, and the establishment and support of churches. Was it any wonder that within a few hours, the wild rejoicing ceased and a feeling of deep gloom seemed to pervade the slave quarters?
To some it seemed, now that they were in actual possession of it, that freedom was a more serious thing than they had expected to find it. Some of the slaves were seventy or eighty years old; their best days were gone. They had no strength with which to earn a living in a strange place and among strange people, even if they had been sure where to find a new place of abode. To this class, the problem seemed especially hard. Besides, deep down in their hearts, there was a strange and peculiar attachment to "old Mister" and "old Missus" and to their children, which they found it hard, to think of breaking off. With these, they had spent in some cases, nearly a half-century, and it was no light thing to think of parting. Gradually, one by one, stealthily, at first, the older slaves began to wander from the slave quarters back to the "big house" to have a whispered conversation with their former owners as to the future.')
In time, after the final surrender of the Confederacy, the assassination of a president and a difficult political fight----- the United States, ratified the Thirteenth Amendment, which officially abolished slavery in America. So, on December 18 in 1865, the news swept across Capitol Hill, down through the Shenandoah Valley, over the Appalachians, along the backroads of the Carolinas, deep into the plantations of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and into the cotton fields of Texas and Arkansas---- the word went out, across the country..…at least, officially, but the practicality of freedom, was a totally different situation.
History tells us, that after a brief celebration, many former slaves returned to the fields to continue their servitude as "sharecroppers." Though officially free to go anywhere, little changed for them in a practical sense. Legal emancipation, only presented slaves, with the opportunity to live as free men and women. It couldn't make them believe that they were free and it couldn't make them live like they were. Turning their legal status into a reality for them, required an internal transformation---of their hearts and their minds and their spirits. Those, who found this challenge too daunting, chose the unconscionable, but familiar, yoke of slavery, instead.
From the perspective of people, who've never known slavery, this seems so foolish to us. But we need to recognize, even as Christians, that we choose a type of slavery, over freedom, every day. We've been set free from the penalty and the power of sin and we have the promise that someday, we will be set free from the presence of sin------and we no longer have to fear death---but for us to live, like we believe that these promises are true, doesn't come easily or naturally to us. Trusting and living in that freedom, is a process and just like salvation, it has to be accomplished, supernaturally.
Theologians have given a name to the gradual, internal transformation, of a newly-freed slave of sin, into a fully mature and completely free, individual. That term is "sanctification." And it's the lifelong process, of God, progressively, and consistently, separating believers from sin, and making us more like Him. It begins, the minute we ask Jesus into our hearts, and it will be completed, that glorious day, when we see Jesus, face to face.
The process of "sanctification", is one of the most precious gifts that we've been given, as believers, and even though we can't see it, and most days we don't even think about it------ we can know, that it is happening, in our hearts spiritually, just as surely as we know, that we are maturing physically and emotionally, with every passing birthday.
What was a tragedy to begin with------that human beings were owned by masters, who kept them in cruel bondage------became a double wrong, because of the slaves' lack of knowledge and understanding, that they had been set free, by an emancipator. Even if a person with the power, authority, and willingness, to set the captives free, does it-----it doesn't make a "a hill of beans", to the captives, if they don't know what it means to live in their freedom.
The only thing that the slaves had to do, that were freed by Mr. Lincoln, was to embrace their "freedom", as their new master, and they would have been free. And all that a Believer has to do, to be free from the mastery of sin, is to embrace, the free gift of righteousness, that God gives us, and we will be free.
So, Paul's message, in Romans 6, is to declare that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the Believer's Emancipation Proclamation, from slavery to sin, just in the same way, that Abraham Lincoln's was, for the slave community, in the old south.
I. How We Died: 6:1-10
Paul must have realized that his statement in Romans 5:20, "Where sin increased, grace increased all the more," could and would be interpreted, by a lot of people, to mean, that they should sin even more, if they wanted to experience more grace. He was horrified that they would think that, so, he answered them, with a rhetorical question, that was an unequivocal and emphatic denial, of even the suggestion of it, and then went on to explain, that believers have died to sin, so they can't possibly, live in it, any more.
We have to remember that when Paul talks about sin, he isn't talking about one or two isolated failures, he's talking about a lifestyle of sin. He is talking about Christians, who live like they did, before they were believers. He is talking about Christians, who live such worldly lives, that you can't see where they end, and the world begins. He is talking about Christians, who would not be recognized by the world, or other believers, as Believers.
Paul says, that the miraculous power of the Gospel, sets people free, from being under sin's control. It isn't that Christians don't or can't sin anymore, its that they have been given the freedom to choose between, what's right and what's wrong. They can choose whether to sin or not. This freedom that we're given in the Lord, carries with it, a huge responsibility--------we have the responsibility of consciously choosing, to allow the Holy Spirit, to help us make the right choices, and to replace sinful thoughts and actions, with righteous ones. When we don't do that, we're in danger, of continuing to be enslaved to sin.
In last week's lesson, Paul made it clear to his readers, that sin was our heritage from Adam. That we couldn't escape it, because Adam's choice, passed the taint of sin and death, down to every single one of us. And unfortunately, as children of Adam, we were born with the propensity to sin. But, in this week's lesson, he wants us to understand that we're no longer bound by Adam's sin-------we have been given the free gift of righteousness; and we've been reborn, as God's children, with the supernatural ability, to walk away from sin, and temptation.
Bible Scholars teach, that there are 2 natures at work in a believer-----the new nature in Christ and the old nature in Adam-----and that's why we feel the conflict, between the two of them, as they war with each other.
The truth is, though, when we're saved, only one of those natures belong to us anymore, and the one that belongs to us, is the new one that we've been given, in Christ Jesus. The problem is, that our bodies and our souls, have functioned for so many years, under the control of sin, that they still try to go on, in the same way, according to the habits and the patterns, that we inherited from Adam. That's where the evil and the sin, in a believer's life, come from. But as we mature in our walk with the Lord, He reeducates our souls, and our bodies and He changes us, to be more like Him---- and in the process---- our new nature, lives and breathes and grows, and the old one, stays in the grave, where salvation put it, once and for all.
The new life, that Jesus gives us, is more powerful and persistent, than the power of death that Adam gave us, ever could be. Jesus continually works to bring our hearts and minds and actions, into conformity with Him------to the point, that just like we couldn't avoid sin, when we were in Adam, now, we can't not avoid it, because we're in Christ.
(Last year, Dale and I did something we've never done before--we bought a piece of rental property. The house had only been owned by one family, for 40 years, but the husband had passed away and the wife had been stricken with Alzheimers and the children didn't have any interest in the house, and so it had fallen into great disrepair. It had been on the market for 3 years, and was a shambles, inside and out-----I didn't even want to go in it---but when I did, something about it, captivated me------so, we cut down trees and pulled up ivy and replanted grass, and we cleaned windows and painted walls and ripped up carpet, and we made sure that the heating and air conditioning and plumbing, were in good working order, as well as the stove and refrigerator.
And all of a sudden, the eyesore of the neighborhood, became a precious little vintage cottage----and not only, have we had wonderful tenants, but we've had 3 offers to buy it, as well. Crazy, right? but the reason for the change is obvious. Someone new had moved in! It is the same thing with a human being. When we're indwelt by Adam, we're filthy and wretched, inside and out------but when Jesus comes to dwell in us, we can't hide it, the change is evident to everybody. It is impossible for our lifestyles to continue unchanged, if Jesus is truly our Lord.
People who say they can be Christians, while continuing in a lifestyle of sin, are wrong----- they need to reexamine their hearts and make sure that they've had a real experience with the Lord------- otherwise, they're just deceiving themselves and others. The truth is, a person's behavior, will always, eventually prove, whether there's been a change in their hearts or not. When Jesus is the Lord of our lives, people don't have to ask if we're Christians------you can tell it, by the way we look, speak and act.)
Paul used baptism, as a way to illustrate, just how a believer dies to sin. The Greek word for baptism has 2 basic meanings, one is literal and one is figurative: 1.) to dip or to immerse, and 2.) to be identified with. I think that Paul had both the literal and figurative meaning, in mind, in this passage---because he used the reader's experience of water baptism, to remind them of their identification with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit.
Historians agree that the method of baptism, in the early church was immersion. Baptism would always follow a person's decision to trust in Jesus as their Savior. The believer was buried in the water and brought up again, as a clear picture, of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It was an outward symbol, of an inward experience, where Believers, are spiritually immersed, into Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, and then, they miraculously, become one with each other.
This is the same distinction that John the Baptist made, when he told the people in Matt. 3:11, "I baptize you with water…but after me will come one who is more powerful than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit, occurred first, historically, on the Day of Pentecost (50 days after Jesus had ascended) when the Holy Spirit came upon all the believers, who were gathered together, in Jerusalem. This event fused all the believers into one body, with Jesus as the head. It was at that moment, that the Church was formed. The Holy Spirit came that day, for everybody, there, who would receive Him, and for each person, who would make that decision, in every generation, until Jesus comes back again.
So, it's at the very moment that we believed, and asked Jesus to come into our hearts, to be our Lord and Savior, that we were baptized, with the Holy Spirit, too. The righteousness that we're given by the Lord, is an earthly, as well as, a heavenly reality. If it weren't, it wouldn't be a reality at all. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are indwelt by His divine presence and we are forever different. That's why its impossible, for a true believer, once he's saved, to continue to choose to live, in a lifestyle of sin.
(I don't want us to get the idea that this is a lesson, on the type or timing of baptism, as it relates to different denominations-----it most certainly is not----it is an historical reference to the way baptism was done, in Paul's day-------but more importantly, it was Paul making sure, that the people weren't engaging in water baptism, without first having been baptized by the Holy Spirit. He wanted them to understand, that just because they were baptized, that didn't make them believers------the Holy Spirit, living in their hearts------that's what made them believers! )
(When, our daughter, Mary Kathryn was 4 years old, she asked Jesus into her heart, while she was watching a Charity Churchmouse video-----we knew that it was true, because up until that time-----she would say, "I don't want Jesus in my heart, I don't want HIm sticking out of me." but from that day forward, she would tell everybody, that He was in her heart----Well periodically, over the next few years, she would ask, to take the Lord's Supper, and we would tell her no, that she needed to join the church and be baptized 1st,-------Dale and I just didn't know how wrong we were, though.
She was 7, when Dale's parents and grandparents came to visit one weekend. I was sitting at the table with Nana and Mamaw, telling them, that MK was getting pretty insistent, every time we had communion, about wanting to take it. Mamaw pulled me up short, when she said Debra, "you have it all wrong-------no where does the scripture say you have to be baptized to take the Lord's supper-------you just have to be a believer." I was blown away-----I realize now, that I, was the very person that Paul was talking to-----water baptism is just an outward symbol, of what has already taken place inside our hearts------its our identification with the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.------well, to make a long story short, the next morning, Mary Kathryn took the Lord's supper, the next Sunday, she joined the church and a few Sundays later, she was baptized, and she publicly declared what had long since happened in her heart.)
Paul relates this issue of baptism, directly to the fact, that, as believers, we are dead to sin. When we were baptized, by the Holy Spirit, He caused us to intimately identify with everything that Jesus did------ Jesus died, and we died; Jesus was buried, and we were buried with Him; Jesus rose again, and we rose with Him. Is it not remarkable to think that we are just as dead to sin, as Jesus is?
******This magnificent truth is one of the most important promises, to a believer------everything else in scripture, flows to and from, this one, certain hope.
(The Apostle John, illustrated this truth, in the 11th and 12th chapters, of his Gospel, when he told the story, of Lazarus--------When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been in the tomb for 4 days, so there was no question that he was dead. But, by the power of His word, Jesus raised His friend, from death to life, when He raised His voice and said, "Lazarus, come forth!" But when Lazarus appeared at the entrance of his tomb, he was still wrapped in his graveclothes. So, Jesus commanded the onlookers to, "Loose him and let him go!" illustrating the fact, that Lazarus, had been raised, to walk in a new life. And then, little bit later, in the story, we are told that Lazarus was seated beside Jesus, at the table, and they were sharing fellowship together.
He had been Dead----then he was raised from the dead-----he was set free to walk in the newness of life-----and then, he was seated in fellowship with his friend, Jesus.
Lazarus' story, gives us a beautiful picture, of what our relationship with the Lord is, when we have chosen to be identified with Him-----I love the words and their message in Revelation 3:20, that say, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me." )
There are 3 truths I want us to remember:
1.)When we are united with the Lord Jesus, we have been crucified together, sin died; the old slave master died; the power and lordship of sin, and our old identity, have been destroyed; we have been freed, forever, from the obligation, addiction and necessity to sin. Sin is completely and irrevocably, dead and it can never rule our hearts again.
2.)When we are united with the Lord Jesus, we have been resurrected together, we have a new identity, we have a new life and a new master, we have a new fellowship with God. We have been set free from sin, so that we can serve Him and each other.
3.)When we are united with the Lord Jesus, we have a new direction, a new purpose, new gifts and a new power, to accomplish God's work.
I told you, about how there were many, many slaves, who had been set free by the Emancipation Proclamation, who just couldn't live in their freedom----- either because they couldn't believe it, or because they were afraid of it. And, we know that we struggle with the same thing and until we accept the emancipation, that we have, through Jesus, we'll continue, to choose, to be slaves to sin, too. We don't have to, but way too many times, we don't know what else to do. But when we finally learn to accept the truth, of our freedom in Christ---- we can begin to live a new life of obedience, that will free us, even more. In Galations 2:20, Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life, I now live in the body, I live by faith, in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
The power and penalty of sin, died with Jesus on the cross. We never have to be slaves to our sinful nature again.The "body of sin" that Paul talks about is not our physical bodies----it is our old sin-loving nature, and we have to believe that we are freed from its power, because that's the only way that we can live, like we're free.
But we also have to remember, that God doesn't take us out of the world and He doesn't make us robots-------we are still tempted to sin-----we still feel like sinning and we will still choose to sin, sometimes, but the difference is, that before we we saved, we couldn't help but sin------but now, that we are saved, we have a new power, living in us, that gives us the ability to choose not to sin. It's the same power, that helped Jesus live a sinless life; it's the same power that gave Him the strength to go to the cross; it's the same power that held Him there; it's the same power that resurrected Him from the grave; it's the same power that ascended Him back to heaven; and it's the same power that'll bring Him back, someday. We, have that remarkable, unquenchable, unfathomable, and omnipotent power, living inside us-------so we never have to sin again!
If we do sin, it's because we allow it to happen. Old patterns and habits have to be exchanged for new patterns and habits. Once we believe that we are dead to our sin, we can put one foot in front of the other, and move forward, in the life, that the Lord has mapped out for us to live.
II. How We Live: 6:11-14
When we decide not to sin, we have the power to carry it out, because the Lord is more alive inside of us, than we are alive in this world. Paul gave us a command in verse 11, "Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God, in Christ Jesus." There are 2 principles that flow from this command that will help us, in times of temptation: (this sounds so elementary but for some reason, it is so hard for us to stay focused on it) First, when we're tempted, we have to consciously remember, that we don't have to obey sin, that we don't have to allow sin to have free will in our bodies, that we don't have to yield to temptation. The 2nd principle, is that when we're tempted, we have to consciously remember, that the power of Jesus, in us, enables us to offer our bodies to God, to only be used for His purposes. The power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us, is greater than any sin; and its greater than any temptation. We have to learn to embrace it and rely on it. We will always struggle with temptation, but we have the strength and the right, to resist it.
The temptation is not the sin, the sin, is the yielding to the temptation----but, when we're saved, God has given us the freedom and the desire and the strength, to walk away from it.
Christianity is not an emotional experience; its a way of life. Christians are not meant to wallow in our salvation experience, we're not meant to stay in church or to only be surrounded by our Christian family and friends---- we're meant to go out and live life, and to face the world's attacks and problems, head-on. We have to translate our love for the Lord Jesus, into action.
But, in the world, we find ourselves, confronted with a difficult and distracting situation---both God and sin, are looking for weapons to use, for and against, the trouble in the world. God works through human beings----if He wants a word spoken, He gets someone to do it; if he wants a deed done, He gets someone to do it; and if He wants a person encouraged, He will get someone to do the lifting up. Sin works the same way---sin is looking for people who will, by their words or their example, seduce themselves or someone else into sinning. In the eternal battle, between sin and God, we have to choose our side. We are faced with the tremendous responsibility, of making ourselves, either,weapons, in the hands of God, or weapons, in the grip, of sin.
How can we keep from being afraid, that that kind of choice is too much for us; how can we trust, that it isn't, just a set-up, for failure, that's hanging over our heads? Well, Paul tells us not to be discouraged and not to despair. Because, even though we do fail and we do succumb to sin, we are no longer under the Law, we are under grace, and that should make all the difference. Sin is not our master and the Law is not our master. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master and He gives us grace and forgiveness. When we fail, all we have to do, is go back to God, confess our sin, and receive His forgiveness-------and then we can get on about the business, of living for Him. We don't have to try and satisfy the demands of the Law, any more, instead, we need to try to behave, like we're worthy, of the gifts of love, that we've been given.
Because we're His children, God is not a stern judge any more, He is the lover of our souls. William Barclay says that "There's no inspiration in the world, that's better than love. The Christian life is not a burden to be born, its a privilege to be lived up to." James Denney says, "Its not restraint, but inspiration which liberates from sin; not Mount Sinai but Mount Calvary which makes saints."
Many people, have been saved from sin, not because of the regulations of the Law, but because they couldn't bear to hurt or grieve or disappoint someone that they love or someone who they knew, loved them. At best, the Law restrains people, through fear, but love redeems them, by inspiring them to be better than their best. Believers don't obey because they are afraid of God; Believers obey, because they want to be worthy, of what God has done for them. Grace doesn't give us an excuse to sin, it gives us a reason to obey.
Imagine someone who was once a slave to sin, being changed into such a person of freedom, that their nature is so completely and totally transformed, that they lose all desire to engage in anything sinful. That person could live the rest of their lives as though earthly laws and policemen and courts and prisons didn't exist. They could live, like God had never defined which actions are sinful and which ones aren't. Rules restricting their behavior would be irrelevant. That, according to Paul, in a nutshell, is the right and privilege and potential, of every believer, who chooses to live, under the transforming power, of God's grace. We just have to believe it and then choose to walk in it.
(Lewis Sperry Chafer was the founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary. History tells us that he spent the last of his 81 years, teaching systematic theology, from his wheelchair, and his favorite topic was grace. After one particularly moving lecture, Dr. Chafer closed his Bible, rolled over to the door and turned off the lights. Not a single student moved. The he said, "I have spent all my life studying the grace of God and I am just now beginning to understand, a fraction, of its winsome charm. And, gentlemen. it is magnificent!" )
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