Romans 6:1-14 and the Spiritual Life

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Romans 6:1-14 and the Spiritual Life</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id194.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Call to Holiness"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id197.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Legalism and Grace"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP 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TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>An Understanding of Romans 6.1-14</B></div> <div> (Note: This is a school project, not a sermon.)</div> <bR> <div>      It was a sad thing in the history of the great nation of America when slavery existed, even after the freedom of slaves had been secured through President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclam-ation, and through the war between the states.  Even after freedom had been won, many were still enslaved for many years to come.  The state of many Christians is similar to this; they are enslaved to the force of sin in their lives, yet freedom from sin has been won for them through Christ’s work on the cross.  Romans 6.1-14 is our declaration of freedom from the sin that we are so accustomed to letting control us.</div> <div> 1.  <I>Define “sin” and distinguish it from “sins.”</I>  There is a significant distinction between “sin” and “sins.”  Sin is a law or principle or force that has corrupted the human nature, producing what is commonly called “the sinful nature.”  When sin, the principle, is allowed to control one’s choices, the result is “sins,” actions and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will and desire.  The principle of sin leads to or motivates actions called “sins.”  </div> <div> 2.  <I>State the significance of “continue” in Romans 6.1.</I>  The significance of “continue” is found both in the tense of the word as well as in the meaning of the term.  It is the present tense, implying a action that goes on, that “continues.”  To continue in something is to persist in, remain or abide in, to stay in that thing, in this case, the principle of sin.  Paul’s question is, should the believer in Jesus remain in a state of allowing the force of sin to dominate his life so that he continually commits acts and fosters attitudes of sin?</div> <div> 3.  <I>Define the concept of “death” in Romans 6.2.</I>  Death refers to separation, and death to sin refers to the believer’s separation from the penalty and power or rule of sin in his life.  In our identity with Christ, we take part in the results of what he accomplished, having had the penalty of death for our sin paid for as well as having the power of sin broken and rendered powerless.</div> <div> 4.  <I>Define “baptized” in Romans 6.3.</I>   To be baptized is to be dipped or plunged into, used figuratively to denote our being placed into Christ, thus being identified with him rather than with sin, and brought into personal union with him and with his work on the cross that paid the penalty for sin (death) and broke the power of sin, giving the believer in him freedom from the reign of sin.</div> <div> 5.  <I>Define “old self” (better “old man”) in Romans 6.6.</I>  The old self is what the believer was when he was completed dominated by the sin-force, thus thoroughly involved in sins, both in action and in attitude.  The old self is the human person under the constant control of the principle of sin.</div> <div> 6.  <I>Write a paragraph summarizing the teaching of Romans 6.1-6 based on these definitions.</I> </div> <div>      The believer in Jesus Christ is no longer to keep on living his life under the domination of the principle of sin, and thus constantly doing sinful actions.  The believer in Jesus has been separated from the penalty and power of sin, and thus should not continue to conduct his life under its control.  This is because the believer has been placed into Christ, particularly into his death, thus being identified with him and his death which results in having the penalty of our sin paid for and the sin-principle stripped of its power.  Likewise we are identified with his resurrection resulting in our possessing and living a new kind of life, with new conduct.  Having been identified with him in his death and resurrection, our former life that was dominated by the force of sin has been done away with so that we can live our lives under the control of God rather than under the control of sin.</div> <div> <I>Fictional Case Study Letter</I></div> <div> Dear Ernest,</div> <div>      I am glad you have given me the opportunity to share with you about the temptation to lust that you continue to give in to.  What Paul has to say in Romans 6.1-14 has been particularly helpful to me in dealing with the various temptations I experience, including lust, and I am sure that his teaching will help you, both with lust and with any other struggle you may have.  Let me explain and apply what Paul said in those verses.  </div> <div>      In spite of the struggle that we all face with temptation to sin, God fully expects that we as Christians will not continue to live under the reign or control of sin in our lives, because we “died to sin” (vss. 1-2).  We have through Christ become separated from the penalty of sin (death) and from the control that sin once had on our lives.  Because we have died to sin, it is unnatural for us to keep on sinning continually, doing things that God does not want us to do. </div> <div>      Paul wants us to know that we are no longer under the reign of sin.  Sin is a principle, a force, or a law that drives you or motivates you to do acts of sin, or to think thoughts that are wrong.  Just like the law of gravity motivates a dropped tennis ball to fall to the ground, so sin is a law that motivates a person to commit acts of sin, doing things that are not pleasing to God.  Paul says we must not continue under sin’s domination, letting it run our lives.  </div> <div>      The reason why we no longer have to live under the control of the sin-principle is that in trusting Christ for salvation, we immediately became identified or unified with him in his death and resurrection because we were spiritually placed into Christ and his work on the cross 2000 years ago (vs. 3).  This means that we died with him to the sin-principle that once dominated our lives.  We became separated from the penalty of our sin, which was death.  In his death on the cross he paid what we owed because of our sin, so that we could be free from having to pay that penalty ourselves.  Dying with him to sin means that we do not have to let the force of sin control our lives any longer.  Sin is no longer our master, our ruler, our king.  Instead we are free to choose to allow God to reign in our lives and in our choices every day.  That’s why Paul can ask, “How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (vs. 2).  If sin is no longer reigning over us, we must not go on living each day under its control, allowing the principle of sin to motivate us to keep sinning with our actions and thoughts.  Not only did we die with Christ to sin, but we were also raised with him in his resurrection, which has the practical effect of motivating us to go on living our lives and making our choices each day in a whole new kind of life that is regularly and consistently under the control of God.  For example, rather than choosing to stare at a beautiful woman on the street while you are driving by, imagining things that are wrong, you instead choose to <I>not </I>look, even if you have noticed her, and you choose <I>not</I> to think wrong thoughts about her; instead, you can choose to fill your mind with thoughts that are pleasing to God, like things that are true and honorable and commendable (Phil 4.8).</div> <div>      Paul goes on to say that our “old self” was crucified with him on the cross (vs. 6), and the sin-principle’s control over the body of the Christian has been rendered ineffective, deprived of it’s power.  It is because the sin-force has been rendered powerless that we can be free from the slavery of sin.  Sin does not have automatic, uninterrupted power over your life anymore, because you are a believer in Jesus Christ.  You have the power to choose to resist the temptation to lust, as strong as that temptation seems to be.</div> <div>      The bottom line is that you are dead to sin, not in the sense that you no longer struggle with temptation to sin, but in the sense that you do not have to give in to the demands of sin and temptation.  In God, you have all the power you need to say “no” to that sin and say “yes” to God.</div> <div>      Knowing these truths in your head is the first step, but putting these important truths into practice is what Paul talks about in vss. 11-14.  He has two actions for us to do.  They are to consider something with our heart and to present something with our hands.  We are first to decide in our minds and in our hearts that the knowledge we have about our being dead to sin is true.  The fact is, your experience will often try to convince you that you are <I>not</I> dead to sin, that you don’t have any choice to be able to resist sin and live for God.  However, Paul says we are consider ourselves dead to sin (vs. 11).  When you consider only your experience, you see yourself as being very much alive to sin, but when you add in these truths that Paul has taught in vss. 1-10, the bottom line comes out that you are indeed dead to sin and alive to God.  This is what you have to believe first.  The experience of this truth will come about, but not until you consider or believe it to be true. </div> <div>      The second action you have to take is to present yourself and your body as an instrument or tool to God, instead of presenting yourself as a tool of sin (vs. 13).  Freedom from sin does not mean that you will not struggle with sin and temptation, but it does mean that you will be able to exercise the option to either give yourself over to God for his purposes, or to give yourself to the sin-principle for it’s purposes.  Vs. 12 tells us to choose <I>not </I>to let sin have complete control of ourselves and our bodies.  So instead of continuing to be the instrument of the sin-principle, resulting in acts and attitudes and thoughts of sin in your life everyday, we must choose to begin the habit of allowing the Spirit of God to exercise control and reign over our lives, so that each day we are a tool that God can use.</div> <div>      Let me give you some practical steps that you can take to get into the habit of saying no to sin and yes to God.  While you will continue to experience the temptation to lust, those thoughts don’t have to rule over you and control you constantly.  The key to changing your habits of sin is first to think properly, and to think about the right things.  You cannot live the new kind of life that God expects you to live with a mind is fed by the thoughts of the old sinful kind life you used to live.   It will help if you spend time every day reading the Word of God and praying to him.</div> <div>      Second, you must make the choice daily, even before temptation comes around, that you are going to be God’s instrument or tool that day.  Decide first that you are going to let the Spirit of God control you and lead you as you make chooses that day (see Eph 5.18).  Ask him to fill you and give you the power you need to do what he asks you to do, and avoid what he asks you to avoid.  There is no way you can resist the temptation to lust without his power at work in you.</div> <div>      Third, you must choose to avoid the things that feed your temptation to lust.  If certain TV programs or movies lead to temptation, don’t watch them.  Turn the TV off!  If going certain places helps contribute to temptation to lust, don’t go there.  If you work out at a gym and are strongly tempted because of the women there, buy some equipment and work out at home.  Are you willing to take seriously the matter of getting victory over temptation?  Then it means you have to make basic changes like this in your life if it will help you to avoid sin.</div> <div>      Fourth, continue to get help from your friends like me and others who can pray for you and encourage you, and even ask occasionally how you are doing in facing the temptation of lust.  </div> <div>      We both know that resisting sin is a struggle that we are going to face until we die, but it is not impossible to get into the habit of doing the right things morally instead of doing the wrong things.  God has given us the ability to choose to avoid sin, when we rely on his strength.</div> <div>                                         Your friend, Stan</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2001, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>