Dying to Live, Part 1 B

We died with Christ is with Christ reassigned with Christ will reign with Christ is impossible for a person to continue in the same relationship to sin that he had before that because he has been fused with Jesus Christ to be eternally suspected justification never started either.

What that means for you and me. If you don't see holiness in a professing believer, it could well be that that person really isn't a Christian.

So the question for you is does holiness characterize your life. Have you experienced freedom from sin. John MacArthur brings us face-to-face with that issue today on grace to you as he continues a penetrating study from Romans, called simply freedom from sin and now here's John with the lesson the foundation for Paul's teaching on holiness is laid down in the opening of this marvelous chapter.

Let me just give you three elements to open up the first 14 verses the antagonist. The answer and the argument just a little three point think will look at the beginning of those significant points of the argument, and it begins to unfold.

In verse three and will just get brief start watch out on falls.

Here's how he explains what he means when he talks about dying to see what you really mean by that. Here's his explanation and he does it in a series of logical statements. This is very logical. You really gotta think with Paul. He's really in his legal mode here is taking this as if it were a legal argument. It's very logical. It's very fluid in terms of the flow of thought. But he works his way from verse 3 to 14 with a series of screws just one by one unfolding what it means that we have died to sin as we work our way through the first principle is this. We are baptized into Christ sit there verse three know you not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Just take the first half of the verse. That's the first principle I want you to see as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ. We in our conversion were baptized into Jesus Christ was at me. What was talk about the implications that a person can even think of asking whether Christians are free to sin betrays a lack of understanding of what a Christian is.

You're not really a justified legally declared righteous person who chooses to do as he pleases. When you became a Christian, you were brought into intimate living union with Jesus Christ. And I think that's the best way to understand salvation is God up and having them in looking at the record, MacArthur and where it says sooner bound for hell.

He draws a line through the stamps. It saved it isn't just that isn't something that goes on in heaven that doesn't have anything to do with me when I become a Christian.

The Bible says my life is fused with the life of Jesus Christ. I am if you want to use the correct sense of the word baptism. I am immersed into Jesus Christ. That's a marvelous concept when you became a Christian you are immersed into Jesus Christ you were fused into Jesus Christ, that you were to study. For example, several other passages is couple to bring the money to write them down. First Corinthians 10 to talks about being baptized into Moses document children of Israel in the wilderness, baptized into Moses what it means is to come under the authority of Moses to participate in the Mosaic leadership to put participate in the Mosaic privilege to participate in the Mosaic blessing, that which God did in his life reach to the people who followed him to be immersed in mowing the Moses was to be involved in all that God was doing in the life of Moses and that's a good parallel as the children of Israel.

In a sense, work fused in the Moses he was their leader. He was the anchor to God. He was the channel through which God spoke, he was the one with the face. The children revealed the glory of God, and they were in Moses in a sense, united with him in an even deeper, more profound than real sense we are baptized into Jesus Christ.

We are placed in immersed in deeply into Christ. Now, I believe this is used metaphorically here. That is, it's not talking about H2O. I think he speaking as he does in terms of baptism in first grade gets 12 when he says we've all been baptized with the Holy Spirit and is not talking about water there. He's talking about and immersing ministry where the spirit of God, the Christ is the baptizer through the agency of the spirit of God. He immerses us in the spirit of thereby in the church which carries in it the universal life of the spirit is her profound thoughts, but it speaking metaphorically. We are fused into immersed deeply into Jesus Christ speaks of an intimate personal fellowship first. John talked about it says our fellowship is with the father and with his son Jesus said in Matthew 28. He said hello I am with you what always Paul said to the Corinthians for scripting 617 he that is joined to the Lord is what one spirit and soul. When you became a Christian, you became one with him.

One writer says the introduction or placing of a person or thing into a new environment or into union with something else so as to alter its condition or its relationship to its previous environment is the best definition of baptism is putting us in a new environment, putting us in a new union in a new relationship with new conditions all different so what Paul is saying here is, look when you were saying you were placed into Jesus Christ's incredible concept and I'll be honest with you.

At this point you never understand it fully to get to heaven I don't understand it fully. I just see what it says and I except by faith in Galatians 327 says many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and there equates the putting on of Christ and the baptizing in the Christ is one and the same is just two ways to speak of it in one sentence like being immersed in Christ in us.

It is not just putting them on over you.

Colossians 2 speaks to the same matter. In chapter 2 verse 11 in whom you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. You are buried with him in baptism, in which you are also risen with him to the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead. So in a sense you've been placed into it circumcision you been placed into is that you been placed into his burial even placed into his resurrection.

Your fused with Christ incredible see it is precisely why Paul in first Corinthians 6 is how in heaven's name can you join your self to a prostitute because when you do that you are joining Christ to a prostitute because you are fused with him.

Even when we were dead in sins. Ephesians 25 he made us alive.

Listen to this, together with Christ and has raised us up together and made us sit together. We died with Christ, we are always with Christ reassigned with Christ, we reign with Christ and he says at the end of the third chapter of Revelation is given to you to sit with me in my throne, so listen honey just from that alone if we close the book of Romans. When all we would know that it is impossible for a person to continue in the same relationship to sin that he had before that because he is been fused with Jesus Christ to his eternally holy that some people think this means water baptism, God help me. Not that that's a dry verse. If ever there was the limitation. You can't help but realize a behind-the-scenes there's some water because of the choice of words, summers, well, why didn't he just say all who believe in Christ are believing in his death and believing in his resurrection and are united with him.

Why does he was baptized because baptism that wonderful beautiful symbolic act had become the outward identification of an inward faith is not advocating salvation by water that would be to contradict chapter 3, four, five is no water in any of those chapters. By the way he's not denying everything you just said but listen in those days. Water baptism was a fixed sign for faith and very often in the Scripture.

When you read baptism you could substitute faith because the writer is sees those to the same baptism being the outward sign of faith. People in those days who put their faith in Christ were baptized so Paul can say that Christ was put on in baptism places rejoice in and Peter can even say baptism doth also now save us. First Peter 321 and Titus can say we were washed with the washing of regeneration. Titus 35 and it can be said that our sins are washed away in acts 2216 and all of these cases were not saying you're saved by water. But it just became the symbol of faith and so in a sense it was used synonymously and it's probably true that the Romans were very well aware of baptism and that's why verse three says don't you know if you forgotten what you're baptism symbolize the beauty of baptism. That's why I'm convinced that the only valid baptism is immersion because it's the only one that demonstrates so absolutely the entrance of the believer into utter you unity in union with Jesus Christ and immersing the singer, you ignorant of the meaning of your baptism you don't know that it symbolizes the spiritual reality of being immersed in Jesus Christ. Sad, tragic thing is that that figure became a reality for many people, the carnal mind always turns the symbol into the reality and it eliminates the reality. So we see the first great truths we are in union with Jesus Christ incredible thought, one with I think Peter may be, says it is marvelously as it could be said in second Peter 13, according as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness. When you were saved, his power gave you all things pertaining to life. That's real life spiritual life and godliness and then verse four he says that we been given exceeding great and rich precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through us salvation let you out corruption, and it made you partake of the divine nature and equip you with all life and godliness could ever have just a great truths that's principle number one is a reportable number two. With this we are identified not only in Christ, but particularly in his death and resurrection verse three you not as many of us as were immersed in the Jesus Christ were immersed into his death and asserted that from first of all, we were baptized or immersed into his death. What what are we saying here or saying the first thing happens when you're saved as you attend your own funeral is where it all begins. You died us then look at verse four. Therefore, in this verse just regroups the thought of verse three. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism by the spiritual baptism not the water into death that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glorious power of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life that we are buried in his death and we rise in his resurrection to incredible statement. We are buried verse four with him by baptism into death, and you have a hidden purpose clause in the Greek, which means in order that we might be raised to walk in I was at St. when you were saying. I listen to this and that you can explain it ultimately only in the simple sense when you are say when you can Jesus Christ put your faith in him by some divine miracle you were placed into Jesus Christ and you were taken back 2000 years, and you died and you were buried and you were buried so that the old life could die and that you could rise to walk in what newness of life, a death took place and what comes out of that grave is something very different than what went into that great. If any man be in Christ he is a new creation.

So the purpose for you dying to sin was so that you might live to God. Number 11.

I think this very simple truth. Christians are different and so when you asked the question will let's just go on sinning. No no no you can't do that. It is not that you don't have permission is that you can't do it because you're in a different sphere you can no longer living in sin, you can have the constant same ritual, remaining in sin that characterize your former life's going to be different as Christ would have in verse four was raised up from the dead by the glory and the glory there refers to the sum of all God's perfections, his Majesty's power is excellence is that was displayed in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even so, your raised out of that grave to walk in newness of life. Notice it says there even. We also should walk in newness of life.

It isn't the should of obligation. It is the should of divine accomplishment. You can put there in order that we will walk in newness of life. We do walk a new life. You know I'm a Christian I'm on different than I used to be a truck and somebody simply said it this way. I'm not what we were assured not what I was right. And that's the whole point. I'm different, so when somebody comes along as well.

I'm just going all my single life but I just brought Jesus in you know that Jesus like some divine salt to your human activity. This is a tremendous truth that when you come to Christ you're immersed in his death, and you rise to walk in new life. You are totally different. We dying Christ in order to live in Christ we share his death in order to partake of his life. We are justified to be sanctified. They are inseparable reality. Charles Hodge, that great theologian said there can be no participation in Christ's life without a participation in his death, and we cannot enjoy the benefits of his death, unless we are partakers of the power of his life. We must be reconciled to God in order to be holy and we cannot be reconciled without becoming holy."

So, as Christ died and rose so his people died to sin and rise to God is Christ's resurrection life was the certain consequence of his death so that believers holy life is the certain consequence of his resurrection and deficit. Now we walk in newness of life wasn't was newness of life. Kino is not now is not new in terms of chronology new in terms of quality.

A new kind of life.

The new quality of life. Like the old life righteousness now becomes our pattern and whereas in the past it was all unmitigated sin. Now there is the pattern of righteousness.

All albeit sin crops up here and there doesn't will find out why. By the way, when you get the chapter 7. So hang on, but we have a new life holy life. Something is happened. The Bible speaks of this in such beautiful terms.

Ezekiel 36 calls it a new heart. Ezekiel 18 calls it a new spirit.

Certain credits five calls it a new creation. Galatians 615, a new creature.

Ephesians 424 a new man. Revelation 217 a new name, Psalm 40 says we have a new saw everything is new and notice what it says. We walk in newness of life was.

It isn't just a new creation that is a new creation the lives differently was the word walk mean in the New Testament is the word for what daily spiritual conduct.

When you become a Christian, you begin to walk in a different kind of life and what kind of life to Jesus and holy life. If the old life was the quality of evil to new life is the quality of righteousness that Paul affirms is great truth in verse five.

By using another analogy to sum up his thought, for if we have been a love this soon for tests. If we had been grooming together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. I just can't tell you what the term does to me. The word means to grow together. If we've been grown together with Jesus Christ.

Later on in the chapter 9 of Romans.

He talks about branches being grafted in it if we've been growing together. John talks about the vine and the branches. If we been growing together with Christ, if if it is his life in the house if it is him in us.

If it is his power in us bearing fruit.

If it is him with us. We've been moving together growing together. If we grew together in his death, we grow together with him in his resurrection, Bishop Molson, we have received the reconciliation that we may now walk not away from God as if released in the present, but with God as his children and his son because we are justified.

We are to be wholly separated from sin separated the God not as a mere indication that our faith is real and that therefore we are legally safe, but because we were justified for this very purpose, that we might be holy. The grapes upon a vine are not merely a living token that the tree is a vine and is alive. They are the product for which the vine exists is a thing not to be thought of that, the sinner should accept justification and live to himself. It is a moral contradiction of the very deepest kind and cannot be entertained without betraying an initial error in the man's whole spiritual creed" in other words, he says you can have justification without sanctification is just exactly what Ephesians 2 says what it says are saved by grace through faith right not of what works, lest any man should boast black you are God's workmanship, created a new in Christ Jesus, and it is ordained that you should walk in good works right. As a result you get saved by good works.

You get saved to produce some marvelous concept, we summarize them. Christian's new friend is become something he never was before. It is not. Admission is transformation phyla somewhere to come back to it is not.

In addition, it is that you get some you didn't have, and you keep what you did have it is transformation.

Being a Christian is not getting something new.

It's becoming someone new. That means we have died to sin in our new nature. Sin no longer is the abiding power in our life. Marvelous and all of this is more than something God says about us that something God did for us. This is where we have to start Charles Wesley's words in the great hymn and can it be a fitting conclusion long my imprisoned spirit lay fast bound in sin in nature's night vine.

I defused a quickening array I will the dungeon flame with light my chains fell off. My heart was free. Now comes the punchline.

I wrote always went for what and followed the that's a key see Wesley new justification led to sanctification. If you came to Christ. You've been saved unto holiness you not to say your different. If you're not different, better examine yourself to see whether in the face. This is grace to you with John MacArthur for being with us. John has been our featured speaker since 1969. He's also Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary. The focus of his current series and the title freedom from sin.

John, this is a lengthy series and we're not even going to be able to cover everything you said about this passage in three weeks time on the radio but the doctrine. Paul spells out in these two chapters.

Romans six and seven is so critical for properly dealing with sin that we published a new book that's going to be a big help to our listeners and were excited about it, share it with us there just to comment on what you said about this is a long series 3 weeks. I was just reminder listeners that your entire life as a Christian depends on how well you understand Romans six and seven.

For the sake of the rest of your life in the flourishing of your spiritual life in the growth and sanctification.

You could well spend a lot more than three weeks looking into these profound chapters so it's correct we we do have a new study guide.

It's a wonderful new addition in the series of study guides that we become to rerelease after a number of years availing them how to print in the title of this one. Fittingly, along with the series is freedom from sin. It is a detailed study guide to think it probably has a couple hundred pages in it. It covers Romans six and seven. It gives you an outline for each message that is going to be in our current series.

There is the content of each sermon. Essentially, it's 10 full sermons in book form and for many years we produced the study guides. They were extremely popular at one time we had the hundred and 50 of them in circulation.

Everybody love them so we brought them back in. I think I would safe safely that this is one of the most important of all, the study guides we ever did freedom from sin and we're excited to get it into your hands. What allows you to do is to read and in a sense, be prepared when you listen to the broadcast for what you're going to hear because it will build on what you've read or even to follow the broadcast looking at the study guide or use the study guide after the broadcast to refresh and renew takes you. Verse by verse through an amazing portion of the Bible that shows you that even though sin is always a reality.

This side of heaven. If you're Christian you have been freed from sin's power from its grip from its dominance and you can experience the blessing of that freedom.

Even now, this is a substantial resource and it has questions for group study, individual study, the price, by the way, very reasonable, and we ship for free in the US order a copy of freedom from sin.

The study guide today and maybe several copies for your Bible study group. That's right, and friend.

When you understand that it really is possible to overcome sin, you will discover spiritual strength and usefulness like you've never known to see what it takes to experience freedom from sin pick up the new study guide by that name today. Call 855 grace or order the freedom from sin. Study guide@tty.org we also have study guides for other series, including spiritual boot camp. The believers armor and complete in Christ to pick up those books or the newest study guide called freedom from sin, call 855 grace or go to TTY.org also wider online encourage you to download the grace to you at wherever you take your iPhone or android device you this app gives you access to all of John sermons is more than 3500 total.

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You can download his latest sermons as well. Thanks also for remembering to pray for John and the staff that is really your most important ministry to us. Pray for now for John MacArthur and the entire staff. I'm Phil Johnson with a question for you.

What does the Bible mean when it says the Christians old man has died.

John considers that vital theological question tomorrow with another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you