He's Alive, We're Alive

Werner Bible to Romans chapter 6 very famous passage of Scripture. Romans six verses one through seven. Here the word of the Lord, what shall we say then are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase may it never be.

How shall we who died to sin still live in or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death.

Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin legacy that is a very compact package. Passage of truth that is almost overwhelming. Let us pray father in heaven we thank you for your word. We thank you that this is your word not ours. This is your idea. This is your plan from the beginning and before the foundations of the world that you would save a people for yourself. Father, we thank you that you deliver us from darkness from the dominion of sin and the deceit of sin and you brought us into your kingdom you justified us you say were not condemned were now safe in the blood of Jesus Christ.

Thank you father for this great mercy which we do not deserve which we could never which we do not still understand, but it is a mark of your love for us. Thank you father open her eyes teaches. Let us love all over your word and meditate on it. Let us receive it insured and digested so that we might be built up and glorify you. We ask in Jesus name, amen. You know they text teaches that there is a holy nature to the new life in Jesus Christ. So my introduction is one of a basic and looking at what what is the background of this this particular text and that you know there are only two ways to live. There's a live, the one where you can live with that live in the way of sin and death. Or you can live in faith in Jesus Christ and have eternal life.

Now how do we live in Christ. I think the basic thing we can see through this is that Paul describes what constitutes a new life in Jesus Christ say that many times it was a continues to talk about all that all through the book of Romans. But this new new life is empowered by the grace of God and by the will of the work of Christ on the cross and that Paul is stressing addressing a problem here is been.

He is overwhelmed because of God's grace in his own life so that he so strongly preach the grace of Christ that people misunderstood and sometimes deliberately so. So back in chapter 5 in verse 20 says the law came in so that the transgression would increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more so people that all God loves me. Great.

I can sin all I want and I'll get more grace is what they were thinking I was called antinomianism.

Let's get rid of. Paul was fighting what was called antinomianism because he said we are saved by grace and not by works in this it works a great do anything anymore. We can just live lightly when live in God does love us right on in the kingdom.

He said in verse 72, he says, may it never be. How shall we do, died to sin still live in it, so his whole argument here is explaining how we are to be walking with Christ to be holy with him so he points out that this is absolutely not true. You cannot live in sin and have that be consistent with your group with the Christian life. We are redeemed from sin, to live a holy life in the presence of Christ. Okay, he talks about this. What does constitute a new life in Christ. What is it like, and so the holy life is birth and is empowered by grace is not empowered by our works is empowered by God's grace and we cannot live in sin as a way of life. If we have truly died to sin and we belong to Christ, that there there contradictory that their opposites lawlessness heated and then hidden hedonism sinning in order to get more grace is is actually opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ denying you need repentance and forgiveness is rebellion against God himself.

A simple way of life and living under grace are totally mutually exclusive cannot be the same. So Paul is addressing that issue here and so that that's what he says in an inverse 20 and 21 that the law came in.

So the transgressions would increase where sin increased, grace abounded all the more so we are safer in sin. Therefore we are not to live in it and Christ calls us to be as believers to be holy because the father is holy because the be holy once he calls the saints.

We are called we are chosen where converted to be conformed to Christ and he's trying to set that straight in the light of the false teaching that he was facing their and and he was tried her alert the people in Rome that this was the case.

So then the question comes what constitutes a new life in Christ welcome. We get the verse three he says or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death is a very interesting statement always that you will. Maybe we should put up a facsimile of a two and you come out of the tomb, and then we baptizing when we just put a coffin human race that would one know that's not it is not talking about the mode of baptism here is talking about that work of Jesus Christ and his death and his promises of the new covenant in his own blood. That's what it means to be baptized into the death of Jesus Christ. Let's talk about that for a minute of our being in Christ means that we are in union with Christ, we are we are are connecting with you where our faith is in him because he died for us. We are trusting in him to take away our sins. And so in baptism we see that there is a washing in a cleansing, but we know we need that. And death is also, however, associated with Adam and Eve because they sinned and they died in in this so we die physically, but there is a key way to look at this in the illustration here that because before Christ died. The shedding of blood and the end of the death of the flesh was also illustrated how was that illustrated what we see. It illustrated a new covenant. In baptism, the sign of baptism is also illustrated in the old covenant in the sign of circumcision wanted that intending it meant that there was cutting of the covenant literally the covenant sign and there was the shedding of blood, and there was a death of some of that flesh and skin that was all pointing to Christ and what he was going to do on the cross. Just like the sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed to the that the shedding of blood of those animals they they died they could do, you cut them you and then they were destroyed, their flesh was destroyed there on the altar so is the cutting shedding of blood in the death of the flesh all for flattering the Christ was going to do on the cross and now we look back to what was there. We look back to Christ's work on the cross so the purpose of an emblem as we look at baptism we are baptized into the death of Christ. So Paul is being very accurate as a Jewish man he really understood this and some of the Jews in Rome would understand this because they understood the symbolism of the Old Testament covenant and now the New Testament covenant in Christ blood. They understood that, so the need. The sign changed, but the meaning is still the same. The meaning is that your trusting in the shed blood and in his dying in the flesh for your life, but it also meant that there was a there was a cleansing associated with the blood he read a couple verses here for you. For example, in law, in Colossians chapter 2 verses 9 to 12 Re: verse 1112 it says in him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised that with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead, that clearly tells us that there is association of death and shedding of blood and cutting of the flesh and discarding of that flesh is related to baptism. When you get to Hebrews chapter 9 verse 1314 says this for with the blood of bulls and goats in the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who had incentive violence and sanctify for the cleansing of the flash, how much more with the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. So when he talks about being baptized into the death of Christ is pointing to the shed blood of Christ is pointed that symbolism in the Old Testament it's pointing to the that the death of the flesh that is discarded and buried is also pointing to the cleansing of the blood in the Old Testament, but now why don't we circumcise is the sign because when Jesus die.

That was the end of blood sacrifice, it was final.

It was finished on the cross and so now the sign is baptism with water which still represents the cleansing, but we forget sometimes it also represents the blood in the casting of the old way of life of the flesh, but that's what Paul says you were baptized into his is reminding us of what Jesus did. Now as weekly go through this we need to remember that Paul wasn't us to remember that we were baptized in his death.

This points back to the cross, but also the Old Testament point.

Points toward the cross.

The foreshadowing of what Jesus was going to do not people are sometimes confused about that and about the baptism and we can sometimes confused about that was so focused on the mode when we shouldn't be.

We should be focused on what it signifies them in the book of acts. There is a passage of Scripture.

Here in acts chapter 19 Paul is an emphasis and he's been talking to Apollo's and others. And there's a little bit of confusion because the people there say will wait a minute Paul asking said have you been baptized.

We have met with into what then were you baptized, and they said owing to John's baptism possible. John's baptism with the baptism of repentance later telling the people to believe in him who were coming to Jesus that it is that that they should come and follow Jesus when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Why was the change because the baptism of John was preparatory for people to come to faith in Christ.

But the baptism Christ. Christ is a baptism into his death.

Looking at his purpose and his death for us on the cross is a different kind is a different commitment to different profession. Your faith is in that promise of God and the fulfillment filled covenant of God in Christ blood so that was a brother rather startling to some of the people as they may realize that they were trying to follow Christ, but they didn't really understand what is baptism signified, so what really constitutes the new life in Christ. Well let's go down to the next verse, verse four says therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the father so we too might walk in newness of life. So this again is pointing to our relationship with Christ. We are buried with Christ, we are baptized in Christ will identify the crisis are union with Christ because we are trusting in Christ to save us in our faith is in him alone so buried and then baptized into his death. That is our union with Christ. And so our relationship now is that we now have power to resist sin, not because we get our own strength can do so because we are committed. Christ. And so what one person said what. This is a complete break with sin, our sinful past when you when you die. That's a complete break with a lot of things.

So we were done with that sin we are done with that lifestyle.

As soon will break the ties and we break the identity that we had with that way of sin and life in our union is now with Christ, we resist the old way that we live and we enthused about the new life in Christ because we know that sin does nothing but destroy okay so why did Jesus go through this sacrifice because he loved us and we are still learning what that love means and what it means for us, but he loves that then and he loves us. Now we who believe in him so we minute and said I talked about that that the great love of Christ. So the purpose of Christ's death is seen not just his burial, but also in his being raised the burial unity can be can be alive entry. You can't rise up from the dead, Mr. dead right you get yet to be buried first before you come out of the great so but when it when he does that he goes back, sometimes to to look at some of the other passages of Scripture in Romans chapter 5 because he says you know we knew before your Christian you identified with Adam because your child about a descendent of Adam and you are under the condemnation, that Adam had because he brought sin into the world as our first.

But when you become a believer. Now you are in Christ, your your ungrace you're under Christ, and so he goes back and he looks at them. Look at chapter 5, verse 18.

He says this so then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness. The resulted justification to all men so that offer of salvation is made, but if you if you're still in Adam you're on the condemnation. If you're in Christ you you receive grace in your pardon and peace. Pointing that out that our identity with Christ, and being buried with him identity with him the race with him is very crucial. So when we arranged it means that we are spiritually raised.

We have come been raised by the majestic power of God the father to never have excited people were when Lazarus was raised from the dead, they saw that Jesus had the power to raise people from the dead or the witness sign in name was taken off the that that the that Scott was carrying into the gray side and he was raised up and and people saw that but there was something more than wind when Lazarus was buried.

Martha was very clear and she told Jesus, don't you know that when you open that great there was going to be horrible odor coming and what did Jesus say to her. He said that this did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God. That's what Paul is saying here in this verse, verse four he says, so that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the father, the majesty and power of of the father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

So how are we ready spiritually to the same power that raised Christ in the same power that this resurrection power of God to the glory and majesty of God Almighty are heavenly father. We already given spiritual life so where does this come from, what is the result. What is it what constitutes this new life. Well will raised to a new walk in life and that's the purpose of of our resurrection. So Matthew Henry says those who were literally buried are cut off from all interaction with the lady so to emphasize their usual illustration in Italy and is where Paul's writing right around so automated made a transition of them… Related to the life you in Italy right arm of the scene from the movies movie wasn't so long ago, but it was rather graphic. There was a piece of that there was a poor man argosy poor before then he was lying in state in a Catholic Church coffin was open and down walk a few people only look in the calf coffin and they go sit down. Another man walks down, he says and sits down.

Man will understand. Finally, this big huge God great broad shoulders, but about 50, but he meant he was. He was fit, walking beautiful sits atop a walks into the coffin man's lying there like he looks over to an out of his pale sticks in his hand and then respond says it is dated turned around and walks out, dead to sin, then to the way of life.

He was cut off from the land of the living. That's what Paul is saying here we are sealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are cut off from sin, recut often the power sin to have dominion over us recut often the principle of sin controlling us. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live and the reason for Christ and to resist sin, and so this whole thing of being buried with Christ it. The thing that we need to remember is that one is signified in our baptism. What is signified in the death of Christ. What is signified in our burial. We are cut off from that life of long ago, baptism signifies Christ burial in Christ resurrection which was once and for all and it was for ever, it is forever done now. Once we are buried and raised with Christ, we once were, in union with Christ, we are forever living in the life. It never ceases during Christ. Now your life in him will never, we are forever holy ones we are saints will raised from the dead to live a life of faith in Jesus Christ. This is the nature of what it means to belong to Christ, so that let's go a little further what constitutes this new life in Christ. Let us look at verse five.

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So one of the key focus is here is on the little words certainly because it means not just all in in the future regularize the dead after we met with Christ is that no this is talking about the certainty of the present certainty to these people who live in wrong certainty to us as believers that we now live in Christ.

If we raise with him. You know, there are only two ways to go in life we are spiritually dead and facing an eternal death, or we are spiritually resurrected and have already begun our new and eternal life in Christ. There's only two ways there is. This is the new union that we have across a new life and our union with him is a loyalty to Christ is an allegiance to Christ to our resurrected Lord to our resurrected Messiah.

But here's what it is not is not allegiance it is not a loyalty to Sandra past sins or ways of sin is not allegiance to our old way of life and that is not recalling how wonderful it was to be around her in a while person is not that it all.

There is no allegiance there at all. There is no badge in that there is no glory in what we once were before became a believer. No relieving all that behind. We are a new creation in Jesus Christ.

And so it says in Colossians 33 that if you, for you have died and your life is hid with Christ. He overcame Christ overcame he demonstrated to the world, especially believers, that sin, death and the devil are needed or defeated for us. We still fight, but he is defeated. I death in a resurrection like his points to the source of our new life likeness and death refers to our personal relationship to Christ is the same is true as our relationship to him and refers to our likeness in the resurrection refers to our personal relationship to him.

So the Holy Spirit whom Christ the father sent now lives in us and leads us in following Jesus Christ. That's just the way it is not you take your book bye-bye look down at verse 13, reiterates the same thing.

It says in and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of righteousness but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness of God. So this is that call to holy living because you are following the Lord Jesus Christ. You belong to him and then he goes on inverse it in verse six he drops him down to talking more about what it is to walk in newness of life. And so in verse six we ask the question what constitutes a new life in Christ we get there several statements that I think we could summarize them by making this point we are rate united to a new Lord we are not slaves to sin, we have a new Lord, and you look at look at this passage of Scripture it says. Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we no longer live as slaves to sin. We are not slaves to sin, but we united to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are changed at conversion.

We are born again we have a new square new spiritual creation, special and spiritual creation. Jesus Christ and other only two ways in life. Your way of serving under the master sin or the new life United faith in Christ is the only two ways that exist, but our old self.

Know what does that mean that using the word and the path which means old man. We don't like talk about the old man but anyway it what it means. It is our human nature apart from grace. That's what we've been at this. It is our human nature apart from grace. That is the old person that we once were. Before we were saved.

Another, he puts it this RCR's old cells is this way since all that we were in our own unregenerate condition before union with Christ that is the old self.

Whatever we once were. So this explains Galatians 220 helps us understand I've been crucified with Christ and is no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life which I now live a live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. What a glorious verse, Paul is emphasizing the grace of God, not works and not antinomianism but relativism note is not signed or not absolute, as there are absolutes, but he saying there is a new life in Christ you holy way to live with in reference to Jesus Christ becomes about the body of sin in that verse six verse to be done away with. To be gotten rid of. And so, some say that this refers to the whole person being controlled by sin and now believer has new desires is when you would totally control your body, your thoughts, your mind, your emotions, you hear of your personal will was controlled by sin that is that is what is the body of sin, the flesh that is done away with and symbolized in the death of the flesh of Christ. So now believer, the new desire is to be free from the power sin are new natures Christian is to love God and love his commandments because then we know they're not our way of salvation.

We know that Christ is our way of salvation. Therefore, we are dying to our sinful selves. We are repenting of our sins and we are modifying the desires of our flesh, you know sin is an evil taskmaster is deceitfully says oh you need to try this it is so good for you and then it comes and destroys or that area of your life. That's what's the master sentence we are new creations in Jesus Christ.

We are no longer slaves to sin. The language Paul uses here is vivid. It was extremely vivid to the people who live in wrong because you do know is it that those Christians gathered there in wrong they were at the center of the Roman empire that empire that It's offers filled because I kept conquering new lands and they kept conquering new people and enslaving people 30 to 40% of the Roman population were slaves.

So when Paul uses this illustration. These people understood the scars of slavery. There were several maverick major ways a person to become a slave in Rome they could be a captive of war some raid whatever and that they can be By their captors or they could just be sold for profit. There were those who were enslaved because of their debts and that's gone down through history, a lot of times debtors prison. There are those who were born into a slave family just the way it was a neighbor kid always been a slave but however there were some people who willingly gave their lives to their master and they put hold in their ears and mark them that they they greeted I'll be your slave for life because I somewhat like the masterly war the security that was there in the job all kinds of slaves in Rome, but we are no longer slaves. That phrase made sense to the Roman audience that was reading this text, believers in the spiritual battle that we are in and the spiritual war that we're in there is Satan there who wants to take you captive into sin and to never let you go to no longer under sites control you can set free by the Lord. If you're a believer believers.

There is the sin debt that we all of but you are no longer slaves. Simple goes Jesus paid believers. We were born into sin. We were born under Adam, but we have been free because we been by God's grace adopted into the free family of God. Believers, we will once given the slavery slavery to civil passions work and but now we're free from those fleshly desires and strains in the seats and we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not sin. Slavery to sin is a horrible death.

If you don't get out to the trail. Jesus face that death on behalf of us. He suffered for those who work in union with him by faith.

Maybe you seen the pictures I've seen some of them there horrible when you look at the back link for photography was in you see the results and slaves of the past.

Even in America you look at the wellness in the scars on the slaves back been beaten by harbormaster or Jesus. Jesus himself took the lashes on his back for your sins and mine and he was wounded for our transgressions, you know, slaves are beaten the cursor, spit upon, and yet Jesus took the/slabs in the beginning there in the praetorian and then he stood there and he hung on the cross.

He listened to the jeers and the cursing of his own name Jesus did all that for you and you know slave owners.

Nothing slave absolutely nothing in there energy is hung on the cross again over the last piece of ownership that he had the cloak that he wore. But Jesus Jesus is given his life and everything for us is taken us as his spiritual children born our sins for us. We are free, why are we free if you turn and look at the verse seven gives you the answer I could find for he who has died is freed from sin.

That is part of the answer to the verse question in verse two. How shall we who died to sin still live in it. What we don't because everything from it by Christ.

So he says for he who has died is freed from sin. If you turn over to chapter 5 verse one it says this. Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ were justified in the word freed in verse seven it's the same word it could read you've been justified from sin and that's what we should remember Christians we are absolved from guilt because we died to sin in Jesus Christ. We leave behind that body of flesh and passions because we are united to Christ by faith we live because we are united to Christ in our spiritual resurrection. We are truly free in Christ we are a new creation, which parallels the first creation, which fail fail in sin, but we are more free and more free to live because we can live now with bile the work of the word in the spirit in our lives to live the life that we were designed to live.

We have found true life in Jesus Christ. What constitutes the new life in Jesus Christ. We are created he is alive and believer you are law that is father we thank you for the mercy that you've shown us and giving your life for us and continuing to sustain us in life by the work of your word and spirit. We are totally mercy and yet you you have done all of this for us. You have shown us new life constituted by a relationship with you.

Father, we thank you for the fact that you moved in our hearts cause us to believe we thank you for your love for your grace that is with us every single day. We pray this in Jesus name