Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

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Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

• Romans 61-14

Romans
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Review

• All have sinned, and deserve death
• God has graciously offered a means of salvation,
  life
• He did so by justifying man by faith
• Justification by faith provides reconciliation
• We are learning how this justification happens
• Began with the first sin which brought death
• Juxtaposed it with Christs righteous death
  bringing life
• Now we finally look at WHAT we must do and WHAT
  it does to us

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Answering Objections

• Paul anticipates an objection to his last comment
  (Rom 520-21)
• Someone might say, Since grace abounds more when
  sin abounds more, does that mean we can keep
  sinning so we get more grace?
• Rom 61-2a
• The answer is an unequivocal NO!
• Why should that answer be obvious?
• Because of how they came to receive that grace
• Paul now reminds them of how they came to accept
  the grace offered by Christ

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How is grace accepted?

• Rom 62b
• Dying to sin
• Making a conscious decision to give up sin
• Repentance (turning away) from sin
• Rom 63
• Baptized into His death
• Accepted Christs gift by accepting His death as
  their own
• Joined Christs death through baptism
• That may not yet be clear, so Paul elaborates

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The meaning of baptism

• Rom 64-5
• What did Christ do?
• How does our baptism act as joining Christ?

and arose to a new life
was buried
He Died
Buried in water
Arise to a new life
Die to sins
Repentance
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Why be baptized?

• Rom 66-7
• To show our old life (of sin) is crucified
• Repentance (Acts 237-38)
• To allow our sins to be done away
• Forgiveness (Acts 237-38)
• To be freed from the power of sin
• Salvation (Acts 239-41)
• The power of sin is death (Rom 521)
• The gift of God is eternal life (Rom 521) which
  frees us from sin (Rom 67)
• If we are willing to repent and be baptized to
  accept the gift of God

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What about this new life?

• Rom 68-11
• Christs resurrection showed His power over death
• Since sins power was in death, the resurrection
  broke the power of sin
• For those who believe (Justified by faith)
• And have died with Him (repented and baptized)
• Christs continued life is in service to God
• So if we died in His likeness
• Repentance and baptism
• Then we should live again in His likeness
• In service to God

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Living a new life

• What does this new life look like when compared
  to the old one?
• Rom 612-14
• If sin no longer reigns in us, then we should not
  follow its desires
• Dont use your body for sin
• Present your bodies to God as instruments of
  righteousness
• Law would only be able to condemn to death
• Gods grace has set you free from death

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Answering the question

• Remember where we began? Rom 61
• Should we sin so that grace will increase?
• No, it would not make sense
• To receive the grace . . .
• We died to sin (repentance)
• We were buried (baptism)
• We rose to a new life (serving God righteously)
• There is no room or place for returning to the
  old life of sin
• To return would be . . .
• To reject the grace you once accepted
• To put yourself again under law, sin, and death

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Conclusion

• God knows you need to be saved
• God has provided the means of salvation through
  Christs death
• God offers you His grace, but He has placed
  conditions on your acceptance of that grace
• You must believe
• You must repent
• You must be baptized
• You must live a new life
• Is that too much to ask when He offers you
  eternal life?

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