Romans chapter 6, as we have mentioned many times,
these letters, all of these letters that the Apostle Paul wrote,
they were not written with chapter divisions. This letter to the
Romans is one letter. And the question that Paul begins
chapter 6 with is coming from what he said at the end of chapter
5. Chapter 5 verse 20 says, moreover, the law entered that the offense
might abound or be made known, be magnified, be realized. That's why the law came, that
the offense might be magnified. The law entered that the offense
might abound, but where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound, that
as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. He said, even though our sin
was so great, it was so great, But even though it was so great,
he said God's grace was infinitely greater. And I love that. I love the thought of that. It's
not that the Lord Jesus Christ just barely covered our debt. His payment so far surpassed
what we owed. We've received a double portion,
and that's putting it lightly, infinitely greater. No matter
how much sin we committed, God committed His grace to us abundantly
more. Now he begins chapter six by
asking the question, how are we, God's people, God's chosen
people, how are we to respond to that? What should be our response? Chapter six, verse one, he said,
what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? that grace may abound. If the
more that we sin, the more he shows his grace to us. Should
we then just dive head first into sin? Should we just strive to live
as wickedly and as rebelliously as we possibly can? Verse two,
he said, God forbid, God forbid. This is something you're going
to find. You're going to run into this
when the enemies of the gospel, when they hear that, you believe
that you are free from the law. When they hear that, they're
going to find out what you believe. And when they hear that, you
actually believe Romans three 28. All right. Look at Romans
three 28. Therefore, we conclude that a
man is justified, saved, accepted, justified by God, by faith, without
the deeds of the law. When they hear that you believe
that, this is what they're gonna say. Well, if I believe that, I could
just live however I wanted to live. That's what they'll say. If I believe that I was completely
free from the law, saved by faith in what Christ has done without
me having any obedience to the law. If I believe that, I could
just live however I wanted to live. When we hear that, this
ought to be our response. And you who know the Lord will
agree, this is our response. No. If you believed that, you
wouldn't live anything like you want to live. If you believed
that, you wouldn't live anything at all like you wanted to live. Now, I'm gonna save Romans 7
for when we get to Romans 7 in just a few weeks. I could right
now go through Romans 7, but we're in Romans 6 and we'll get
there in a couple of weeks. In that chapter, Paul said, this
is what he said. He said, this is what I wish
I was, but this is what I am. I am nothing like I want to be. Why do I do this? Why? This is what I want to be. This
is what I am. Why is this all I see in myself? The sin, he said, I want to be
like Christ. That's what he was saying. But
he said, the sin that has infected me won't allow me to live at
all in a way that I want to live. It just won't allow it. He won't
allow me to live in a way at all that looks like Christ. I
wanna look like Christ, I just don't. Every child of God is
gonna find this to be the absolute truth. Grace, what is true grace? The free gift of salvation and
forgiveness in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's grace,
free gift. Grace does not encourage sin
at all. Not at all. Grace is the very
thing that allows men and women to hate sin. It is the very thing. If God withholds His grace from
us, if He does, if He withholds His grace from us, we will love
our sin and we will thrive in our sin. Grace is the very thing
that allows us to hate it. Therefore, Paul said back in
chapter 6, if you look back at Romans 6 verse 1, what shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid, how shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? He said we, God's people,
are dead to sin. Dead to sin. Now every quickened,
I mean truly quickened, made alive, believing, truly believing,
Child of God is going to read that and is going to think, what? A person who has not been quickened,
this is important. A person who has not been quickened,
a person who is just completely lost in religion. If a person
wants to be lost, go to religion. You will get so lost. You just
be lost and ruined. But a person who is completely
lost and dead in sin will read that. And this is what that person
will think. Yeah, I don't have any problem
with that. A person who has not been shown
grace. loves his own vain self-righteousness. Greatest sin, that pride and
self-righteousness. Everybody thinks of the gutter
and they think of the bars and they think of all that stuff.
There's more sin in the pews than anywhere else. A person who has not been shown
grace thinks he doesn't sin. God said, I'm going to send my
spirit and the first thing he will convince you of is your
own sin. That's the first thing. So that's
how you can tell when a person is completely lost and dead in
sin. He thinks he doesn't sin and
he loves thinking he's above sin. I mastered that. I'm above
that now. And that's sin. A person who
thinks that, if we say we have no sin, we make God a liar. That's
sin. That person thrives on the wickedness
of thinking he's not a sinner. But a truly quickened child of
God is going to read that and this is what he's going to think.
What do you mean dead to sin? Look at me. Look at me. If God wrote that in His Word,
then it means it's so. It means it is so. So what does
He mean by that? What is it for a child of God
to truly be dead to sin? Let's start with what we are
not dead to. Because as quickened, believing
children of God, we know that there are some things about sin
that we're not dead to. There are some things we're not
dead to. Number one, we are not dead to the influence of sin. Look at Romans 7, verse 11. Paul said, for sin, taking occasion
by the commandment, deceived me and by it slew me. In the same way that the adversary
deceived Eve, that same adversary, as a roaring lion walks about
seeking whom he may devour, may deceive, may influence. And our
Lord said, you pray to the Father, lead me not into temptation.
Pray for that. Because he said, if it were possible,
even the very elect would be deceived. if it were possible. So we're not dead to the influence
of sin. Number two, we're not dead to
the presence of sin. Look right here in Romans 7 at
verse 21. Paul said, I find then a law
that when I would do good, evil is present with me, even when
I'm trying to do good. It's just smothered in sand.
Look with me at 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy 1. Verse 15, the apostle Paul said,
this is a faithful saying. What that means is this is the
truth. You can believe this and count
on this and trust this. This is a faithful saying and
worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners of whom I used to be the chief. Not what he said, is it? And
this is an apostle of whom I am chief. I'm the chief. Paul said,
it's present with me right now. David is the man that God said,
he's a man after my own heart. This is what David said. I acknowledge
my transgressions and my sin is ever before me. Always before me. Always, always. We are not dead to the influence
of sin. We're not dead to the presence
of sin. We're not dead to the effects
of sin. Romans 5 says, by one man, sin
entered the world and death by sin. So death passed upon all
men for that all have sinned. 1 Corinthians 15 says, in Adam,
all die, all die. All right, well, if all that's
the case, what then are we dead to? How are God's people dead
to sin? Go with me back to our text,
Romans 6. Verse three. Know ye not that
so many of us, as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized
into His death? Therefore we are buried with
Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed,
that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead
is freed from sin. How are God's people dead to
sin? They are dead to sin in Christ. They are dead to sin
in His death to sin. Look at Romans 8, chapter 8,
verse 1. There is therefore now no condemnation
To them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,
but after the spirit. There's no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus. Verse 34 of this same chapter
says, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. No condemnation. In Christ, no
condemnation. God's people are dead, to the penalty of sin. Dead to the penalty because Christ
died for the penalty of sin. Back in chapter 6, the last verse,
verse 23, it says, for the wages of sin is death. That's the penalty
for sin. Spiritual, eternal death. And that spiritual, eternal death
cannot come to God's people because Christ already suffered it. Who
is He that condemneth? It's Christ that died. We're
dead to the penalty of sin. We are dead to the power of sin. Right here in this same chapter,
look at verse 14. Chapter 6, verse 14. For sin
shall not have dominion over you. For you're not under the
law, but under grace. It will not in the end overpower
God's people. Why is that? It's because God
overpowered sin. Christ won the victory over sin. Sin bruised his heel and he crushed
sin's head. He said, in the world you shall
have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world.
I've overcome it all. In the Lord Jesus Christ, in
his death, in his victory, we're dead to the penalty of sin. We're
dead to the power of sin. We're even dead to the charge
of sin, the guilt of sin. Don't turn, but 2 Corinthians
5 says, In Christ our sin was laid on Him. God did that before
the foundation of the world. And it says there that His righteousness
was laid on us. He made Himself to be sin. Our sin. Why did Christ die on
the cross? The wages of sin is death. He was made to be sin, our sin. Our sin was laid on Him. He suffered the penalty of it.
He suffered the punishment of it. Our sin was looked for and
found on Him. There it is. Where is Gabe Stoniker's
sin? Right there on Christ my Son. He made Himself to be sin so
we could be made His righteousness, His perfection. Because of Christ,
it says that the iniquity of God's people is going to be looked
for and it will not be found. Not on them. It will not be found. Therefore, we're dead to it. We're dead to trying to justify
ourselves from it. That's what religion is trying
to do. That's what men and women who
have yet to see Christ the Savior are trying to do. They're trying
to justify themselves from sin. How can I fix it? How can I make
it right? And they work and work and work
until God's Spirit comes and says, rest. Christ did it. God's people are dead to trying
to justify themselves from it. dead to it. Now, everything that
I have said is written in an article that Brother David Edmondson
wrote, and he has an illustration in here and it makes all this
so clear. I want to read this to you. He
wrote this from Romans 6, verse 2. How shall we that are dead
to sin live any longer therein? He said, there is a death to
sin. I'm not talking about death to
the presence of sin. I'm talking about death to the
guilt of sin. I'm referring to a death to the
condemning power of sin. In Christ, I am dead to sin's
charge against me. He took it off of me. I'm dead
to sin's condemnation of me. I'm dead to sin's judgment against
me. He said, please understand me.
I'm not saying that I'm dead to the influence of sin. I'm
not dead to the temptation of sin, but the curse of sin has
been removed from me. The claim sin had on me is now
gone. My sin has been crucified with
Christ. He said, if a man commits a horrendous
crime and is sentenced to life in prison, if that's his sentence,
you got to live in prison the rest of your life. If a man commits
a horrendous crime and is sentenced to life in prison and he dies
before he begins to serve his sentence, can that man still
serve his time? No, he's dead. He's dead to the
charge. He's dead to the verdict. He's
dead to the judgment and the condemnation of his crime. Being
dead, the law can no longer extract justice from him. That's what
every believing child of God who trusts in Christ alone has
become. They have become dead to sin. They cannot live any longer therein. That's good, isn't it? So verse one, Romans six, verse
one, it says, what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin
that grace may abound? God forbid, how shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? That's not talking about water.
That's talking about God's Holy Spirit immersing a sinner into
the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Water baptism is only an illustration
and a confession of what God's Holy Spirit has done for us in
Christ. That's all it is. Immersing us into his, and that's
why we are baptized. It's death. burial, and resurrection. That's what we have been immersed
into. Verse four, therefore, we are
buried with him by immersion, by baptism into death, that like
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man,
that one that was born in the flesh and we experienced first,
all right, we've been with the old man longer than the new man. Over in Genesis, the story of
Isaac and Rebekah having two boys, Jacob and Esau. The Lord told her, there was
this struggle within her, and a believer knows this struggle.
That's what Paul was talking about. What do you mean, dead to sin?
I feel like it's so alive in me. All right, it's a struggle
going on. And that's what it represented,
Jacob and Esau. And God said, there are two nations
in your womb and two manner of people. But then he told her
the glory of the gospel, the good news. He said, the elder
is going to serve the younger. Don't you worry. The younger
one, the newer one. Spiritually speaking, the Christ
in us. I've got this old man right here
on the outside. Christ comes in and reigns in
his people. The new man is Christ. That old
man's Adam. And the new man's Christ and
he's going to win. Don't worry. The good news, the elder shall
serve the younger. So for a believer, when the body
lays down in death, that's the end of the old man. That ought
to be our celebration. We sorrow, and it's okay, I sorrow
too. We love each other. We want to
live together forever with Christ. And when we lose each other for
just a minute, we're sorrowful. But that's what is happening.
When you walk up to a casket and there's a body in there for
a believer, that's the old man. That's the final ridding of the
old man. And the new man lives on. The Lord said, whoever lives
and believes in me will never die. That new man never lays
down. He just lives on. So verse 7 says, He that is dead,
dead to sin, through the old man being crucified with Christ.
He that is dead is freed from sin. Free at last, free at last. That's what we'll be crying.
You know, we sing that song, sweet hour of prayer. And we'll,
till from Mount Pisgah's lofty height, I view my home and take
my flight. This robe of flesh I'll drop and rise to seize the
everlasting prize and shout while passing through the air. Farewell,
farewell, sweet hour of prayer. I believe we're also gonna be
crying, free at last, free at last. Praise God Almighty, I'm
free at last. You're dismissed.