All right, in Romans 5, 20 down
through the sixth chapter and verse 11. Moreover, the law entered
that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. That is, sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 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? Therefore, we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised 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. Now, if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ
being raised from the dead dieth no more, death hath no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once, but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves,
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Now you can see how Paul makes
the connection. between our death to sin and
the death of Christ also in regard unto sin. Now, I want to begin
by saying that Paul was a master at anticipating an objection
or a question that might be raised out of something that he had
said or that he had preached. Out of those doctrines that he
had received from the Lord, Paul anticipated how men might oppose
them and how they might object unto them. And so he deemed it
necessary that he might overthrow the false and faulty logic of
those who heard his doctrine and took it unto a wrong conclusion,
such things as justification, free justification by the grace
of God, such thing as sovereignty, as divine election, reprobation,
and such like. We can confirm that, that Paul
anticipated how men might oppose it if we look at some verses.
Look again at what he said in chapter 6 and verse 1. What shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? Look again, if you might, at
verse 15. What then? Shall we sin because
we are not under the law but under grace? And he goes on in
chapter 7 and verse 7. What shall we say then? Is the law sin because it stirs
up passion or emotions of sin in us? Chapter 8 and 31. What
shall we then say to these things? 9 and 14. What shall we say about
the election and reprobation of Jacob and Esau? Is there unrighteousness
with God? Chapter 9 and verse 19. What shall we say? Why doth he
yet find fault if the will of God is sovereign and supreme. How often Paul follows those
things with his usual reply, God forbid, may it never be. Now the question in Romans 6
and verse 1 is raised, no doubt, because of what was said before
in chapter 5, and particularly in verse 20 and verse 21 that
we read. that howsoever the coming of the law made sin to abound,
grace much more abounded than did sin. And though by the law
sin reigned unto death in all, grace did outreign it through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord and
Redeemer. Eternal life is by grace in connection
with the atonement, the person, and the work of Jesus Christ. For example, in Romans 3 and
verse 24, being justified freely by his grace. Now the word freely
there is the word gratuitously, being justified gratuitously,
that is without a cause, without anything in us, without any merit
in us at all. Being justified freely by his
grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Now here, let's give grace its
full and absolute due. The two terms that are used there
in Romans 3 and 24, freely, and then he adds, by his grace, either
might have sufficed, but he doubles it, freely, by his grace. Now it's interesting to me that
the word freely translated in Romans chapter 3 and verse 24
is the same word that we have in John 15 and verse 25 when
the Lord said, they hated me without a cause. Now that's the
same word. That is, they hated me for no
reason. They hated me freely. They hated
me because they would. And as John Murray wrote on Romans
3 and verse 24, by combining the two freely and by his grace,
quote, it doubly emphasizes the complete and unmerited character
of God's justifying act unquote, freely and by his grace. There is no cause, there is no
merit in the person that might influence God to bestow grace
upon them. There's no merit of any kind
that we might claim or that we might posit. No, nothing, including
the keeping or the works of the law, is a factor in God bestowing
his grace upon his dear people. It is not that God sees great
potential in a particular person and covets them for his service. It's not related to good or to
evil as we see in Romans chapter 9. It is without money. It is without price. There's
nothing that we offer unto God that he will reward by giving
the grace of God. Grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now recall two things,
if we might, in the end of chapter 5 again. Number one, in verse
20, Grace did much more abound. And in verse 21, grace reigns
like a monarch, like a mighty sovereign unto eternal life. Now, this is the reason for the
question in Romans 6 and verse 1 following in that chapter. In fact, Paul carries this discussion
from Romans 6, 1 down to chapter 8 and verse 4 and the main subject
is sanctification in this person of the scripture, especially
the statement in Romans 5 and verse 20. Moreover, but in addition
to the sin of Adam, The law entered in along beside and sin did abound
it. Now we see as it did in Paul's
encounter with the law in Romans 7, 5 through 13. that the law
made sin abound. It found many sins in the apostle
that he was not aware of. That the commandment made sin
to appear what it is, exceedingly sinful in the sight of God. Excessively Utterly sinful is
sin in the sight of God. And the only remedy for that
is that free justification that is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. And it's not through grace, and
it's not through works, and it's not through law, but it is through
the grace of God. Now, merit mongers argue that,
and Paul knows it, Merit mongers will argue that a free justification
that cannot be lost, that cannot be voided, that cannot be sent
away will negate the need and the practice of diligence and
sanctification. But they draw a false conclusion
if they say, such being the case, let me send all I would or all
I will, and the grace of God might abound. Now, this is twisted
logic from the legalist, that free justification opens the
door to sinful, carnal living. That's not true, and Paul proves
it is so. It does not open the door to
much more sinning because justification is freely given of God and cannot
be lost. And if the doctrine of free justification,
they say, is unfavorable to holiness and that it will encourage men
to live in their sin. Now, remember, this is the same
argument that they make against the preservation of the saints,
or eternal security, if you will. I've heard a many a person say,
why, if I believe that? If I believe I could be saved
and never lost again, I'd get saved and I'd sin all I want
to. Well, we sin more than we want
to, do we not, as the children of God. Now, so Paul takes their
argument and their objection head on in this passage of the
scripture, showing that justification by grace rather than being unfavorable
to holiness is actually the necessary forerunner of sanctified living. There will be no true sanctification,
there will be no holy living, There will be no living under
God apart from being justified by God's grace and that freely
by the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Now, Paul meets
their distortion of justification by free grace with his patent
answer as always, God forbid, never, not at all. May it never be. May it never
be so. Far be it from us to take that
position on the things of God. Now, the Apostle then shows the
folly of taking a libertine position on free justification. Not only
that it is unreasonable, but that it is impossible. for a justified person to turn
the grace of God into lasciviousness and become a libertine. He shows
that the premise in verse 1, that free justification would
lead to that conclusion, let us sin that grace may abound,
is an absurd contradiction of the truth, a completely false
and misleading premise that it will happen or occur or influence
in that direction. Paul asked, how shall we, being
dead to sin, live any longer therein? And this is his premise.
We are dead unto sin. How shall we live any longer
therein? And as James Frazer wrote, The
apostle is so positive. We are not dying or trying to
die. We are dead under sin. Now, this he repeats often, and
we need to trail it out. In verse 7, He that is dead is
freed from sin. We'll look at that later. Verse
8, dead with Christ. Verse 11, likewise reckon ye
yourself also dead with Christ. unto sin. Count yourself dead. Regard yourself as dead unto
sin. And then in Colossians 2 and
verse 20, dead to sin with Christ from the rudiment of the world. Colossians 3 and verse 3, you
are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. 1 Peter chapter
2 and verse 24, that we being dead to sin should live under
righteousness. And over in chapter 4 and chapter
7 and verse 4 of Romans, Wherefore, my brethren, ye also, like that
wife whose husband has died, are become dead to sin by the
body of Christ." Now, there is another expression that Paul
used a few times here in this discussion and section. You'll
find it in verse 7, and that expression is free from sin. We are dead to sin, and then
he also uses the expression, we are free from sin. He that
is dead is freed from sin. Now in verse 7, the King James
Version has it in the margin, justified. For ye are justified
from sin. Some see the word acquitted.
You are acquitted from sin by and through Jesus Christ. Now,
good commentators are agreed that the same word is translated,
justified, multiple other times throughout the New Testament.
Here are a few of those places in the New Testament. Paul speaks
of being free, of being free, from sin. Romans 6.22, being
made free from sin. 7 and 3, she is free from the
law of her husband, as he illustrates it by that. Romans 8 and 2, free
from the law of sin and of death, Christ hath made me, said Paul. Now this word free means not
to be a slave, to be unfettered, to have no bonds or chains upon
one, liberated, exempt, made free, set at liberty, emancipated,
and that by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. How this precious
liberty was and is obtained, we will soon see and declare. But for now, let's focus our
attention Oh, for a moment, on Romans 6 and verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. And
that's spoken not from the standpoint of justification, but also of
sanctification. So you are not under the law,
but under grace. Two things here for us to notice. Number one, The word for gets
our attention, for it makes some connection either to what has
already been said or what is about to be said. And then secondly,
there is the objection in verse 15. Shall we sin because we are
not under the law but under grace? It gets the same answer. God
forbid. Some see this at verse 14 as
a second heading, the first in verse 1 and 2 and the second
in verse 14 and 15. Now declares the apostle, sin
shall not have dominion over you. And the reason is given. You are not under the law, but
under grace. And the implication is there. It is clear. Those under the
law are under sin. And those under sin are under
the law. Justification and freedom from
sin, therefore, require deliverance from the curse of the law. As long as one is under the law,
they are under the curse of it and under sin and enslaved. So Paul also talks about freedom
from the law. We are free from the law and
from sin and from death. Now, in reading expositors, like
James Frazier has a wonderful commentary on this section, John
Brown, I agree with him that Paul, in his writing, speaks
to us of two kinds of dominion that sin exercises over the sons
of Adam. that there was and is a double
dominion under which the sons of Adam are subjected. A, of
course, is the reign of sin unto death. Chapter 5 and verse 14,
death reigned from Adam to Moses. Before the law ever entered in,
death was reigning. Both sin and death were in the
world before the law was given. But Romans 5, 13, Romans 4, 15,
sin is not imputed where there is no law. But still, in Romans
5, 20 and 21, sin abounded, it reigned under death. There is
a universal reign of death. Who denies it? Who can? This
is undeniable. Sin reigned under death. First in death of the body and
then the second death outside of Christ. But then, B, it reigns
also by means of our depraved nature, to practice sin, to live
in sin, until God comes with his marvelous work. What some
call the practical dominion of sin. Not only was it raining
on the dead, but it was raining under our practice of sin. It dominated our life before
conversion and regeneration. Sin lorded it over us until Christ
came to become our Lord. It held us as slaves. until that
great emancipation by Jesus Christ. For as the Lord likened sin to
slavery in John chapter 8. He that serves sin is the servant
of sin. Who commits sin is its slave. Its doulos is a servant of sin. People don't like that and they
don't believe it, but it is biblical. Now, the remedy for the first
reign of sin is justification by the redemption that is in
Jesus Christ our Lord, freeing us from the condemnation and
the guilt of sin. The remedy for the second dominion
of sin is the reign of grace, reigning in us unto righteousness
unto eternal life. And I want us to look again at
verse 7 of chapter 6. For the one having died, he that
is dead is freed or is justified from sin. This returns to what
was said in the second verse of the sixth chapter, dead to
sin. For he further unfolds that truth
unto us. So notice this freedom from sin,
that it comes as a result of death. And in verse 6, Paul carries
it two ways. Number one, we're dead to sin. Number two, we are free from
sin, so that the relationship had drastically been changed
by the experience of Jesus Christ. Now, we ought to ask ourselves
the question, what sort or kind of death is Paul talking about
in Romans chapter 6 and verse 7? What kind of death have we
undergone? Well, it can't be physical death,
the death of the body, for he is speaking of and to the living
saint. Nor is it spiritual death, for
that cannot make anyone free or justified from sin. In fact, in verse 20, when you
were the slaves of sin, You were free from righteousness. You were not under the dominion
of righteousness at that time. Nor can it be the second or the
eternal death for such that are dead in that manner die in their
sin, not free from sin. Now, from the context, it must
be understood and explained in this section. And he does so
from 6.1 to 8.4. In verses 3 through 5 here, in
Romans 6, and then again in verse 6 through verse 9, Paul emphasizes
the vital eternal union of the elect to the Lord Jesus Christ,
that both death and resurrection, he said, are symbolized in our
baptism as well as a symbolical burial. And then when we look
at verse 4. Therefore, we are buried by 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. In verse 5, if we have been planted
together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the
likeness of his resurrection. Down in verse 6 through verse
8, We have the clear explanation of what Paul intends by our being
dead unto sin. Verse 6, 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. Now what a verse is that? How
pregnant is it with truth, the truth of God. Our old man is
crucified. He's crucified with Jesus Christ. And there's a particular end,
aim, or goal to that, and that is that the body of sin might
be destroyed. Another aspect of the vital a
union of the elect unto Christ, our old man. Now, this type of expression
is typical with Paul in Galatians 5 and 24, Ephesians 4-22, Colossians
3 and verse 9, he uses the expression again. What is the old man? Paul says in Ephesians 4-22,
that the old man is corrupt. And he says in Colossians 3 and
verse 9, the old man with his deeds, with those things that
he does. Is this also called the flesh? Not strictly the old or sinful
nature, not the Adamic man, for these yet influence us. But the
old man, can it be the same as the body of sin in Colossians
2 and verse 11? Our old man is crucified. He has been put to death. Paul tells Peter in Galatians
2 and verse 20, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I
live, yet not I, but the life that is in me in Jesus Christ. In Galatians 6.14, by the cross,
he and the world are crucified one and the other reciprocally. that Paul and the world are crucified
to each other by the death of Christ. Now, that differs somewhat
from the Roman VI passage in Paul's teaching and meaning,
so let's look, if we might, at this body of sin that he mentions
in his writing. that is destroyed, put to death
by our co-crucifixion with the Lord Jesus Christ. The body of
sin, Paul uses it again in Colossians 2 and 11. The body of sin isn't
the human body of flesh that he has in mind. Of course it's
not the church body, don't think that. Is this body literal or
is it figuratively? Of course, the body of flesh
is involved in our sin, is it not? It has members. It has many
members, 1 Corinthians chapter 12, 14. And Paul said his members
warred against the law of his mind. Commentators are not agreed
exactly as to the meaning of this body of sin, whether it
is the fleshly body or whether it is that corruption that cleaves
to the unregenerate, which Paul figuratively calls a body of
sin. I lean to the second, for what
it is worth, that it is that whole system of corruption, the
sinful propensity that dominated us in our unregeneracy, what
possessed men since the fall, possessed man's nature, and affects
all of his human faculty. So let's see if we can make a
case for that from the scripture here. Verse 6, knowing that our
old man is crucified with Christ. And yet not just the fleshly
body is meant here, just as the new man in Ephesians 2 and 15,
Ephesians 4-24, Colossians 3.10, and being a new creation in 2
Corinthians 5 and 17, created in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2
and verse 10, is not confined to the fleshly body. It is not just the body that
is crucified with Christ, nor need we understand Paul to teach
that this freedom from sin has its delay until the body of flesh,
the human body, is dead. Granted, we do, that our body
is active. in both sin and in righteousness,
whether we serve sin or whether we serve God and righteousness. And it houses the old man, and
it houses the new man when he is created. So, if you want to,
turn with me to Colossians chapter 2, and let's take a closer look
at what Paul writes here. Chapter 2, verse 9 through 11,
and I'll read it. For in Him, that is Christ, dwelleth
all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in
Him. You don't need to look for anything
else. You have no need beyond Christ. We are complete in Him. which is the head of all principality
and power. Watch verse 11. In whom you are
circumcised with a circumcision made without hands in putting
off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ. Point here, crucifixion with
Christ, then circumcision of the heart by Christ. We know
how the Jew boasted in their physical circumcision, but Paul
speaks to them of a better, of a nobler, and of a spiritual
circumcision. Not handmade, he said, that is,
not with a knife, not upon the flesh, not outward in the flesh. Read Romans 2 25 through 29 for
a better explanation of that. This is something, spiritual
circumcision, that the Jew should have not been ignorant of. Nicodemus should not have been
ignorant of the new birth, and they should not have been ignorant
of a spiritual circumcision because the prophet spoke of it of old. Deuteronomy 10, 16. Deuteronomy
30 and verse 6. Jeremiah 4 and verse 4. Chapter
6 and 10. 9 and 26. Ezekiel 44 and verse
7. And Stephen in Acts 7 and verse 51 called
his persecutors, quote, stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and
in ear. Uncircumcised in heart and in
ear. Now, let's look at the contrast
between the two circumcision, fleshly and spiritual, are of
the heart. Here are some contrasts. Number
one, not outward but inward is the circumcision that is really
the one that counts. Number two, one removes Only
a small part of the flesh, the other removes the mass or body
of sins of the flesh. Number three, or number four,
one restricts it to males, the other also for females. Number five, the one is from
Abraham and through Moses, and the other is of Christ. And Lightfoot wrote, the spiritual
is distinguished as to its character, its extent, and its author. And that's true. John Eady added,
the one from Abraham and Moses was a token of the Jew, and it
marked them by their nationality. The spiritual is from Christ
by the spirit and regards them or marks them as Christian believers. are saints. And I would submit
to you that the spiritual circumcision is part and partial of regeneration,
of that inward work of God that is performed, and which is a
fruit of being crucified with the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby
the elect are made dead to sin, and free to sin, and circumcised
with a circumcision not made with hand. And this is their
justification, whereby they are made dead to the guilt and the
condemnation of sin. Don't misunderstand. They, we
are not dead to sinning. It is not that we have quit sinning. We are dead to sin, but we are
not dead to sinning. Paul is not promoting perfectionism
in this doctrine or in this passage of the scripture. Who is there
that could ever claim such a thing? And it is because they are crucified
with Christ that Galatians 5.24, they that are Christ, have crucified the flesh with
the affection and lust thereof. Because they are crucified with
Christ, they then are able to crucify the flesh. And again,
it is because they are dead to sin by virtue of the cross that
they can, in Romans 6 and verse 11, they may, they should, and
they do reckon themselves quote, dead indeed unto sin, unquote,
alive unto God through the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a dual
reckoning here. Both are included in the words
in the end of the verse, through Jesus Christ. They may reckon,
they may count, they may consider themselves completely justified
from the guilt and condemnation of sin, free from it by the redemption
that is in Jesus Christ. as well as count themselves alive
unto God through Jesus Christ. Look at the premise again in
the seventh verse of our text, that he that is dead is justified
from sin. And Paul first applies this to
Christ. Look at verse 8 through verse
10. In verse 9, He is alive, never
to die again. Death hath no more dominion over
Christ. Never again will he go to death
because or on account of sin. Look at verse 10. He died under
sin once. This is so often emphasized in
the book of Hebrew, that Christ's one death did what the many deaths
of the Old Testament priests could not do. And being raised,
he lives. unto God is alive forevermore. And then notice in verse 11,
he applies that unto believers. Being dead to sin in Christ,
they base their justification and practice their justification
upon that fact. They count it to be so. Let not
sin therefore reign in your mortal body and the desires therein. Do not lend your members as instruments
or weapons of unrighteousness but of weapons or instruments
of righteousness unto God. Because, you see, you're not
under the law, you are under grace. And being dead to the
law by the body of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, you are
free from that law. Now, I know there are a lot of
people, Armenians particularly, and some Calvinists too, who
make the distinction, no, you're not under the law as a manner
of grace and salvation, but then they put you back under the law
as the rule of life. Now that's not a distinction
that you'll ever find Paul making in the scripture. If you look
real close, you won't find Paul making that distinction. You're
not under the law as to salvation, but you are so-and-so as to a
manner of life. But be that as it may, no one
can cause their own death to sin. Nobody can crucify themselves
apart from the grace of Christ. It occurred through that eternal,
vital union to Christ. buried with him, raised with
him, made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ because
of that vital union. It all lays upon this foundation,
crucified with Christ. You are dead to sin, for you
have been crucified, put to death to its guilt and its condemnation
by the death of Christ. Christ died. Died for sin. Died once. He's alive evermore. Sin hath no more dominion over
him, nothing to condemn him or to find him guilty. Same with
his people. raised free from sin in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Thank God for it.