Let's open our Bibles to Romans. I'm going to start tonight in
Romans 5. I think this study will be a blessing
to you. It was to me, and if I can preach
it with some liberty, I think it will be to you. The title
of the message is, Dead Unto Sin. alive unto God. Dead unto sin, alive unto God. Now back in chapter 5, when we
ended the study Sunday night, the scripture says in verse 20,
verse 20, moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, where
sin overflowed is the word, literally overflowed, abounded, grace did
much more abound. Now sin abounded, overflowed
in the human nature of every individual by the fall of Adam,
our father. The scripture said when Adam
sinned, We're all sin. When Adam died, we all died. And sin literally overflowed
the human nature of every human being, every person. But the
grace of God has much more. That's what the word says there,
where sin abounded. Grace did much more, super abound,
much more abound in the same people. by the obedience and
death of Christ. The same people in whom sin abounded
and overflowed because of Adam's fall, because of Christ's obedience
and death, those same people are made righteous in him who
is full of grace, full of grace and truth. And then sin overflowed
In all the powers and faculties of our being, our understanding, our understanding became evil
and wicked. Our wills became bound to sin
in bondage, Luther said. Our affection, we hated God. Our souls, the
scripture said, none good, none righteous, none that understandeth,
none that seeketh after God. Sin overflowed, abounded. But the grace of God in regeneration,
much more, much more abounds in the same faculties. Our understanding
was corrupted. our wills, our affection, and
our souls. But in regeneration, the Son
of God hath come and much more abounded and given us an understanding
that we may know God. And he has subdued our wills
and made us willing to come to him. And he has influenced our
affections with love for divine things. and he has restored our
souls. So that's what, this is a great
statement. We're seeing abounding over all
people and over all the nature of those people from their understanding,
their wills, their affection, and their souls. But by our Redeemer,
grace is much more abounding and our understanding now has
been restored, and our wills have been made willing, and our
affections are set on things above, and our souls have been
restored. And then sin abounded before
the preaching of the gospel in the Gentile world, in the most,
in the rankest of evil, the rankest. If you read Romans chapter The
Gentile world was plunged into the rankest of idolatry, worshiping
snakes, four-footed beasts, images of men. And you that have been
to Mexico know what those images look like. Paganism, perversion,
wickedness abounded, abounded, but where grace where sin did
abound, grace, the grace and love of our Savior over those
Gentiles who are these people right here
tonight. His grace abounded and multitudes turned from the idols
of their fathers to serve the living God and to wait for his
Son from heaven. Where sin reigned over the Gentile
nations, grace through Christ now reigns in the righteousness
of our Lord. Where sin did abound, grace did
much more abound. And it's all a free gift. That's
what he says, it's a free gift. Not by works of righteousness
which we've done, but by his mercy he has saved us. Ephesians 2, 8 and 9 said, by
grace are you saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves.
It's a gift of God, a free gift. So where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound. Then verse 21, and as sin hath
reigned unto death, and I told you Sunday night, 6,000 years,
it's reigned unto death over all this creation. Everything dies. Even so, my
grace reigns much more through the righteousness
and the eternal life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, chapter 6
begins, and it begins with an objection that Paul knew would
be raised. The Holy Spirit led Paul to discern
this and to anticipate this and to deal with it. Paul spake as
he was moved by the Spirit of God. So he anticipates here an
objection to this grace, salvation by grace, grace alone, plus nothing,
minus nothing, without works, without the deeds of the Lord.
What shall we say then? He says, shall we continue in
sin that grace may abound? In other words, this is the objection
Paul said will be raised, and it's raised all the time in this
day. It's raised to you. You've heard it countless numbers
of times. Well, if we're saved by grace
alone, without works, if we're justified by Christ alone, apart
from our deeds, and our works. Well, what's to keep us from
continuing in sin? In other words, if where our
sin is the worst, and our guilt is the greatest,
God's grace abounds the more, and his love and mercy is glorified
the more, then just let us sin that good may come. Let us sin
that God's grace may be glorified. Let us sin that Christ's love
and mercy may be more magnified. That was the objection over here
in Romans chapter 3. Turn over there in verse 8, Romans
chapter 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ got great
glory for saving a thief on the cross, great glory saving And
all his sins were grave for saving Saul of Tarsus, who was an injurious
persecutor, such a wicked religious man. So let's do evil that good
may come. That's what the objection raised
here in chapter 3, verse 8. And not rather, as we be slanderously
reported, and as some affirm or claim that we say, let us
do evil that good may come. Well when a fellow says that,
his damnation is just. See what Paul says, his damnation
is just. A man that misunderstands the
grace of God in such a terrible fashion, his damnation is just. Now to begin with, now listen
to me carefully. This is the objection if we say
by grace alone, without works, without deeds. And God's glory
is, and his grace is glorified, and his grace abounds where sin
did much more abound, much abound than less sin that God's grace
may be glorified. Now to begin with, listen, sin
itself is not the cause of glorifying God or his grace. Sin doesn't
glorify God anyway or his grace. Sin is the cause of death. Sin
is the cause of wrath. Sin is the cause of shame and
judgment. It is not the commission of sin
that glorifies God, it's the forgiving of sin. You see that? It's not the commission of sin
that glorifies God. Let's do evil that good may come.
You never accomplish good by doing evil. The glory to God is not the commission
of sin, it's the forgiveness of sin. That's where God's glorified,
in forgiving sinners. The grace of God is magnified
in the pardon of sin. That's where the grace of God
is magnified, in the pardon of sin. That's where the compassion
of the Father is magnified when he ran to meet the prodigal son. and forgave him. The grace of God is magnified
in putting a stop to sin. The grace of God is magnified
when he enables a sinner to hate his sins, and to repent of his
sins, and long to be free from sin. That's when the grace of
God is magnified. Then in verse 2, Paul He answers
that question. Verse 1 says, well, since grace abounds much more where
sin abounded, let's continue in sin that grace may abound.
And Paul answers it with two words, God forbid. God forbid. Take your concordance sometime
and look up how many times Paul uses that phrase, God forbid. God forbid, 14 times in the epistles
of power. And every time when he uses it,
he uses it to express shock, to express abhorrence at something
somebody has suggested or said. It brings a reproach on the name
of his Lord, God forbid. And God forbid means this, it
means put it to rest. put it to rest. It means this,
let no such thought enter your mind ever again. God forbid. And here's how he answers in
verse 2. Now, shall we continue in sin
that grace may abound? God forbid. Listen, how shall
we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in sin? How can that be? A person that's
dead to How can you live any longer in sin? Comfortably. Happily. Continually. Well, let's answer
this question. How are we dead to sin? And I'm
going to answer it in two ways. First of all, how we're not dead
to sin. And how we are dead to sin. Now
we are dead to sin. Dead unto sin. And that's all
the way through this chapter. Dead unto sin. not dead to sin. Well, turn to Romans 7, if I
cross the page. Romans 7. First of all, we're not dead
to the influence of sin. None of us here are dead to the
influence of sin. And Paul wasn't. He said in Romans
7, verse 15, listen. For that which I do, I know not,
I don't approve of. But what I would, that do I not. And what I hate, that do I. What's
the influence? It's sin. That's the influence. That's the influence. In verse
18, I know that in me, in my flesh, well, it's no good thing.
The will is present with me, but how to perform that which
is good I find not. That's the influence of sin.
We're not dead to that. And then secondly, we're not
dead to the presence of sin. Look at verse 17. Now then, it
is no more I that do it, it's sin that dwells in me. That's
the presence of sin. And down in verse 21, I'll find
then a law when I would do good evils present with me. So we're not dead to sin's influence.
It influences us. It influences our attitude. our language, our words. It influences
our deeds. It influences our thoughts. So we're not dead to the influence
of sin. We're not dead to the presence of sin. And thirdly,
we're not dead to the effects of it. Oh, it does affect you,
doesn't it? It brings you down here in verse
23. Paul said, I see another law.
Warring in my mind, warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members
presently. And here's the results, O wretched
man that I am. No believer justifies any sin
he ever thinks, says, or does. Never. O wretched man that I
am, who will deliver me from this body of death, or the body
of this death? David said, My sins are ever
before me. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest
be justified when thou condemnest, and cleared when thou chargest."
So, we're not dead to sin's influence. It influences us. We're not dead
to its presence. Don't think that for a moment.
And we're not dead to its results. It depresses us. It convicts
us. It troubles us. It makes us cry
with power. Oh, wretched man that I am. I
wish I could be perfect, don't you? I wish I never thought sin
or said sin or did sin or imagined sin. If we just have a clean,
pure, holy mind and attitude and spirit, but it's not possible
in this flesh. Well, how are we dead to sin?
All right, I'll tell you. In what sense is a believer dead
to sin? Our text says, how are we that
are dead to sin? We are dead to sin. How are we
going to live any longer there? Number one, we are dead to sin's
curse and to sin's condemnation. The scripture says, Cursed is
everyone that continueth not in all things written in the
law to do them. But Christ hath redeemed us from
this curse. Being laid a curse upon us. We're
dead to the curse. The law of God has no curse upon
you anymore. It's gone. And no condemnation. That's what Paul said in Romans
8. Who can lay anything to the charge of God's elect? God justified
us. Who can condemn us? Christ died. Yea, rather He's risen again,
who's ascended to the right hand of God, who makes intercession
for us. So we're free. Free from the curse and free
from the judgment, free from the condemnation. There is no
judgment to them who are in Christ. Secondly, we're dead to sin as
our master. Sin's not our master anymore.
No sir, sin's not our master, Christ is our master. He said
you call me master and lord, you say well, so I am. Christ
is our master. And we're dead to sin as our
master. Look here at Romans 6, 14. 6,
14, sin shall not have dominion over
you. Sin shall not rule over you.
Sin shall not reign over you. You're not under the law, you're
under grace. Christ is your master. And our
prayer always is this, not my will, I will be done. And our words are like the Apostle
Paul, when God revealed himself to him, Lord, what would you
have me do? Christ is my master, not sin. Sin does not reign. It remains,
but doesn't reign. It's not in charge. Turn with
me to 2 Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse
14. This is the sense in which we're
dead to sin. Dead to its curse, its condemnation,
its judgment, and its reigning power. It does not reign. Christ
does. 2 Corinthians 5, 14. For the
love of Christ constraineth us. Because we thus judge that if
one died for all, then we're all dead. And that he died for
all, that we should, that they which live, should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him. Then thirdly, we're dead
to sin. So it's curse and condemnation.
We're dead to sin as a master and a ruling tyrant. We're dead
to sin as a course of life. It's not, we do sin, but that's
not the bent of our will. That's not the tenor of our lives.
That's not the direction that we're walking. We're not walking
in the flesh, we're walking in the spirit. We don't mind the
things that are in the flesh, we mind the things of the spirit.
Turn to Romans 8, let's read that. Sin is not my friend, it's
my enemy. Sin is not our friend, it's our
enemy. And here in Romans 8 verse 1,
there's no condemnation. There's therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh.
That's not our walk, that they walk after the Spirit. And verse
6, to be carnally minded is death. But to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. And verse 5 tells us who those
people are. They that are after the flesh,
they do mind. They're concerned with. That's
the bend of their will. That's the tenor of their life.
That's the direction they walk in the flesh. But they that are
after the spirit, they mind the things that are the spirit. Back to my text, Romans 6. How
shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein? Now,
since we are dead to sin, how shall we that are dead to
sin live any longer in sin? Now, what does it mean to live
in sin? Well, persons are said to live in sin when they give
themselves over to it. Just surrender to sin. when they have offered no real
resistance to it. Sin is their pleasure and delight. It's their way of life. Now,
not so the believer. The believer does not give himself
over to sin. He resists it. He offers resistance
against it. Sin is not to him a pleasure
and a delight. It's the same. David said in Psalm 1, is in
the law of the Lord, and in his law does he meditate, tell you
now. His delight is in the law of
the Lord. The believer never excuses sin. He never justifies
himself or his sin. I heard a terrible statement
a few days ago. A young man who has professed
to be a Christian for a long time, long time, actively engaged
in church work, teaching and preaching. But some time ago
he left his wife and three children and went off with somebody else.
Well, did he quit teaching and preaching? He just found another
church where they would accept him as he was. And he wrote to me and he said,
how come you're not corresponding with me? I said, we can't have
any fellowship anymore unless you go back to your family and
confess your sins, state not your life. Well, he said, I'm
happy where I am. He asked another friend of mine
why he turned his back on him. He said, because of what you
are, what you do, and where you are. He said, now listen, I'm
all right. And he said it's a judgment.
Now listen to this. I'm going to take my place in line behind
King David. And it's going to be all right.
No, it's not. No, it's not. That's not a believer. A believer doesn't delight in
sin. A believer doesn't justify sin. He doesn't excuse sin. He repents of sin. He despises
sin. How can we that are dead to sin
live any longer therein? This man is a reprobate. That's just so. Oh me, King David. You don't
want to stand in him. You want to stand in Christ.
You don't want to blame your sin on his influence? That's
wicked. The expression dead to sin, now
listen to me, how can we that are dead to sin live any longer
therein? The expression dead to sin does
not relate entirely to our human flesh or our human thoughts or
human actions. Because the only time I'll ever
be as a human being totally dead to sin is when I'm dead. And
this body's in the ground. I'll be then totally completely
dead to sin. Totally completely. When I'm
out of this body. But when he's talking about believers
being dead to sin, he's talking about our state before God. He's talking about the new man
created in Christ Jesus. That new man is dead to sin. Sin is not his master and Lord. Christ is. The way of the flesh
is not the way of his life. Christ is. And we're dead to
sin because we died with Christ. And listen, and the sanctification
of a believer rests on the same foundation and springs from the
same source as his justification. Christ's righteousness and glory.
That's my sanctification, that's my justification. And that's
what he says in these next two verses. Verses 3 and 4. Verses 3 and 4. that so many of us as were baptized
into Christ were baptized into his death, dead the same. 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. Now there are two baptisms here.
There are two baptisms. The first one is in verse 3.
Baptized into Christ. Know ye not that so many of us
as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death.
Now let's go to 1 Corinthians 12 and see this again. Baptized
into Christ were baptized into his death. 1 Corinthians 12 verse
12 and 13. This is how we are dead to sin
now. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 12, this new nature, not this old
flesh here now, this new man created in Christ Jesus, this
new man born of the spirit of God, this new man regenerated,
this new divine nature in you is dead to sin. Now watch this.
1 Corinthians 12 verse 12, For as the body is one, and hath
many members, And all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so is Christ. So also is Christ. For by one
Spirit, the Holy Ghost, have we all, are we all baptized into
one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
bonded free, been made to drink into one Spirit. We're baptized
into the body of Christ. Our Lord talked about, I'm the
vine, you're the branches, I'm the head, you're the body. We
are baptized into Christ. The believer is one with Christ.
That new man, that new nature. Even as we were one with Adam,
we are now one with Christ. We died with Christ. We died
with Christ even as we died with Adam. Righteousness is ours as
truly as Adam's sin was ours. Adam's sin was ours, now righteousness
is ours. We died in Adam, we live in Christ. That's what our Lord said. I'm
the head, you're the body. I'm the vine, you're the branch.
We're one. We're baptized into the body of Christ. Because he
lives, we live. He's dead to sin, and we are
too. He wants to bore our sins. He
was made to sin for us and he died for those sins and put them
away and he's not in sin and we're not in sin. We're dead
to sin. The second way that we're dead to sin is illustrated in
our baptism. Now look at verse 4. Therefore,
we're buried. We're buried with Christ by baptism
unto 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. Now baptism is not only a confession
of faith in Christ. Baptism is a figure. It's a figure. We are represented in baptism
as dying with our Lord. Being buried with our Lord. and
rising victorious of our Lord. It is saying that the death of
Christ, when a person is baptized, who believes on Christ, who is
regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he's saying in that baptism that
the death of Christ is the means by which his sins were paid for,
atoned for, and destroyed. His burial is proof of the reality
of his death. How do we know Christ died? They
buried him. They took him down from the tree
and buried him. When a person dies, you bury
him. Abraham asked some fellas, give
me a place to bury my dead out of my sight. I want to get rid
of it. And his burial is proof of his
death. And I was going under that water,
completely submerged, disappearing. into the watery grave is proof
of the reality of our death. And when we come out, we're declaring
that we're risen, he said, to walk in newness of life. This thing of conversion is a
reality. It's an experience of grace.
It's a work of God. It's the creation of a new nature.
And that man is dead to sin, and he's buried, died on the
cross and buried, and he's risen to walk in newness of life. In
the same manner, one of these days we're going to be raised
in body to live eternally with the Lord. But baptism is the
most complete picture of what happens when God saves a sinner.
We're dead. Dead to the law, dead to works,
Dead to ceremonies, dead to personal righteousness, dead to the curse,
dead to the condemnation of law and justice, dead to the world
and its approval or appraisal or influence. We're dead! We're buried, like our Lord. Buried out of sight. That's what
Paul said about all his former religion. He said, I counted
but lost. dead and buried. I count it but dawn. I count
it but nothing that I may reign with Christ and walk with Christ
and know Christ and be conformed to his image. And we are also
in the likeness of his resurrection. He rose without sin. He arose
perfected and we rise the same way. That's what baptism is. Verse 5 said, listen, if we've
been planted together in the likeness of his death, bless
God, praise God, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection.
Now and then. Now and then. Now verse 6. He says in verse
6, knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, and henceforth we should not
serve sin. What is this old man that Paul
talks about? He uses that phrase two or three
times. Old man. Our old man. In Ephesians 4,
he said, put off concerning your former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt. Colossians 3, 9, he said, put
off the old man with his deeds. Well, it's called, it's called
our old man because the nature, that's the nature we receive
when we're born. It's the oldest man. It's the new man. It's created
in Christ Jesus. That old man's been around ever
since you breathed your first breath. No, before you breathed
it. When you just to see that old
man. He's old. He's an old man. Born and seen, conceived and
shaped and enlivened. And it's our old man. That's
what he said. Our old man, we're not talking
about everybody else, now we're talking about me. It's my old
man, it's my will that's fallen. It's my mind that's depraved.
It's my affections that are polluted. It's my actions that are corrupt.
It can never be improved, it has to be destroyed. Got to be destroyed. Old man, and our old man, And
what's this? It's an old man. And that old
man can never change. He can never change. He just
got to be crucified with Christ. He's got to be condemned. He's got to be constantly dealt
with too. Constantly dealt with. He's got
to be put down. Crucified. Put off. That old
man. Knowing this, that our old man
is crucified with him, that that body of sin might be destroyed,
and henceforth we should not serve sin." Now watch verse 7.
Here's good news. Well, he that is dead is freed
from sin. What's that word freed? Justified.
He's just dead. What does that mean? It means
this, when Christ died on the cross, He was our representative
and he was loaded with sin, made sin. He was made sin for us. He took our sins in his body
and he died. And when he died, paid the debt,
satisfied the law, satisfied justice, he's free. Free. Sin is not on him anymore. He's justified. And we bowed
in him. And we're dead with Christ. I'm
crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. And the
life which I now live in this flesh, it's a new life. It's
a new nature. It's a new man. It's death to
sin, to the law, to justice. Satisfied. And I'm free. That's right. Now, turn him loose,
he said. I've found a ransom. Don't you
can't hold him anymore. He's free. You can't punish a
man twice for the same crime. He's free. There is one sin. I hear people say, well, we're
going to have to stand the judgment. Why? I've got nothing to be judged
for. He's just dead. He's free from
sin. There's not any sins on this
new man. It's sins on this old guy. And he hates them too. He'll be glad when he's done
with them. And we get a new body, like Christ. And we won't have
any sin, flesh or spirit then. Now listen to me, I'm going to
give you something that's so important. Verse 8. Now if we be dead with
Christ, we're free from sin, and we believe we'll live with
him. Do you believe that? I do. If we be dead with Christ,
not if you join the church, and do the best you can, and that's
not if we be dead with Christ, we gonna live with him. Secondly,
knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more, death
hath no dominion over him, isn't that true? You believe that?
And he has no dominion over you either. Verse 10, for in that
he died, he died unto sin once, He's satisfied every charge,
every claim, every statute, and he lives under God in an unbroken
fellowship. He lives under God, and so do
we. Now then, verse 11. If you hadn't
been listening, you'd never listen to that. Likewise, likewise,
reckon you also yourselves. to be dead indeed under sin. It's curse, it's condemnation,
it's judgment, it's power, it's reigning power, it's charges,
dead to sin just like Christ. And he that's dead is free. And
if he died, he'll never die again. In that he lives, he lives under
God, free from sin. Now you reckon What's the word reckon? Consider
it to be done. Consider it to be done. Consider
this. Listen to me. Everything needful
for your complete sanctification, everything needful for your complete
justification, everything needful for your eternal salvation was
provided by the Lord Jesus Christ and totally finished in his death
on the cross, in his life of obedience, and the law and justice
can no more condemn you than it can him. The law of God has
no more claim on me than it has on Christ. You got any claim
on Christ? No, sir. No claim on me, or you either.
I'm in him. Conceded with him. Accepted in
him. Redeemed in him. Now if you don't recognize that,
if you can't reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, and
alive unto God through Jesus Christ, you're in trouble, if
you can't reckon that. And here's why you're in trouble.
If you don't reckon this to be settled and recognize it, sin
is going to reign in you. Sin is going to harass you. Sin
is going to trouble you. You see, because the guilt of
sin has to be settled before the power of sin is removed.
You've got to settle this guilt business. I'm not guilty. You're
not guilty. Any more than Christ is guilty.
Sin has no claim on us. The law has no claim. You've
got to reckon that to be done. Reckon you yourselves to be dead
indeed unto all sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ
the Lord. And if a believer does not see
himself crucified with Christ, risen with Christ, accepted in
Christ, he opens the door to doubts. He opens the door to
unbelief. He opens the door to fear. Shut
the door. Shut the door. God is true. His word is true. His son is
true. His gospel and His grace and
His salvation is real. It's done. It's finished. It's
done. The great transaction's done.
I am my Lord's and He's mine. Reckon it to be so. If you don't,
you leave the door open for doubts, unbelief and fear. Another door
you leave open is this. If a believer cannot reckon and
see himself in Christ, and Christ alone as his full righteousness,
and he's complete in Christ, he opens the door to legalism. And he starts looking for things
to do to give him some comfort. That's right. When your comfort's
in Christ, you're not looking to do something to get comfort.
If your rest is in Christ, you're not looking for something to
do to give you evidence that you're saved. The very presence of faith is
evidence of your salvation. If Christ is not all, legalism
will creep in. Self-righteousness will creep
in. Dishonesty, refusing to be honest with God with one another. And if Christ be not all, self
will begin to promote personal merit. We'll start defending ourselves
and enlarging upon our importance in the kingdom of God. But if
Christ is all, we're willing to be nothing. The more clearly, this verse
is so important, the more clearly you reckon yourself to be dead
indeed under sin and alive indeed under God eternally through Jesus
Christ our Lord. That's the only foundation. The more clearly you reckon that
to be true, the more we receive of his power and grace and assurance
and rest and happiness. That's the important verse. He
that is dead is free. He that is dead will never die
again. He that is dead is alive to God and he that is dead under
sin is alive unto God. So reckon it to be so. It is
so. All right, I pray that's a blessing
to you as it has been to me.