The Struggle is Real Pt. 3 Rom. 7:14-25

So far in our series we have scaled some impressive obstacles that inhibit a believer’s growth. We’ve learned not to become preoccupied with the Law and to trade the tutor of the Law for a suitor (Christ). We’ve also learned that the Law isn’t the issue anyway, sin is the bigger problem and anyone who has died in Christ and been raised with Him through repentance and faith is free from sin and death. However, there is one more hurdle to clear, one more struggle to face, if we are to grow in Christ properly through the process we are given to as we await the glory of heaven. This struggle is the most personal and, in many ways, the most frustrating. In fact, in Romans 7:14-25, you can almost hear the frustration in Paul’s voice as he writes these words to the church in Rome. In this passage, we are going to examine three truths concerning the believer’s internal struggle with the flesh and, in so doing, wrap up our series in Romans 7—“The Struggle is Real.”

a. The Problem (We have a sinful flesh)-7:14-20

Having already explained how to clear the hurdles of the law and sin in Romans 7:1-13, Paul provides his explanation of the third and most personal struggle that the believer faces as he/she grows in Christ—the flesh. He begins by saying “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin” (7:14). This suggests that there are two kinds of phenomena in the world and they are at odds with one another.

The first kind of phenomena is that which is “spiritual” and the Law fits into this category—“For we know that the Law is spiritual.” Spirit as it is used here does not mean ghostly and ethereal. Instead, nearly every time Paul endorses this term in his letters he is speaking of something that is both God-given and inspired. The law certainly fits this criteria. On the other hand, human beings fall exceedingly short of these characteristics. After all, people everywhere are related to the fall both by birth and by their own sinful acts. Instead of being inspired, humans require inspiration. These shortcoming are all help the reader understand what Paul means when he says “flesh.” To make matters worse, this flesh sells every natural human into the bondage of sin! Therefore, not only are people in the custody of the law and under its condemnation from birth, so too are they slaves to sin with Satan and the world’s system as their cruel master. This means that the flesh that adorns humanity renders people at odds with that which is of God, making this the most personal struggle that they face as concerns their ability to grow in Christ-likeness.

As with everything else thus far, this struggle is real. Just listen to the tension that this creates in verse 15—“For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate” (7:15). Evidence that people struggle with their flesh is highlighted in the confusion that Paul identifies here—“I do not understand what I am doing.” On the one hand, bondage of the flesh to sin means that people are unable to carry out the good that they want to do. On the other hand, this bondage is also witnessed in the inability people have to keep from doing the evil that they hate.

Paul continues by saying “but if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good” (7:16). Paul’s comment here reveals that he doesn’t just want to do good, he agrees with what the Law says about what is good and evil. In other words, the problem that Paul identifies does not stem from not wanting to do right, nor does it involve ignorance concerning what is right. The desire is there, the knowledge is there.

The problem is sin—“So now, no longer am I the one doing is, but sin which dwells in me” (7:17). “”the apostle lays the blame,….squarely upon sin” (Kruse, 307). Here, Paul is not denying human responsibility for sinful actions, but recognizing “sin” as a power operating within humanity” on a deep level. Sin doesn’t just affect our knowledge (keeping us from knowing the Law, for instance). Sin’s infection is also not limited to one’s desires. After all, Paul believes that, at least for whoever the “I” is in this context, the desire is there and the knowledge of the law is correct. In addition to knowledge and desire, sin has invaded the flesh people are made of—making their problem with sin all the more acute.

Just listen to Paul’s evaluation of sin and its effect on the flesh—“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not” (7:18). People may desire to do what is good, but because of the sin nature, they are unable to carry it out. This does not mean that people are as evil as they could be, (after all, a TOTALLY evil person would not desire what is good). But this does mean that the capacity to do good is lacking because of this albatross around the neck called sin.

In summary of this first truth Paul reiterates what he has already made plain in verses 19-20—“…For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me…”. In arguing that people are unable to carry out the good they wants to do because of the power of indwelling sin, Paul here identifies which of the two hurdles already described before is really at fault—indwelling sin. The whole of chapter 7 up to this point might read as follows: though a misapplication of the Law is detrimental to one’s growth in Christ, the real struggle people have is with sin and this is made all the more difficult because sin has infected human flesh.

b. The Explanation (There is an Internal Struggle)-7:21-23

As Paul continues his exposition on this third inhibition that keeps people from growing in Christ he draws further attention to the internal struggle inherent within every redeemed person. In fact, that there is an internal struggle is the second truth Paul divulges in this passage. This struggle can be framed by means of two different but related dichotomies. The first is the dichotomy between good and evil. He says “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (7:21).

Though it is easy to recognize the battle between good and evil in the world, it is important to acknowledge that this war is also being fought on a far more personal level. In many ways, the believer is a microcosm of what is realized in a more general way around us and what will one day be cured at the end of time globally. Evil has a foothold in the flesh of every person, even though, once redeemed, such a person desires to please the Lord by doing good.

However, there is a second way this struggle can be framed. It is introduced to us in verses 22-23. There, Paul compares what he calls the inner and the outer man. Concerning the inner man Paul says “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,” (7:22). To what/whom is this referring? Perhaps Paul can help us answer this elsewhere.

2 Corinthians 4:16-“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”

Ephesians 3:16- “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,”

It would appear that in these passages the inner man refers to the non-physical part of a person—i.e. the soul that is not limited to the body. Though related to and in communication with the body, the soul does not suffer the degeneration that the flesh endures and is, not hard-wired (as is the brain and other faculties) to one’s physical/genetic makeup. It is this part of humanity that distinguishes people in God’s creative order and gives them the ability to relate meaningfully to God. In this “inner man” those who are redeemed joyfully concur with the law of God” and seek to uphold it.

However, this inner man is at war with what might be referred to as the outer man—“But I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members,…” (7:23). The outer man battles the inner man and its desire to obey the Law. Nowhere is this basic conflict more clearly explained than in Galatians 5:17-18.

Galatians 5:17-18-“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

Martin Luther seemed to hold a position similar to what Paul describes here—that is the simultaneous righteousness and sinfulness of man. For him, the redeemed are essentially righteous (made righteous by divine declaration/justification) and yet existentially sinful (in the flesh). This means that good and evil, the inner and outer man, and the law of the mind and the law of sin are held in great tension throughout the lifespan of all people, rendering growth in Christ a struggle. “So what I am by nature is in constant conflict with what I aspire to be as a child of God in whom the Spirit of God dwells” (Mounce, 170). Karl Barth said that the one who denies this struggle is the “supreme betrayer of religion” and “the bomb, which he has so carefully decked out with flowers, will sooner or later explode” (Epistle to the Romans, 1933, 268).

c. The Solution (Jesus Christ our Lord!)-7:24-25

Thankfully, Paul identifies the solution to this struggle. However, he articulate this only after he provides his own assessment of his condition in the first part of verse 24—“Wretched man that I am!” Unlike so many in the culture today, Paul had a very low opinion of what mankind was capable of in his flesh, even those who are redeemed. For him, “wretched” is the most appropriate descriptive word for the physical self and its corresponding limitations.

To further tee up his presentation of the solution, Paul asks a question, “Who will set me free from the body of this death?” After all, if natural flesh is sinful and the wages of sin is death, then the individuals flesh hangs around her like a corpse in need of total resurrection, not just rehabilitation. If sin is weakness, it can be worked out; if it is death, it must be completely overwhelmed by some supernatural outside force.

Praise be to God that there is a supernatural force so overwhelming that even sinful flesh is no match—“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” In order to circumvent one’s struggle with the law, one must die to it and remarry a better suitor—Jesus (7:1-13). To scale the problem of sin, one must understand that death in Christ has freed one from the power of sin and death. As with the struggle with the law and the struggle with sin, so too is Jesus Christ the salvation one needs for the struggle of the flesh. “Through the death and resurrection of Christ, God has provided the power to live in the freedom of the Spirit” (Mounce, 171).

Romans 8:2-“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

In Christ, believers find the Holy Spirit who is able to, if submitted to, manage and run one’s life, even one’s flesh.

Romans 6:13-“Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.”

This is why Paul encourages the church in Thessalonica later, “do not quench the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19). Instead, one must gladly hand over all of himself/herself over to His reign.

In a summary note, Paul concludes the following—“so then, one the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin” (7:25b). To be sure, left unto himself and his own strength, Paul (and any other believer) would continue to live in fierce tension. However, praise be to God that believers are not left unto themselves, but are in Christ and possess His spirit, giving them the power and opportunity to live lives that endorse greater and greater periods of spiritual living free of this tension as they grow in Christ.

So What?

Throughout this series we have confronted the many struggles that stand in the believer’s way as they “work out their salvation with fear and trembling” in the process of sanctification—(becoming more like Christ). As each of these hurdles come into view, the saving grace that Paul continues to reiterate time and time again is Jesus Christ. It really is that simple. The same Jesus Christ that saved you at the moment of repentance and faith (see Romans 1-6) is the same Jesus that will be saving you every day of your life from that moment on. Ultimately, we cannot relieve ourselves from any of these struggles—only Jesus can—“for it God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Therefore, the answer to your struggles today is not how can I be strengthened so as to muscle my way through this or that. The answer is how can I get out of the way and let Jesus be savior of my life in this moment, that moment, this situation, that issue, etc. Then and only then will we find relief from the struggle and grow in the likeness of our Savior.

The Struggle is Real Pt. 2: The Struggle of Sin

A couple of weeks ago we began a mini-series entitled “The Struggle is Real.” This is a fitting title for our journey through Romans 7 as Paul guides the reader through overcoming those struggles that keep them from growing in Christ through the process known as sanctification. As we continue our journey, it will become exceedingly clear that, as with many existential issues we face in life, our struggle is not as simple as it initially appears or isolated to one problem. Instead, the issues that stand in our way are often multifaceted and complex. Like a set of hurdles on an athletic track, once one hurdle is scaled, another is approached.

Examples of the greater complexities of life’s issues abound. Being given to drink might betray a pattern of health that might reveal a problem with self-control that might stem from a chemical, genetic, environmental, or psychological problem. Accidently overdrafting your bank account might reveal a problem in one’s budget or an insatiable desire for more that could be fueled in part by misplaced priorities and/or endorsing the materialism of our culture. These and other issues demonstrate that when it comes to life’s struggles, there is more than initially meets the eye.

The same is true with what stands in the believer’s way and in Romans 7:7-13, we are going to investigate THREE COMPONENTS of Paul’s teaching on the struggle of sin (and, by the way, the struggle is real).

a. The Clarification (Sin is the main problem)-7:7

Last time we left Romans, Paul was describing how believers were supposed to circumvent their struggle with the law. Though all are born married to the Law and many religiously-minded people are still wedded to its regulations, the Bible teaches that the Law was intended to be a tutor, not a bride. Therefore, as in any marriage that can only be broken by death, Paul said that we have to die to the Law and marry Christ in order to break free from its supervening condemnation. This is accomplished through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection and results in the believer being free to grow in Christ.

However, many reading these words may have been tempted to jump to an unfortunate conclusion concerning the law. If we are not to be wedded to the law and an unhealthy preoccupation with its stipulations proves detrimental to one’s growth, isn’t the law bad? This is the gist of what verse 7 asks—“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin?”

Another way of asking this might be “Is this our only problem?” or “Now that we’ve learned how to overcome the struggle of the law, are we good?” “Is the Law the ultimate issue?” Remember, this entire chapter deals with the struggle of sanctification and overcoming barriers that inhibit one’s growth in Christ. This inquirer wants to know if the law is all that stands against the believer.

The answer is a resounding “No!”—“May it never be!” (7:7). Again, as before (see 6:2), Paul is emphatic in his response so as to quickly and effectively divert his audience to the truth. “Absolutely not! Under no circumstances is the law sin!” he says. After all, how could the law be sin if God ordained it and asked for it to be imparted to future generations?

Deuteronomy 6:6-7-“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

If the law was sinful, why would Jesus Himself insist that he didn’t come to get rid of it, but fulfill it?

Matthew 5:17-“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished”

Paul continues by saying, “On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the law” (7:7c). The Hebrew understanding of “know” that is alluded to here implies “experience.” The law might not be a suitable bride, but it is an effective tutor, guiding individuals to a real knowledge and experience of one’s sin.

Galatians 3:22-24-“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

Though this may not be the most positive faculty, it is a necessary one, for, if anyone is to grow in Christ, they must first come to know that they have a problem of not measuring up to the Lord’s standards in and of themselves. This knowledge come by means of the law. After all, as Paul acknowledges “I would not have come to know sin, except through the law.”

b. The Revelation (Sin is an active agent of death)-7:7d-11

Next, Paul provides a specific example of how this works and reveals that sin, not the law, is an active agent behind one’s struggle and, of course, the struggle is real. He says “for I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’….” (7:7d). Choosing carefully from the Decalogue (Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21), Paul leans on one of the more popular and yet less obvious sins. Many in Paul’s audience, especially the Jews, understood illicit desire as the root of all evil. Therefore, Paul suggests that he wouldn’t not understand what gives himself over to wicked desires and evil of all kinds without the particular revelation given in the law.

However, the law is not to blame nor is it, by itself at fault—“but sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind” (7:8a). Knowledge of the problem, in other words, draws attention to the problem and leads to ruminations on the problem, preoccupation with the problem, and, unfortunately, endorsing the symptoms of the problem. Like the popular scenario of a child doing the exact thing he/she is told not to do, by knowing what is prohibited in the law, people everywhere are given to transgress those lines.

Unfortunately, this is realized in many ways today. Not only have people decided to transgress the written law of God by pursuing extra-marital affairs, lying, cheating, stealing, and murder, but now people are taking the added steps of transgressing the natural law of God—gender, sexuality, life, etc. Sin is awakened by these things and longs to push the envelope further than it is intended to go.

Ultimately, Paul’s lecture on the struggle of sin can be distilled down to four principles that are outlined in verses 8b-11. First, “the Law gives life to sin”—“for apart from the Law sin is dead” (7:8b). If nothing was prohibited, everything would be permissible, thereby giving no one a chance to break a command. If there was no distinct line drawn between holiness and wickedness, there would be no ability to transgress. The standards, lines, and commands given in the law, in other words, create an opportunity for sin to rear its ugly face and disrupt our lives.

The second principle is that “knowledge of the law kills the sinner.” Paul writes “I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died” (7:9). Paul is not arguing that before he knew the law he was innocent (certainly he was not). Instead, Paul was saying that he was ignorant before he came to understand God’s standards and, there is a blissfulness associated with ignorance of the things of God. That said, knowledge of the law does activate sin (see 7:8) and then bring about guilt as standards aren’t kept and rules are broken.

   

One commentator has said “It is likely that Paul saw Israel’s encounter with the law as a recapitulation of Adam’s encounter with the commandment in the Garden. It may be said that Adam was ‘alive’ before the commandment was given and then, when the commandment came, the serpent took the opportunity it provided to provoke him to sin, which in turn brought about the entry of death. In similar fashion, Israel was ‘alive’ prior to the giving of the law, but once the law came in, sin ‘sprang to life’, provoking her to transgress the law…” (Kruse, 302). The same is true of us, the law given in God’s Word and (as Paul argued earlier) is written upon the hearts of men, indicts sinners everywhere after sin is activated and has its way with those who give in to it.

The third principle that Paul offers is that “the Law has the opposite affect many believed it has.” This was especially true of the Jews in Paul’s day. Many in Paul’s audience believed that following the law promised life and probably based this on what it saying in places like Leviticus 18:5—“the person who does these things will live by them.” However, although the law does hold out the promise of life, as Paul has already made very plain, NO ONE CAN ACCESS THIS inasmuch as ALL HAVE SINNED. Because of this, the law, which was originally given so that people might relate properly to a holy God and live accordingly, brings death, not life. This renders any preoccupation with the law misinformed and ultimately unproductive—for a sinner (and all are sinners) the law brings death, not life as originally intended.

The final principle that Paul enumerates in this small section of this passage is “Sin uses the law for deadly purposes”—“for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me,…” (7:11). Again, it is helpful to illustrate these points by means of the first sin of man. “Of the first couple it is singularly true that they were once ‘alive apart from the law’ but that ‘when the commandment came, sin sprang to life’ and they died. For them especially the words, ‘sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death’ are true. After all, the serpent, seizing upon God’s one rule intended to make life great, misrepresented this rule and then used the rule to get Eve and then Adam to break the rule, leading to their ultimate death and demise. This vicious pattern is repeated whenever and wherever sin is activated and laws are present.

c. The Summary (The Law and Sin do not get Along)-7:12-13

The last component to Paul’s teaching on the struggle of sin is his summary. Ultimately this summary might be abridged as follows: “The law and sin do not get along.” He begins this summary in verse 12 when he says “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” Reiterating what he said before (in verse 7), Paul wants everyone to remember that the law, left unto itself is of God and as such perfect. The law, although a hurdle in and of itself and a struggle that needs to be circumvented (see 7:1-6), is not the greater struggle—sin is.

In fact, it is sin that has made the law such a struggle and impossible to uphold. As Paul concludes this passage he says “Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”

So What?

The components of the believer’s struggle with sin that Paul has identified reveal that sin is a nasty customer. So pervasive and acute are the effects of sin that it is capable of taking what God intended for righteous living (the law) and turning it into an agent of condemnation and death. Certainly, a preoccupation with the law is a struggle inasmuch as the law cannot save; it only points to the Savior. However, there is an even greater struggle—the struggle of sin that must be dealt with.

Thankfully, there is salvation from this struggle and it is eerily similar to the salvation one can enjoy from a misappropriation with the law. His name is Jesus.

Romans 6:5-11 states “Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.  We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.  So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

Certainly the struggle with sin is real. However, so too is the salvation that Jesus provides from the power of sin and death! Do you know this salvation today? 

The Struggle is Real Pt. 1: The Struggle of the Law

There is a popular meme on social media these days that simply says “the struggle is real.” It is something that people say/post when they are faced with a frustration, inconvenience, or difficulty. It is an acknowledgment of stress and a recognition of effort that is required to overcome an obstacle or circumvent an issue. Interestingly, I imagine many of the reformers embracing this little maxim—the struggle is real. For many in the reformation, especially Martin Luther, they understood their conflict with sin and growth in Christ-likeness as something of a real test and struggle. In fact, Paul agrees when he says,

Philippians 2:12-“So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;”

2 Corinthians 7:1-“Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Romans 8:13-“for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Growing in Christ is a real struggle in the midst of this world and our natural tendencies, so much so that Paul devotes an entire chapter in Romans to this topic. Today we begin part 1 of an important series entitled—“The Struggle is real”—in which we will acknowledge the struggle that is sanctification and learn how, in God’s grace, we can endure to the end while growing in Christ-likeness. Today we will look at two elements of Paul’s teaching concerning one’s struggle with the law in Romans 7:1-6.

a. The Illustration of a Widow- 7:1-3

In Romans 7, Paul moves from his explanation of salvation past—justification—to his delineation of salvation present—sanctification (growing more like Christ). In chapter 8, Paul will deal with the promise of salvation future—glorification. However, this middle phase or second step in the salvation process will preoccupy the next few weeks as we examine what we are calling the struggle and, as the title of this mini-series makes clear, the struggle is real. The struggle is real because there are many things that either stand in our way or distract us from endorsing phase 2 (sanctification) rightly and growing more like Christ. Today we are going to look at the first of three hurdles that all must scale in order to grow in Christ well—the Law.

Paul begins his discussion in verse 1 when he asks, “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives?”  In a comment on Paul’s opening line, one commentator has said, “Paul puts his arm around the Roman Christians in order to draw as near to them as possible with the great assurance that the justified are, indeed, delivered from the law” (Lenski 1945:443). This, Paul does, by referring to his audience as brothers. Paul, like the religious Jews and those who admired them, knows how big a struggle the law is. After all, Paul is a Jew’s Jew and was a law-embracer himself. The law was attractive to many as it gave them a means to keep score, compare themselves to others, and check off requirements. Like many today, measured tangible practices are preferred over real spiritual maturation. Therefore, in his instructions to those listening, Paul demonstrates his familiarity with their struggle and states “The law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives.”

But why is this a struggle? How does the law potentially keep someone from growing more like Jesus? Because the law is a condemning master. The verb for “has jurisdiction” means “to be master of” or “to dominate.” While all masters are not bad, the law only has the power to point out sin and prescribe punishment.

Galatians 3:22-24-“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”

The law, which is master over everyone is only capable of exposing flaws and condemnation. Though for many, this led to legalism and an unnatural pursuit of moral perfection in one’s own strength, the law was designed to frustrate people so that they might give up trying to be holy and lean on someone else entirely—Jesus Christ. Until then, the law hangs over people as an unforgiving master—“as long as he lives” (7:1).

If this is complicated, Paul provides some clarification by means of an analogy—marriage. He says in verse 2, “For the married woman is bound by the law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband.” Before people are tempted to draw all kinds of conclusions about marriage and divorce from this passage, remember what Paul is ultimately discussing here—the law and the struggle thereof. The word “law” (nomoV) is used no less than three times in verses 2-3 and eight times in verses 1-6. “The topic of Paul’s discussion is the law, and marriage is simply an illustration of its lifelong nature” (Osborne, 2004:168). After all, does not a married couple intended to “belong to” each other “until death do them part?”

Like the bond of marriage, which is designed to only be broken by death, people are bound to the law until the death.

Paul continues his explanation by saying, “so then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress” (7:3a). Once married, the woman’s allegiance is to her husband and the husband to his wife. Transgressing that exclusivity results in adultery. Similarly, people cannot be joined to the law and Christ simultaneously. One cannot have two lords and/or masters. Other verses make this case in varying ways.

Luke 16:13-“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

James 1:5-8-“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

In all of these contexts it is made abundantly clear that one cannot be beholden to more than two rulers simultaneously. This includes one’s allegiance to the law and ones allegiance to Christ. As long as one is married to the law he cannot grow, he can only be condemned. This is a real problem as everyone who is born is born married to this system of the law and condemned in his/her sin. The law is a struggle and the struggle is real. 

However, there is an out—a pretty radical one at that—that makes freedom from the law possible and potential growth in Christ expected—“but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man” (7:3b).

b. The Revelation of One’s freedom from the Law-7:4-6

Just as death severs a marriage bond and frees a woman/man to remarry someone else, so too does Christ’s death sever the bond between people and the condemnation of the law –that is potentially for all who believe. Those who died with Christ in his death and have been raised in his resurrection are freed from the law and awakened to a new master and new possibilities for growth in Christ as realized in what is called “sanctification.”

 “Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the law through the body of Christ” (7:4a). Part of overcoming the struggle of the law involves recognizing that Christ’s death has freed one from the condemnation of the law, making it possible to grow and develop in the Lord.

In the marriage to the law equation, the law must not die (after all, Jesus said that not a jot or title shall depart from it until all is accomplished in Matthew 5:18), we must die and in Christ this death can be facilitated.

Romans 6:5ff-“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. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him”

This is what Paul means when he says “so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead” (7:4b).

Have you ever stopped to consider how much your relationships in general and your marriage in particular affects who you are and what you do? I can say with great certainty that I have changed a great deal because of my relationship with my wife. She has softened some of my rough edges and changed my perspective on a many things. In fact, I’d say, next to Jesus, she has been quite a sanctifying agent in my life. The same is true, albeit on an infinitely greater level with one’s relationship with Christ. Because of the believer’s relationship with Jesus, they, like Him, have risen life from the dead and that same power to help them grow in His likeness. It is one of the many benefits of the believer’s marriage to Jesus.

What results from this new marriage? What is yielded from growing in Christ (sanctification)? The answer is in the purpose clause of verse 4 “in order that we might bear fruit for God” (7:4c). While the law only brought us the knowledge of our need, Jesus brings us the opportunity to be productive. Something meaningful, something refreshing, something eternal is yielded from the lives of those who have been joined to Jesus and are growing in Him. This is what Paul means when he speaks of fruit. The apostles John echoes these truths in his gospel.

John 15:1-5-“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

This life-giving, eternal fruit yielded in sanctification is far greater than what was produced in one’s relationship to the law before. Paul continues in verse 5 and says “For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death” (7:5). In other words, the law for sinners only brings about the knowledge of sin and condemns them to their much-deserved death. Thankfully, there is a better system.

 “…But now [Paul continues] we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter,…” (7:6). The believer’s death “in Christ” and subsequent resurrection affords him the opportunity to break ties with the law and live in the newness of the Spirit. Such living is indicative of the sanctified life—a life that seeks to grow more like Jesus, abiding in Him, bearing eternal fruit.

So What?

The law is a struggle. Adherence to codes and measuring ourselves against the next person by means of a set of objectives is tempting for all of us who were born into sin and made to live under the law from our birth. However, we must realize, as Paul explains here, that living in this way only brings about condemnation and death. What is needed is a new system characteristic of a marriage more than a tutor. This comes through Jesus Christ. His death and our death in Him through faith, has broken our subjection to the oppressive law and makes it possible for us to marry a far better suitor. Relationship with Him yields fruit, not guilt and leads to life, not death. Believers must understand that the process of sanctification is predicated on this change of allegiance. One cannot be sanctified or grow in Christ if he/she is still living under the law. Instead, he/she must be married to Jesus, filled with His spirit, and capable to bearing lasting fruit. The struggle is real, but praise be to God that it is not overwhelming. It can be circumvented in Christ. 

Slavery and Salvation- Rom. 6:15-23

Unfortunately, it seems that with every passing week we are given a taste of what sin and its many effects are capable of in our world. Whether it is a horrific shooting spree in Las Vegas that kills dozens, scandal, bigotry, natural disasters, etc. these events/episodes stir something within each of us that cries out for salvation. In a fit of justified rage and grief many people cry out in times like this for something to be done! My friends, something has been done to totally rid the world of sin and its many implications. Something is, in fact, available to provide freedom from the root problem behind all of these travesties and in Romans 6, Paul provides a cohesive and well-organized study on the nature of salvation. In verses 6-7, Paul said “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 has freed from sin.” In this verse, Paul introduces the idea that sin is death and slavery. These two concepts preoccupy the remainder of the chapter. In fact, in 6:8-14, Paul described how sin is death and that it is only by dying in Christ that people can be made truly alive. Today we look at the other analogy Paul draws—slavery—in verses 15-23. As Paul wraps up chapter 6, he describes how sin is slavery and shows how the only way out of servitude to this cruel master is to hand oneself over to another master altogether—God.

a. TWO PROGRAMS (LAW AND GRACE) 6:15a

Toward the end of Romans 6 Paul provides an answer to a question that may have been raised based on what he just finished saying in the previous passage—“For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (6:14). Some may have believed that this statement opened the door to lawlessness. Paul’s take on the potential question is as follows: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?...”After all, if believers are no longer under the law, perhaps “anything goes.”

This is not unlike the question that Paul opened chapter 6 with—“What shall we say then Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?” To this question, Paul answered sharply and proved that grace is not intended as either insurance or license. However, remember (how could you forget), repetition leads to retention; repetition leads to retention.

That said, the repetition here draws attention to the two programs available for people and their relationship to God—the law and grace. The “law” is the system of old that judged people worthy based on performance. Though we associate this system with the Jews of the Old Testament, EVERYONE without Christ is captive to this system and found guilty of its incredibly high standards—standards made even higher by Jesus Christ. “Grace” is the system that Jesus implemented. 

Knowing that none could measure up to the standard of the law, God offered grace to bring people up where they could never venture themselves—righteousness—and this through His Son. Such a gift cost Jesus everything and results in eternal salvation for all who believe in Him. Two systems, one infinitely better than the other. But the question still remains—“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace?...””

b. TWO OPTIONS (DEATH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS)-6:15-16

Paul’s answer to this latest iteration of the same inquiry is just as sharp as before—“May it never be!...” (6:15b) (see also 6:2).

Though this leaves very little room for debate, Paul feels the need to explain. This he does by asking a question of his own (a very lengthy question at that…typical Paul)—“Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey…” (6:16a).

In the last passage (6:8-14), the state of people’s spirituality was identified by how their “instruments” were employed. Instruments used for sin lead to death. Instruments used for righteousness lead to life. Here, Paul draws a similar line of thought but employs this new analogy of slavery. However, before one can appreciate this analogy, people need to understand what slavery meant in Rome.

Slavery was one of the best known institutions in the ancient world. Almost 35-40% of Roman citizens were slaves in the first century! In other words, Paul’s analogy here would have been one that all of his readers could comprehend. Interestingly, the analogy fits especially well given that people in the ancient world could sell themselves into slavery. This is hinted at when Paul says “Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey” (6:16a).

With this background firmly in view, Paul makes known that those who hand themselves over to be slaves of sin (obedient to sin), live a life resulting in death. In the Reformation spirit of this month, it is helpful to point out how Martin Luther understood the connection between sin and death. For Martin Luther sin was death, not just a weakness overcome with some kind of spiritual calisthenics or a minor issue to be worked out by personal effort or therapy. Sin was DEATH thereby requiring supernatural transformation to beat. Such can only come through the life-giving power of Jesus Christ. Those obedient to sin and enslaved to its power can only expect death. Paul teaches this in Romans 6, Martin Luther recognized this in the 16^th century, and we confirm it again today.

Thankfully, there is another option—“or of obedience resulting in righteousness?...” (6:16c). One can either be a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. Obedience to the former leads to death. Obedience to the latter leads to righteousness and life. Delineating these two options is Paul’s answer to this question “can we sin since we are not under the law?” Those who ask this misunderstand and under-appreciate the problem of sin. Sin is death! Obeying it makes no sense for those who have been shown grace. What does make sense is obedience to God and his righteousness in response to grace He has made available.

c. TWO IMPLICATIONS (SUBMISSION AND SANCTIFICATION)-6:17-19

To enjoy the latter of these two programs (righteousness), on must transfer allegiance from sin to God. As Paul articulates this he introduces two implications of such a transaction—submission and sanctification. The new program of submission is identified in verses 17-18—“ But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness,…”.

It is difficult for us modern westerners to appreciate what Paul is saying here and what it must have meant to his original audience. In our world, especially in the United States, we prize our autonomy. This, no doubt, has been passed down from the humanist fathers of the Enlightenment that so shaped the western world and taught that the noblest human being is the one who is subject to nothing but his/her own rational considerations. In contrast, those in the first century accepted that all were under the control of outside powers—whether they be gods, fate, or heads of state. The biblical writers share this conviction in their understanding of almighty God. In fact, nowhere does Paul ever suggest that a person might be a slave to nothing. Instead, he teaches that either people are enslaved to sin or to God and his righteousness—there is no middle ground.

That said, those who are enslaved to the right master can expect a new program of submission and new results. 

Paul continues, “I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification…” Here, Paul teaches that those obedient to God and His teachings can expect new results. While the old master (sin) could only offer death, the new master (God and His righteousness) offers sanctification. This word denotes a process of being set apart from the world. In fact, the root of “sanctification” is the same for “holiness.” In other words, the correct program affords the greatest implication of all—growth toward godliness. “As Christians give themselves in slavery to righteousness, they will progress further and further on the path of becoming different from the world and closer to the Lord’s own holiness” (Moo, ZIBBC, 39).

d. TWO SUMMARIES (SLAVERY TO SIN AND SLAVERY TO GOD)-6:20-23

Paul concludes this passage with two summaries that help wrap up the entire chapter. First, he summarizes what the lost can expect as a result of their present condition—“… For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death,…” (6:20-21).

The lost are free in one sense but enslaved in another. They are free from God’s righteousness and yet enslaved to their sin (in fact Romans 1 says that they have been handed over to their sin). This results in death. Slavery to sin = death!

 “But now,” Paul continues, “having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification and the outcome, eternal life” (6:22). This verse successfully summarizes what believers can expect from their slavery to God. Belonging to God in this way is predicated on “having been freed from sin.” This phrase is a causal participial phrase that implies a past act with present implications. Because believers have been freed from the chains of sin in the past, they presently and forever belong to God. This results not in death, but in benefit. What is this benefit? There are two: present growth in sanctification and eternal life forever. What Paul summarizes here is infinitely preferred over the sinful program mentioned in the previous verses. 

To be sure that he has gotten through to his audience the differences there is between sin and righteousness, Paul reiterates (again) himself by means of a final verse in this chapter that (again) draws upon the same ideas as before (remember, repetition leads to retention). He says “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (6:23).

 “Wages” is a word that means “provisions” and is often used for money paid for services rendered. All that sin pays the individual in return for his/her allegiance is death. However, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When sin offers death, God offers life and this through Jesus Christ! It is really that simple!

So What?

The many problems our world faces are not ultimately caused by fumes, poor legislation, lack of education, the economy, etc. While certainly, in some cases, these things might exacerbate problems, ultimately, at its core, the world and its people are suffering from a bad case of sin. Sin is death and sin is slavery. Those individuals and institutions who sell themselves into the slavery of sin are beaten down, mistreated, and unsatisfied. Thankfully, life is available and another master can take ownership of our lives. Those individuals who hand themselves over to the Lord Jesus Christ are built up, transformed, and eternally satisfied.

The issues our world faces are, in their most fundamental sense, spiritual in nature. Therefore, what this world needs more of is Jesus and his followers who take the life-saving message of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Who do you know that is still enslaved in their sin and buying time until their death? Who do you know that needs a new master? 

Important Answers-Romans 6:8-14

Our world is full of questions and the longer that I live the more questions I have myself. I’m sure that I share this attitude with a lot of you. In fact, people today are questioning things that many took for granted not too long ago–should I stand during the national anthem? How many genders are there? Etc. In my line of work I am inundated with questions every day. Just the other afternoon I received within the span of one hour questions about parenting, what I believed about the age of accountability, how to write a devotional, and what time I was going to be home. As your pastor I must admit to you that I don’t have all the answers to every question posed to me and some questions are easier to answer than others. However, I will also submit to you that the Bible does provide explicit answers to the most fundamental questions of life—questions that are more important than any of the inquiries I’ve raised thus far. Today we are going to answer two of these from Romans 6:8-14. As Paul continues his exposition on salvation, he provides some important doctrinal comments on the nature of salvation and its implications for the lives of believers. Therefore, without further ado, let’s ask and answer away!

 “How do people know they are really alive?”-6:8-11

The reader will notice that Paul often repeats himself when he believes something is worth reiterating. Like many compelling teachers today, Paul understood that repetition leads to retention; repetition leads to retention; repetition leads to intention. In 6:1-7, Paul taught that the believer is freed from sin via Christ’s death and resurrection. In verse 8 he restates the same general proposition when he says, “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,…” (6:8). While many were tempted to interpret this truth to mean that salvation behaves like insurance in a bad/disastrous situation or provides a license to do just about anything, Paul has made it clear that this promise of renewed life is not merely futuristic, but immediate. “This is not a promise of life after death with Christ in heaven, but of a life to be lived out here and now” (Mounce, 152). This life, ironically enough, is made possible via one’s death in Christ. In one of the most acute paradoxes in all of history, death, far from being simply a negative concept, is in fact the gateway to life. To the question, “How do I know if I am truly alive?” Paul says “by recognizing whether or not you have died and been raised with Christ.”

Galatians 2:20-“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; and the life which I not live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”

To place it in the simplest terms, to live one must die. The foundation of the gospel itself is fixed to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

However, not only is salvation founded on Christ’s work on the cross and in the empty tomb, it is rendered complete by the same redemptive activities—“Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him,…” (6:9). Having been raised from the dead, Christ cannot die again. This separates Jesus’ experience from his friend Lazarus. Ultimately, Lazarus was not resurrected in the proper sense of the word. He was merely made alive again only to die sometime later. Jesus, on the other hand was resurrected to glorious perfection for all eternity. Christ’s resurrection broke forever the tyranny of death. That cruel master can no longer exercise any power over him or those who follow Him. “The cross was sin’s final move; the resurrection was God’s checkmate. The game is over. Sin is forever in defeat. Christ, the victor died to sin ‘once for all’ and lives now in unbroken fellowship with God” (Mounce, 152).

The efficiency of Christ’s completed work on the cross and in the tomb is further described in verse 10—“for the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God” (6:10). Two grammatical phenomena help highlight the efficacy and completeness of Christ’s work. First, the verb “died” is aorist (past tense) meaning that this action is final and complete.  Second, “once for all” (efapax) describes an “altogether decisive unrepeatable event.”

Hebrews 7:27-“Who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself,”

Hebrews 9:12-“And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Hebrews 10:10-“By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

In all of these contexts, the same verb is used to stress the once-for-all nature of the sacrifice of Christ—once for all sin, once for all time, and, at least potentially, once for all mankind (respectively).

By reminding his audience that salvation involves unity with Christ’s death and life, describing for his listeners that Christ’s works is complete, and commenting on the efficacy of Jesus’ sacrifice, Paul argues that salvation is an enduring phenomenon. This is important, for, if salvation in Christ is an complete, it cannot be lost once it is bestowed. After all, as Paul reminds in verse 8, “we died with Christ.” This means that all of the persevering and amazing qualities of salvation that Christ enjoyed are made real for his followers who never need to look for another sacrifice somewhere else down the road.  Interestingly, this bears out even on a grammatical level. Because of Christ’s death (past, final, complete), believers can enjoy the “life that he lives” (present, ongoing, progressive).

Such a life is to be lived, as Christ demonstrates “to God.” This means that God and his glory is the aim of a salvation and this leads to the second truth proclaimed in this passage. This leads to another important inquiry that Paul answers for us in 6:12-14.

 “How do we know to Whom or What people are Beholden?”-6:12-14

If all that Paul has shared about salvation is true (namely that we have died with Christ and been raised to new life, that Christ’s work is complete, and that salvation is efficient for all), then, he continues, “…, do not let sin reign in your mortal bodies so that you obey its lusts” (6:12). In this verse we move from Paul’s teaching on salvation to its appropriate application (from the indicative to the imperative). Before, Paul was sharing information about what salvation really is. Now, Paul is issuing a command that naturally follows.

As stated earlier (see verse 8ff), in Christ believers have died to sin and are alive to God. Therefore, these must base their daily lives on that truth and live out this perspective. It follows then that believers are no longer to allow sin to reign in their mortal bodies. Here, “sin is personified as a…ruler (‘do not let sin reign…’) who would make us obey the cravings of our bodies that are destined for death. But in Christ we have died to sin. Sin no longer has the authority to enforce its demands. [Christ’s] death has severed the relationship” (Mounce, 153).

But what does this look like? How does one transfer his/her allegiance from sin to God following the application of Christ’s death and resurrection? Paul provides us with the steps believers should take so that they live out what they are in verse 13—“do not go on presenting the members of our body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness” (6:13a). The verb used is a present progressive and literally means “do not be continuously presenting the members,…”.

The human person is a marvel to behold. When God created people, he endowed them with remarkable gifts (instruments) that are capable of great things. Recently, I have been watching a documentary series on architecture that celebrates some of mankind’s creative capacity. Amazing structures along with advances in science, cures for diseases, beautiful music, humanitarian effort, etc. all demonstrate how mankind’s creativity, reasoning, intelligence, and concern can be used for good. That said, the misuse of these gifts has also been the impetus behind great atrocities. An artist’s creativity is capable of showcasing the obscene. Hitler’s genocidal program during the holocaust was based on a mis-appropriation of reasoning and misapplication of what he believed about evolutionary science. Today’s university, although originally intended to be places that fostered critical thinking and real debate, have become experimental safe-spaces in which feeling good has replaced learning truth. The creativity that once birthed operas and symphonies is now used to demean women and advocate for debauchery in much of the music we hear on the radio today. Human concern and passion is often directed toward the self instead of others. In all of these cases, the instruments God has provided are misused and unrighteousness results.

Some commentators believe that Paul was employing a military analogy here with “instruments.” If this is true, Paul is saying “Do not let sin take command of any part of your body and use it as a weapon for evil purposes.” Believers, in an effort to live in accordance with their salvation are not to hand their talents over to be used in these ways.

Instead, Paul says “present (lit. ‘be presenting’) yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (6:13b). Alive with Christ, believers are to put themselves at God’s disposal. Their bodies are to be devoted to Him as instruments of righteousness. Barclay writes “we are faced with the tremendous alternative of making ourselves weapons in the hand of God or weapons in the hand of sin.”

In a summative statement, Paul concludes “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the law but under grace” (6:14). As Paul made clear earlier, the law is only capable of identifying when people fail—it cannot make anyone righteous. Now, because of Christ, believers have grace—the unmerited favor of God that allows them new life in Him. Because of this, sin is no longer the believer’s master—Jesus is!

Under the regime of sin, the forces of evil exploit people’s God-given instruments for nefarious purposes that lead to death. Because of the believer’s salvation in Jesus Christ, the forces of grace use our God-given instruments for righteousness, resulting in the Glory of God! How do we know to what or to whom we are beholden? Paul says, look at how you and your “instruments” are being used.

So What?

I wonder if you are able to correctly answer these questions today. Do you know whether or not you are truly alive today? Do you know to what or to whom you are ultimately beholden? Paul has argued in this passage that only those who have died in Christ know life both now and forever. He also concludes that one’s allegiances are betrayed in the way one’s life is being used. I’m sure many of you came here today with all kinds of questions—questions about what is going on in the world around you, questions about the church and if it really even matters to my life, questions about the future, etc. While I may or may not be able to provide a compelling answer to all of these inquiries, I can at least tell you that Jesus is the only way to know life and allegiance to Him affords the greatest blessings of all. In a world of questions, here are at least two answers that we can all walk away with today. 

Sin and Freedom- Rom. 6:1-7

As we near the 500^th anniversary of the Reformation, it is interestingly that we find ourselves back in the book of Romans. Romans proved to be the inspiration behind Martin Luther’s conversion and, in many ways was also the impetus behind his 95 thesis. Some of the truths that Romans espouses concerning the nature of salvation were celebrated throughout the Reformation period by means of slogans like–sola gratia, and sola fide (grace alone, faith alone). These slogans illustrate that against many heresies and tendencies that were present within the Catholic Church, the Bible teaches that people are saved by grace through faith. This is a helpful reminder as we reenter the book of Romans where we left off a couple of months ago—Romans 6:1-7. However, in order for us to appreciate where we are in this book, we have to remind ourselves of where we’ve been and what Paul has taught up to this point. Paul spent the better part of four chapters (1-4) explaining how all are lost—the irreligious, the religious, even the devout Jew—and in need of a salvation. Real salvation comes, according to chapters 4-5 by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ (not works, not ethnicity, not religion) and this provides peace with God (5:1) where division and wrath once reigned. However this grace-heavy teaching raised several questions that Paul decides to address in Romans 6. Today we are going to tackle the first of these questions and its answer as found in Romans 6:1-7.

a. The Inquiry: Are we Free to Sin?-6:1

Paul opens chapter 6 with a provocative question, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin...” Though the inquiry posed in verse 1 of chapter six seems strange, it is not without precedent. In fact, the question, although rarely articulated today, is in many ways how people who profess to be believers live. This was true of Paul’s day as well, especially within the church of Rome. With their salvation fixed, at least in their own minds, many believed that they had the spiritual insurance necessary to live as they please. As far as they understood things, no matter what they did, in the end, they would be fine. Salvation became, for these, insurance.

However, not only does Paul address this question because of how many people chose to live (and continue to live today); he provides an answer because of something that he said earlier. In 5:20 Paul states, “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,…”. Paul seemed to claim that where there is an increase in sin there is an even greater increase in grace. This helps explain the rationale behind the question in verse 1 of chapter 6, “what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?”. The fact that Paul addresses this question suggests that some were prone to twist Paul’s teaching on grace and salvation through faith so that they might justify all kinds of behaviors in the name of allowing grace to shine all the brighter. Heaven forbid anyone stand in the way of grace,…right?

But there may be another reason Paul addresses this here. This question may have stemmed from conscientious Jews who felt that Paul’s doctrine of salvation by faith alone would encourage moral irresponsibility. These believed that if salvation was by grace and faith alone (sola gratia, sola fide), people might believe that they had a license to do whatever they wanted.

We give out licenses to people of all kinds: license to marry people, sell insurance, practice law/medicine, fly, drive, etc. In every case, these licenses provide certain freedoms to those who have them. Some religious Jews believed Paul was giving people a license to do whatever they wanted when he taught that grace through faith saves.

The people to whom Paul was writing were either using grace as insurance or believed that grace provided people with a license to do just about anything. Both are unfortunate understandings of salvation which is why Paul believed it necessary to answer this question and, in so doing, demonstrate what Christian freedom in Jesus is really all about. 

b. The Answer: We are Free from Sin!-6:2-7

To the question “shall we continue in sin so that grace may increase?” Paul answers, “May it never be!” (6:2a). This is one of the strongest ways to answer negatively in the Greek language—“By no means!” “Never under any circumstance!” To the person who believes salvation offers a license to do whatever he/she wants and to the person who believes that salvation is merely insurance to use in the end Paul says “you are sorely mistaken.”

To make matters even more poignant, Paul answers this inquiry with an inquiry of his own—“How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” (6:2b). For Paul to describe the relationship between believers and sin with death is to say something about the separation involved. Death is the great separator. In fact, death separates in ways that are more profound than age, geography, or status. When the Bible describes the believer as “dead to sin” it means that believers are far removed from its control. This is taught throughout Paul’s writings (and the writings of others) elsewhere.

Colossians 3:5-“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry”

1 Peter 2:24-“And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

These verses mean that believers now have an option where they once did not. Before salvation, people could not help but fall into sin. Now they do not have to. Origen writes on the “death to sin” concept in the following: “To obey the cravings of sin is to be alive to sin; but not to obey the cravings of sin or succumb to its will, this is to die to sin.”

To drive this point home, Paul makes use of a concrete analogy that is present to this day—Baptism. He says in verse 3—“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?...” (6:3).

For us to appreciate the symbol Paul is using here we have to identify what Baptism means in this context. Baptism has a long history in the Bible. The first ever baptism was witnessed when a group of Hebrew slaves entered the Red Sea on dry ground fleeing the oppression of Egypt. Upon coming up out of the water on the other side, these were freed people heading to the Promised Land. 

Thereafter, baptism was utilized by the Jews as a purification ritual in which defiled Jews would bathe in what was called a mikvah (a primitive baptismal pool) in order to be ceremonially cleansed. They went in a defiled sinners and out cleansed and ready for worship. Sometime later John the Baptist entered the scene and really stirred things up. He was baptizing people for repentance and preparation for the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. People went in confessing sinners and came out expecting the Messiah! Finally, following Pentecost, Baptism was employed as an identifier of Christianity. Converts in the first century were baptized shortly after repenting of sin and placing faith in Christ as a testimony of their conversion. Those who took this step were following the example of Jesus and others before them. In spite of all of their differences, one thing is consistent about all of these different baptismal programs—identity change. Hebrews marked a change from slavery to freedom, Jews marked a change from defiled to purified, John’s disciples marked a change from sinners to expectant repenters, and believer’s baptism marks a change from death in sin to life in Christ! This final iteration of Baptism is what Paul is referring to here.

The act of believer’s baptism is a symbol of what Christ accomplished on the cross—burying sin and raising new life. When believers follow the Lord’s example in baptism they illustrate death to sin via Christ’s cross. When he died, so too did the old sinful self that ran the show prior to salvation. Sin now “lies on the other side of the grave for those who have in Christ died to it. Here, Paul asks, ‘How can we who have died to sin ‘breathe its air again?’” (Mounce, 149). 

Continuing on with the image of Baptism Paul says “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,…” (6:4). Burial certifies the reality of death (inasmuch as we only try to bury those who have passed away). Baptism symbolizes this when the new convert is submerged into the water. However, death and burial are not the end of the story. Following death and burial to sin is resurrection to new life—“so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so to might we walk in newness of life” (6:4b). Just as Christ was raised from the dead in glory, so to are believers raised to an entirely new way of living that is drastically different from their old way of life. This is symbolized via baptism as the convert is taken up out of the water.  Jesus promised this new life for believers in John 10:10 when He said “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

On this new life one commentator has written the following: “Although contemporary use has tended to trivialize the expression ‘born again,’ the vibrant reality of new life in Christ is still portrayed most graphically by the metaphor of spiritual rebirth. The lives of believers are to be as different from their preconversion days as life is from death” (Mounce, 150).

As nice as the symbol of Baptism is, what is represents is all the more profound. Believers were actually “united with Him in the likeness of His death”—that is Jesus’ death on the cross. When He died, so too did our old sinful selves. This is good news, for, as Paul says in verse 5, “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” (6:5). As He proved the victor over sin and death by overcoming the tomb, so also are believers set free from the bondage of sin.

Why is this so important to understand? The answer is provided for the reader in verse 6, “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” (6:6). “We were crucified in order that our sinful nature might be stripped of its power.” The phrase “might be done away with” more literally translated means to “reduce to a condition of absolute impotence and inaction, as if it were dead” (Sanday & Headlam, 158). The believer’s death with a crucified Christ has divorced us from the power of sin and death! The believer’s life with a resurrected Christ has made new life possible free from sin.

This is Paul’s point when he says, “For he who has died is freed from sin” (6:7). Because the old self has been rendered powerless by means of Christ’s crucifixion, it is no longer necessary for a person to be enslaved to its power.

Later, Paul will teach that sin always leads to death—“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). However, Christ’s death on the believer’s behalf satisfies this program. Sin led to his death and believers died to sin via His sacrifice on Calvary. However, new life overwhelmed death in the resurrection of Jesus, allowing believers to enjoy freedom from sin and its implications—“but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b). “In Christ we are set free. Since sin exhausted itself in bringing about death, from that point forward it is powerless to overcome new life” (Mounce, 151).  

So What?

Those who ask the question that Paul poses in this passage—“Are believers free to sin?”—reduce salvation to either insurance to use in case of emergency or a license to do whatever they want. To this question Paul says “May it never be!” Why should believers grieve the loss of sin’s power and visit its tomb by endorsing its many manifestations? Sin has been exhausted in the death of Christ and overwhelmed in His resurrection. This has freed believers from sin’s bondage and given them new life. We are not free to sin, we are free FROM sin! Praise the Lord!

Is your view of salvation incomplete today? Have you, up to this point, incorrectly assumed that salvation is merely insurance to have on hand if things go south? Have you cheapened the grace of God by using it as a license to do whatever you want? God didn’t send His Son to die on a cross and conquer a grave so that we could go on living the same way that we once did. He did all this so that we might have a new life and exchange the chains of sin for the freedom that is inherent in Jesus. Does this exchange still need to be made in your life today?