How Do We Live Out This Salvation? Series

A LOOPHOLE? Can we just keep sinning and use grace as an excuse?

- Romans 6:1-2.

a. Grace is the means by which salvation comes to us, but grace is easily misunderstood.

- v. 1.

- We closed out with grace last week. It’s the reality that we cannot earn our salvation but we receive it as a free gift from God.

- That idea, while profound, is also easily misinterpreted and misunderstood. A giant way that it’s been misunderstood and misapplied (and this is exactly what Paul is alluding to) is that grace means freedom to sin as much as you want.

- If God is the one who forgives sins, then my job is just to keep right on sinning and then ask Him to forgive.

- In fact, some even went so far as to make the argument that we should keep on sinning. If God gets glory from bestowing grace, then my ongoing sinning gives Him more to forgive and therefore more to receive glory over.

- It’s worth noting that this is a very common misunderstanding today. Not that people will necessarily argue that they will sin more, but simply that grace means I keep sinning but God will forgive me. There is no vision of a changed life.

b. But this is not what God (or Paul) had in mind.

- v. 2a – “By no means!”

- Paul is emphatic in his response to the rhetorical question of v. 1. Absolutely not, he cries!

- So that whole thing we talked about under v. 1 is a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of grace.

- The question then obviously becomes what does it mean instead. That’s a crucial question and one that we are going to spend the remainder of this sermon unpacking.

- It speaks to the sermon title: “How Do We Live Out This Salvation?” If it’s not “keep on sinning and being forgiven,” then what is it?

c. We get a preview at the end of v. 2 – we can’t continue in our sin when we’ve died to it.

- v. 2b.

- That’s an interesting phrase: “we died to sin.” What does that mean?

- The remainder of this chapter (and this sermon) will unpack that essential concept.

OUR DEATH: Our old self was crucified with Christ.

- Romans 6:3-7.

a. We were baptized into Christ’s death.

- vv. 3-4a.

- We usually think along the lines of Jesus died for me. In other words, we think of Jesus taking my place.

- We don’t usually about me being connected with Christ.

- The idea of “being baptized into” something is just speaking of salvation. Baptism is a picture (in going under the water and then back up) of Jesus’ burial and resurrection.

- Now Paul explains in v. 3 that if you were baptized as a believer that that is symbolic of participating in His death. Why? Remember the symbolism of baptism – buried with Christ, raised with Christ. So the symbolism of baptism is that I am buried with Christ. We are “baptized into His death.”

- Why would we want that? Going on to v. 4, we are buried with Him symbolically in order that something else can happen.

- Not the “in order that.” Something good is going to come from that identification with Christ through baptism.

b. We get a new life just as Christ did.

- v. 4b.

- We all know that Jesus died on Good Friday and that He was raised to life on Easter Sunday.

- He was dead and then living again.

- We deserved death because of our sinfulness. Christ took our place and suffered that death. Our old self died in that transaction. But then just as Jesus was raised, so too we are raised.

c. Uniting with Christ in His death and His resurrection.

- v. 5.

- Paul here plainly states the truth we’ve been talking about: we are baptized into His death for us so that we can be raised with Him in His resurrection.

- All this points us to the idea of Jesus taking our place. Jesus died for us.

d. My old self is dead.

- v. 6a.

- This is bold stuff.

- My old self was crucified with Christ. The old Jim Butcher died with Jesus on the cross.

- Why? So that my body of sin might be taken away.

e. Why do I need that? Because I was a slave to sin.

- vv. 6b-7.

- In my natural, fallen state, I am chained to my sin. I cannot get free.

- But when the old self died (through Jesus dying in my place), I have a chance now to be free.

OUR RESURRECTION: Through what Christ has done, we are free to live for God, not sin.