In 5:20, Paul said, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” It would seem that we should sin as much as possible to get as much grace as possible. There is some logic to that, and that is a great temptation for Christians.
Read Romans 6.
Paul covers a lot of ground in this chapter. Paul spends this chapter debunking that logic.
I. What is THE SIN?
In the original language the word “the” is before sin. It is the “sin principle,” “sinful nature,” “original sin,” etc. It is our notion to shake our fist at God. Paul personifies sin here calling it a slave master, the “old self…the body of sin.”
II. What can it mean to be dead to THE SIN?
What does dead mean? Paul says we died to sin. What does that mean? When you’re dead, you’re dead. If your body is dead, it doesn’t breath.
When we die to sin, we can’t continue to live in sin. If God is our boss, we can’t continue to shake our fist at him and demand our own way.
III. If we were delivered from “the sin,” why would we live any longer in it?
Sin is a problem. Very few people, anywhere, would dispute that, but some would say that it still has power over us. To be dead is to be dead. If a cancer patient dies, the cancer has no power over them.
A. It involves the breaking of the baptismal VOW
Baptism in the Early Church was serious business. It usually meant “death” to one’s family and friends. It may have meant isolation from the community at large. No one made the public declaration baptism on a whim. It was serious. To sin was a spot on that vow
B. To continue to live in “the sin,” is to reject CHRIST’S DEATH
Christ suffered and died to save us from sin. To have our old self crucified with him, it the essence of the Good News. Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ” (2:19). To continue to live a life of sin is to deny the power of God.
Verse 10 tells us, “For the death he died he died to sin, once for all.”
It’s a slap in the face of the Gift Giver.
C. To continue in “the sin” is to DISREGARD God’s GLORY
God’s glory and power is demonstrated when he changes lives. The more a life is changed, the more God’s glory is made plain.
IV. To continue in “the sin” is to be its SLAVE.
We will be a slave to something or someone. There will be a controlling factor in our life, one way or another. What are you a slave to? You are a slave to whatever you commit yourself: money, power, prestige, leisure, pleasure, etc.
Everyone has a controlling force is their lives. There is something that drives us. To be a slave to sin is to have it control your life. If we follow God’s plan for our life, we are a slave to God and righteousness, which leads to eternal life.
V. Self-interest should prompt us to break off all relationship with our OLD SELF.
Dr. Phil advises people in unhealthy relationships to get out for their own good. Motivated by self-interest, people leave unhealthy relationships.
It’s in our self-interest to break off the relationship with our old ways.
A. We can be set FREE
Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The truth is that we are sinners. The truth is that Jesus can free us from sin. The truth sets us free. Jesus went on to say, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).
Freedom from sin is freedom toward God. It’s freedom to pursue God and his will for us.
B. Christ our mighty DELIVERER
Christ is the one who rescues us. We can’t do it on our own. It’s not a matter of will power; it’s a matter of surrendering to him.
We are in an ocean of sin, and we can’t swim. Christ comes with the lifeboat and pulls us into the boat.
C. The result is SANCTIFICATION
What exactly is sanctification? It is a broad term, subject of numerous books. In short it is giving oneself entirely to God, and God cleansing one’s life.
D. We can have it NOW
There is no need to wait indefinitely. The cleansing comes in a moment of time, but at the same time, we grow throughout our life to be more like Christ. It comes at the point where we choose to devote our life completely to God. For me, it came when I surrendered my life’s vocation to him and accepted his call for me into the ministry.
E. This sanctification ends in HEAVEN
Eternal life is the ultimate consequence of a life lived devoted to God. We grow throughout life, are totally perfected in heaven.
APPLYING THE WORD
Paul’s question, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound,” is a rhetorical question. The obvious answer is “no.”
Who is your master? Who is in control of your entire life? What controls you? What drives you? The decision is yours. A song I remember from my heavy metal days says, “Can’t serve God and money too/Can’t get to heaven by what you do.” It’s all God, but we must allow him to rescue us.
