Title: From Knowledge to Obedience
Text: Roman 6:1-
Date: 11-11-07.am
Introduction:
Up to this point Paul has presented an argument for the need of positional righteousness by all people, both Jew and Gentile. When I say positional righteousness I’m referring to a right standing before God or a right relationship with God who Himself is completely righteous and holy. He explained that this righteousness can not be obtained by works which we do. In other words positional righteous doesn’t come as a result of practical righteousness. The only way we can obtain a right standing before God is through faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone. The entire message of the Bible is that men and women cannot be right before God by any other means. By faith in Jesus His righteousness is imputed or credited to us as righteousness. The righteousness of God is credited to us by grace thru faith in Christ.
Paul in the closing verses of chapter 5 gave one of the strongest affirmations of the sufficiency of God’s grace when he wrote in v. 20,”. . .where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” There is nothing in your life too great the grace of God can’t overcome even unbelief. Don’t misunderstand that. We’re probably all here because God overcame our unbelief. But, I’m not talking universalism where everyone will eventually be saved. God’s grace can overcome unbelief, but He won’t save you if you continue in unbelief and rejection.
Now Paul anticipated the response that statement would bring, some would say and have said the doctrine of grace would lead to license and the abuse of Christian liberty. That’s called Antinomianism the idea that God’s grace releases you from obeying moral laws. That was the problem in the church at Corinth. There was an incestuous relationship they viewed as an example of Christian liberty rather than sin.
Rasputin the Russian monk also called the Mad Monk who died in the early 20th century taught that salvation came through repeated experiences of sin and repentance. He made the argument that those who sinned the most require the most forgiveness and receive the most joy, so that it was the believers duty to sin. While not quite that extreme that kind of thinking still exists today in some of the teachings of the emergent church movement.
Certainly the Bible does not teach any such thing as that. Here he introduces us to the doctrine of sanctification, or growing in righteousness. It is a doctrine of progression where we move from knowledge to obedience, from positional righteousness to practical righteousness.
I. Understand the nature of our relationship with Jesus Christ
Paul asks a rhetorical question in response to what he has just written in chapter 5. What shall we say then in light of the fact that where sin abounds grace abounds even more? Does that mean we continue in sin so that God’s grace might increase towards us? The tone of his written reply tot he question suggests the disbelief that someone would even think such a thing would be possible.
For Paul what the believer knows is important. He is convinced that Christian learning leads to Christian living. His prayer for the Colossian Christians stressed that they grow in the knowledge of God and His will so that they might walk in a manner that was pleasing to God. All biblical doctrine in intended to lead to practical application.
In verse 3-10 Paul used the word know 3 times. In doing this he tells us that we should have a basic understanding or knowledge of the nature of our union with Christ. In these verses he uses a number of different phrases to say the same thing in making his point:
v 2 Died to sin?
v.3 Baptized into Christ Jesus and His death
v.4 Raised to walk in newness of life
v.5 United with Him in likeness
v.6 Crucified with Him
v.6 No longer slaves to sin
v.7 Freed from sin
If we have died v. 8 [1st class condition- because or since] because we have died with Him or since we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him– Dead to sin alive to God v.11
Paul uses the example of water baptism to explain what he’s talking about and help us understand what happens when we are united with Christ. Baptists in particular believe in baptism by immersion. There are certainly other Christian denominations that baptize by immersion but it’s one of our Baptist distinctives. We believe first of all that’s what the word baptizo means to plunge or submerge. We also believe, however, that in baptism by immersion there is a picture of what happens when a person is saved. It’s a form of enacted proclamation. Paul describes it for us here.
First we identify with Jesus death, when we go down into the baptismal water. We are immersed into Christ’s death (v.3) - by faith His death becomes our death.
That means that by faith in Christ we have: died to sin, to it’s judgement and to it’s penalty, while at the same time this death frees us from sin’s bondage and dominion over our lives. The old man or the sinful nature, is buried with Christ in death.
Second, when we come up out of the water we identify with the resurrection of Christ, and is a picture of the newness of life we have by being in Christ.
Water baptism symbolizes our death and burial with Him and just as Christ was raised from the dead through the power and by the glory of the Father we also come up out of the watery grave symbolizing our resurrection to new life in Christ.
Verse 5 says For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, NASB
The word translated united is a agriculture term that means to be grafted into. We talked a little about that last Sunday night when we looked at John 15:1-8 and talked about the vine and the branches. The thrust of Paul’s argument is, first though we can’t understand fully how it is possible the truth is that we have actually died and been resurrected with Christ as part of the historical reality of Calvary. And secondly this shared reality of death and resurrection means sin does not have dominance over the believer and we are freed from its hold on our lives. We call that positional relationship.
Once we understand the truth of our positional relationship that we are united with Christ and in Christ we must then make it a practical reality in our lives.
II. We must make this truth a reality in our lives
The truth Paul has been trying to get across is that by faith in Christ we are justified. Verse 10 is a transitional statement. He wants us to see that the death of Christ makes a difference in not only our standing before God but in how we live our lives. We have to make that death a reality in our lives. He wrote in V. 10 For the death that He died, [speaking of Christ] He died to sin, once for all;[no other sacrifices is necessary for sin, no other acts or deeds on our part can add to the sufficiency of what Christ did] but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. NASB
In verse 11 Paul uses the word consider or in some translations reckon. The word is used ‘19' times in this letter and means to take into account. So we are to understand the truth about our relationship with Christ. And we are to take into account two very important realities in our lives that are a result of being justified by faith and the relationship that brings.
The first we’ve already talked about we are consider ourselves dead to sin. This means positionaly sin no longer controls the destiny of our lives. The wages of sin is death, as we said that is eternal separation from God. As Paul has said we are born that way and without Christ we die that way, but by faith in Christ the death He died to sin we also died to sin.
The second consideration is that while we are dead to sin, we are alive to God in Christ. We have a newness of life that is eternal and abundant. Paul said we are dead in our transgressions. Jesus said I came that you might have life and by God’s grace through faith we have life.
Paul wrote in Gal 2:20". . it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; "So the life I live in the flesh I live by faith in Christ.
The verb consider is in the present tense which means that I am to keep on counting my self dead to sin and alive with Christ. It is an ongoing continuing process. But we have to move from just knowing that truth do doing something with that truth,
Knowledge alone isn’t enough. We are saved by faith and our salvation is sure and certain, but positional righteousness doesn’t mean we can live any way we choose and simply presume upon God’s grace. Paul began the chapter by writing in verse 1 and 2 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? NASB And again in verse 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! NASB
As believers we want to be righteous both positionally and practically. We are to reflect on the reality of our positional relationship in Christ in order to practically curb actual sin in our life.
Ill. How do we respond to our union with Christ
1. Resist
Paul uses a positive and negative approach in sharing with us how to respond to our relationship. On the negative side he writes, we must not present our bodies as instruments of sin and unrighteousness.
That means on the practical everyday side of living we are to avoid the negative things that lead to sin. The word is imperative - we must resist sin. We must not allow sin occupy or prevail or have authority over our minds or our way of life. We don’t become involved with certain activities, don’t go to certain places, don’t take part in certain life styles that lead us or temp us into sin. We don’t obey or give in to the lust or evil desire or cravings of our sinful nature.
The allure of sin is strong and we have to actively resist it. We can’t give in and simply say God’s grace will cover it. While we think Rasputins teachings were way out of line if we presume on God’s grace what we do is in actuality practical antinomianism.
Paul wrote in Col 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. NASB
The Amplified version says: So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).
Not only is the verb imperative but it’s present tense which means you do not continue to present yourselves to sin. but continue to present yourselves to God for righteousness. Total surrender of all that I am to His Lordship over my life every single moment of every single day. The result of that ongoing presentation of self to God Paul talks about in the remaining of the chapter and that is obedience.
2. Obey
The positive side of what Paul says is that we instead of presenting our selves to sin we are to present ourselves to God.
Paul uses the slave market in illustrating obedience. ln our old self and our old nature we were slaves to sin. Now we are no longer slaves to sin, we have been set free from sin that we might become slaves to righteousness. We are no longer under the penalty of death, but of life. Paul says that we are now enslaved to God we have a new master and we are free not to disobey but to obey.
In contrast to not presenting our bodies for sin we experience a change of lifestyle to that which glorifies God. Becoming involved in actions and activities places where God is glorified. As a believer we are to turn the parts of our body over to God. We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom 12:1). We are to give God our eyes, ears, mouth, tongue, hands feet and mind. Every part of our body is to be presented to God for the purpose of righteousness.
The result of this process is that we grow in grace and righteousness we move from knowledge to obedience, from positional to practical righteousness. We go from just knowing Jesus to living for Jesus.