Romans 6

Pop tarts: you either love'em or hate'em. Pastor Jonathan ate them a lot, but realized he was gaining weight. They have terrible nutrition.

He realized the impact the pop tarts were having in him.
His appetite started to change when he looked into the facts and truths about pop tarts.

Romans 5:20-21 NLT
[20] God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. [21] So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.5.20-21.NLT

After writing this, Paul then starts chapter 6 with:

What shall we say then?

Romans 6:1 NLT
[1] Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.1.NLT

Paul is addressing the expected rebuke from the Jews that Jesus' forgiveness would just excuse sin.

This contains the idea of habitual persistence. Meaning: should we stay constantly in sin, to provide the ecosystem for perpetual grace?

Paul is addressing mindsets like:

Paul says absolutely not!

Romans 6:2 NLT
[2] Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.2.NLT

Notice he says we "have died to sin". That is past tense.

But if I have died to sin, why am I still struggling with sin?

Paul says that we need to get up and move forward. We are not bound by sin, but we still need to struggle out of it.

1973 Stockholm Syndrome

This can be us with sin. We want to say it's not that bad. We could stop if we want.

We fall so in love with our captor, sin, that when Christ brings freedom, we reject it.

Realize our new reality

Paul says in multiple verses "we know". He wants us to not be ignorant. There are certain things we need to know.

This is not positive thinking, it is positional thinking. We need to know where we stand in relation to Jesus.

  1. Our old life is over

Romans 6:3-5 NLT
[3] Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. [5] Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.3-5.NLT

Water baptism is a symbol of being in this with Christ. An outward symbol of an inward reality. We identify with all 3 persons of the Trinity.

  1. Our old lifestyle is powerless

Romans 6:6-7 NLT
[6] 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. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.6-7.NLT

God has bought us back from Satan. He is out of business, in relation to us who are with Christ.

Your sinful life can no longer give you the joy or fulfillment that you once thought it did. Don't go back. Sin wants to be your master. And it was.

Sin does not stop because it is defeated. It will keep fighting. We often give sin a beachhead from which it can still launch attacks. But Jesus has taken the hill. So we fight from an advantageous place of victory.

If we leave any part of our life open to sin, it can ruin our lives. Parable of the man who sold all of his house except a nail. But the old owner hung the carcass of a dog on a nail, so that the house became unlivable and he could buy the house back.

Romans 6:9-10 NLT
[9] 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. [10] When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.9-10.NLT

We have the power of Christ's resurrection empowering our new life.

Live these truths with conviction

Romans 6:11 NLT
[11] So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.11.NLT

Don't just be focused on being dead to sin.
Realize also that you are alive to Christ.

We are to become what we know. Our convictions lead to transformation.

Sin is inevitable but it is never necessary.

When temptations come, say "I am not a slave to that any longer".

We need our knowledge to be one a conviction.

Resist sin's rule in our hearts

Romans 6:12 NLT
[12] Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.12.NLT

Sin does not rule, but it can still invade. We have been transferred to a new kingdom, God's kingdom

Sin is a predator. Keeping sin around is like those people who try to keep predators as pets. Eventually it will turn on you, that is it's nature.

"it is absurd... for those who are called to reign with Christ to choose to be the captives of sin, as though one should hurl the (crown) from off his head, and choose to be the slave of a frantic woman, who came begging, and was clothed in rags....How is it that sin can reign in you! It is not from any power of its own but only from your laziness.”

Sin entices and then enslaves. Do not become cozy with it.

The parable of the boy who feel out of bed: When asked why he said "I guess I stayed to close to where I got in".

We need to not do this with our faith. Don't have one foot in and one foot out. Move closer to the heart of Christ. Grow in your faith.

Adopt new practices

Romans 6:13 NLT
[13] Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.13.NLT

We are either weapons of wickedness or righteousness. Our lives are not static. We are either moving effortfully toward godliness, or we are drifting toward sin.

Parable of two dukes. One imprisoned the other. Said he could leave whenever. But there was only a small door. And the imprisoned Duke was obese. He was fed whatever he wanted. He couldn't say no to his desire for food, so he lived as a prisoner instead of a free man. In laziness, he let his appetites make him a prisoner.

If an annoying song is stuck in your head, you can't stop thinking about it by trying to stop thinking about it. You have to find a better son to replace it with.

So it is with sin. Find good things to do instead. Don't just try to avoid the sin.

Your choice: life or death

Romans 6:19-22 NLT
[19] Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. [20] When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. [21] And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. [22] But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.19-22.NLT

Every master besides Christ leads to death.

Pleasure leads to addiction.
Power leads to manipulation.
Self leads to narcissism or anxiety.

Romans 6:23 NLT
[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.6.23.NLT

Satan always pays his servants. But the pay is death. You will be separated from God forever.

In contrast, God wants to give us what we don't deserve. A gift.