Free from Sin’s Penalty and Power
1. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2. “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5. “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6. “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” - Romans 6:1-6
Romans 6:1-4
The entire sixth chapter of Romans is against the false gospel of carnal Christianity. Having previously considered the question in verse 1: “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?”-verse 2 tells us no, that we who are saved have died to sin and live no longer in it, because in His salvation the Son has made us free from sin and its reigning power. In verse 3 we read that in salvation we were baptized by the Holy Spirit into Jesus Christ-that is, we were put into Christ, and therefore were baptized (or put) into His death. You see, all that Christ our Lord as our Substitute did in His death, has become ours, for we were in Him at the cross. When we were saved by His grace, all of the benefits that came out of His obedience unto death became ours. This is what God does for every soul whom He saves.
In verse 4 we read that since this has happened, we were buried by baptism into His death (or put into His death) that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the power of the Father, even so we have been raised up with Him to walk in newness of life. Therefore sin no longer has dominion over us because we died to sin, even as Christ died to our sin which He bore in His own body on the tree (vv. 9,10).
These truths from Romans can only be understood by the revealing power of God’s Spirit; but oh my beloved, if God be pleased to reveal them unto our hearts by His Spirit, what a wealth of spiritual truth we have here! What gold of His grace has been poured out upon us! You see, what the Holy Spirit is telling us is this: we have been made one in Christ. As Christ died under our sins, so we have died to these same sins; and they no longer have dominion over us, the reigning power of sin having been broken.
Romans 6:5
In verse 5 we have again the plain statement of the believer’s union with Christ in the words, “planted together.” What the Holy Spirit is telling us here (which to me drives another nail in the coffin of the false gospel of carnal Christianity) is this: Since we have been planted together in Christ’s death, we are planted together in His resurrection. Oh, that we would take our Bibles and read what God has done for and given to us in Christ in salvation! There we will find that all the benefits which we have received from being identified with Him in death are made sure to us by the power of His resurrection; and this leaves us no loop holes in the positive salvation which is given to us in Christ Jesus the Lord!
But there is yet another great truth brought out in this 5th verse: Being planted together, then we shall bring forth our fruit unto holiness (v 22), for we are united to Christ in that vital union of oneness. If you would compare this with John 15:5 where our Lord said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches,” you can see this same truth of identification with Christ in that vital union of oneness; and if we are united to Him in oneness, then as He is now in heaven, so are we upon this earth as we walk as pilgrims and strangers on the road toward glory. Therefore as a good tree, we shall bring forth good fruit, according to Matthew 7:18. Read this verse carefully, and we find that “a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.” Why? Because it is identified with Christ, the smitten One, in death to sin and resurrection to (or newness of) life that brings forth fruit unto holiness.
My friend, have you ever noticed that word “cannot” in Matthew 7:18? The good tree, which represents the born-again child of God (one who is accepted in Christ and joined to Him in the oneness of faith in salvation), cannot bring forth evil fruit! Why? Because the good fruit of the Holy Spirit is brought forth by the life of Christ in us! Oh, my fellow believer, this speaks of our position in Christ. Yes, these Scriptures are blessed to me, for they tell me that since I have been identified with Christ in His death and resurrection, then I will also, by virtue of His life in me, now be enabled to walk in newness of life with the power of sin broken, bringing forth fruit unto holiness, as God by His Spirit changes me from glory to glory into the likeness of Christ!
Romans 6:6
We come now to verse 6 of this 6th chapter of Romans which reads: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” We will look first at the expression, “Knowing this”; and this to me drives another nail into the coffin of the false gospel of carnal Christianity. How?-By the teaching of the Holy Spirit when one is under conviction. You see, He is saying here that this is something which we should all know, that is, all of us who claim to be saved. This is something with which we should be familiar, something concerning which we should have an absolute certainty; therefore the Holy Spirit says, “knowing this.”
I hear you asking the question, “What should we know?” This: that we died to sin in the death of Christ, and have been raised in His resurrection power to walk in newness of life; therefore we have become new creatures in Christ. Do you know this? Do you always live in the light of this knowledge? Is this something of which you are absolutely certain? You should be, if you are saved, because this is an essential, vital part of our salvation. Now we have the power to put off the former behavior of the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and to put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Eph 4:22-24). Yes, because the power of sin is broken, we can obey these commands to no longer serve sin. Perfectly? Oh, I wish it were so! This is what the child of God longs for, because he despises sin. But in salvation we learn from God’s Word and accept by faith that this is our position in Christ-He’s freed us from the reign and power of sin!
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