Our study of Romans takes us to the opening of the sixth chapter. From Romans 3:21 through the end of chapter five, we have been studying the doctrine of justification by faith. Now Paul moves to inform the Roman believers, and all other believers of the next step in the Christian life. It is the process of daily growth called daily holiness, or sanctification. An just like the doctrine of justification, our sanctification is also through God’s grace.
Before describing this doctrine, Paul begins by warning us that grace is not to be abused. Those who have been cleansed of their sin ought not take advantage of God’s grace by imagining that it means license to rebel against the moral laws of God.
The doctrine of GRACE is easily misunderstood. One reason is because the most NATURAL thing to do with GRACE is to ABUSE IT!
The second most natural thing to do is to MAKE LAWS that prevent us from ABUSING GRACE.
Mr. Wayne Baker recently told me this story which applies to our understanding of grace. A Preacher who wanted to get his point across to the elementary school chapel. He brought up 4 clear glasses and 4 worms. He carefully put a worm in each glass and proceeded to add an ingredient to the glass. One glass he filled with whiskey, one with cigarette smoke (he covered the class to keep the smoke in), in one glass he poured chocolate syrup and in the last glass he put a mixture of moist fertile soil. The preacher went on to speak about being rooted and grounded in the CHRISTIAN Life. At the END of the sermon he went back to the glasses to evaluate the condition of the worms. As expected, the worm that was in the glass full of whiskey was dead, as was the worm that was in the glass filled with cigarette smoke, and the worm that was in the glass filled with chocolate syrup. However, the worm that was in the glass filled with FERTILE SOIL was THRIVING and happy! (as happy as a worm can be). For his grand conclusion, the preacher asked, “Boys and girls, what lesson do we learn from these four glasses?
From the last row a third grade boy shouted out, “If you drink whiskey, and smoke cigarettes, and eat chocolate, you WON’T GET WORMS!
Well I hope that you don’t drink whiskey, smoke cigarettes or consume large quantities of chocolate, but I do know that each and every one of us face temptations of various kinds. These verses establish the foundation upon which we will be enabled, by God’s grace, to serve him with obedience.
First, notice with me from Romans 6:1 that God Did Not Save You to Continue in Sin.
Romans 6:1 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?"
This is a rhetorical question. The obvious answer is, “no, the Lord did not save you to continue in sin.”
Paul makes this point with a present tense verb, literally translated, “Go on sinning.”
A Christian should not consider the possibility of sinning “So that GRACE may increase.”
The word increased is used in Rom 5:20. “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”
Such a sinful attitude would be absurd! Other scriptures bear this out. (1 Thessalonians 4:7) "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life." (1 Peter 1:14-16) "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”"
We would all agree, “Christians Should not sin!!!” But there is a SIN that EASILY ENTANGLES. Hebrews 12:1-2
One preacher made this point by pointing a finger at his audience and exclaiming, “I know the sin that EASILY ENTAGLES YOU. . .! He allowed this to linger in the air for a minute, long enough for a few congregants to wonder if he had been given special revelation from God. He then finished the line by saying, It’s the sin that you’re thinking about right now!
Right now,
A believing daughter struggling with bitterness toward her parents
A Christian young man defeated by the lustful thoughts that dominate his life and his private moments
A married man hiding his addiction to pornography
A brother or sister living in fear and discouragement
A marriage partner convinced that the only way to be happy is to divorce and violate the sacred vows of marriage
Someone is struggling with anger or an uncontrolled tongue
How can a Christian have VICTORY over SIN?
There are Two Approaches:
The COOKIE CUTTER approach by which we conform to the mold that someone else decides is how “good Christians” are supposed to behave. The second (and the biblical approach is Living by Grace.
Just like our justification, sanctification is by grace.
There are three aspects of your SALVATION
You are JUSTIFIED by Grace. (Free from sin’s PENALTY) Romans 3:24 "and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Eph 2:8-9
You are SANCTIFIED by Grace. Free from sin’s POWER. Romans 5:2 "through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. 2 Timothy 2:1 "You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
You will be GLORIFIED by Grace. Free from sin’s PRESENCE. Romans 8:30 "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."
Christ is our ONLY HOPE for all three aspects of salvation.
1 Corinthians 1:30 "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." Galatians 3:3 "Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?"
Galatians 3:21-25
This does NOT mean “let go, and let God!” Nor does NOT mean sinless perfection
HOW does GRACE LIVING work?
First, bu understanding that My OLD SELF Died When Christ Died
This understanding is expained in the following passages
Romans 6:1 “we died to sin”
Romans 6:4 “buried with him”
Romans 6:8 “if we died with Christ”
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Colossians 3:3-5 "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."
1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
What Does it mean? Well, death means separation
Physical death is separation of body from the spirit (James 2:26)
Spiritual death is the separation of a person from God )Eph 2:1)
The second death is eternal separation from God (Rev 20:14)
Death to sin is separation from the ruling power of sin in one’s own life (Romans 6:14)
When does this “death” occur?
At salvation you died to your former self. This death is normally presented in the aorist tense indicating a one time action.
Our death accomplished two things. First, it eliminated our former identity which was alienated from God because of sin. Second, it allowed us to be raised from the dead by the same power that Raised Christ. We now have new life through the power of Christ’s resurrection!
Romans 6:4 “just as Christ was raised from the dead. . . new life”
Through GRACE we have been given NEW LIFE
The kind of new mentioned here is a new kind of life, not just an improved life. The word is the Greek word kainos, (Romans 6:4) = “new in nature.” It is different from the word “kronos,” which means new in sequence. Let me illustrate this way.
You wake up in the morning to begin a NEW DAY (kronos)
Kainos is different. . . “kainós denotes the new and miraculous thing that the age of salvation brings” (BAGD)
Kronos = new in time.
Kainos = new in type.
Kainos is the word used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
It means that we are a new type of person, because of Christ!
Through GRACE we are Channels for Christ’s Power
Colossians 1:29 "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."
Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,"
Phillip Bliss described this change in his hymn, “Once for All”
Verse 1
Free from the law O happy condition
Jesus hath bled and there is remission
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall
Grace hath redeemed us once for all
Verse 2
Now are we free there’s no condemnation
Jesus provides a perfect salvation
Come unto Me O hear His sweet call
Come and He saves us once for all
Verse 4
Children of God O glorious calling
Surely His grace will keep us from falling
Passing from death to life at His call
Blessed salvation once and for all
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Philip Paul Bliss
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Are you living in the Victory and Power Christ has already?
There is no need to be defeated.
And there is no need to strive to please God in the power of man made rules.
We can serve him by Grace.
