A LOOPHOLE? Can we just keep sinning and use grace as an excuse?
- Romans 6:1-2.
a. Grace is the means by which salvation comes to us, but grace is easily misunderstood.
- v. 1.
- We closed out with grace last week. It’s the reality that we cannot earn our salvation but we receive it as a free gift from God.
- That idea, while profound, is also easily misinterpreted and misunderstood. A giant way that it’s been misunderstood and misapplied (and this is exactly what Paul is alluding to) is that grace means freedom to sin as much as you want.
- If God is the one who forgives sins, then my job is just to keep right on sinning and then ask Him to forgive.
- In fact, some even went so far as to make the argument that we should keep on sinning. If God gets glory from bestowing grace, then my ongoing sinning gives Him more to forgive and therefore more to receive glory over.
- It’s worth noting that this is a very common misunderstanding today. Not that people will necessarily argue that they will sin more, but simply that grace means I keep sinning but God will forgive me. There is no vision of a changed life.
b. But this is not what God (or Paul) had in mind.
- v. 2a – “By no means!”
- Paul is emphatic in his response to the rhetorical question of v. 1. Absolutely not, he cries!
- So that whole thing we talked about under v. 1 is a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of grace.
- The question then obviously becomes what does it mean instead. That’s a crucial question and one that we are going to spend the remainder of this sermon unpacking.
- It speaks to the sermon title: “How Do We Live Out This Salvation?” If it’s not “keep on sinning and being forgiven,” then what is it?
c. We get a preview at the end of v. 2 – we can’t continue in our sin when we’ve died to it.
- v. 2b.
- That’s an interesting phrase: “we died to sin.” What does that mean?
- The remainder of this chapter (and this sermon) will unpack that essential concept.
OUR DEATH: Our old self was crucified with Christ.
- Romans 6:3-7.
a. We were baptized into Christ’s death.
- vv. 3-4a.
- We usually think along the lines of Jesus died for me. In other words, we think of Jesus taking my place.
- We don’t usually about me being connected with Christ.
- The idea of “being baptized into” something is just speaking of salvation. Baptism is a picture (in going under the water and then back up) of Jesus’ burial and resurrection.
- Now Paul explains in v. 3 that if you were baptized as a believer that that is symbolic of participating in His death. Why? Remember the symbolism of baptism – buried with Christ, raised with Christ. So the symbolism of baptism is that I am buried with Christ. We are “baptized into His death.”
- Why would we want that? Going on to v. 4, we are buried with Him symbolically in order that something else can happen.
- Not the “in order that.” Something good is going to come from that identification with Christ through baptism.
b. We get a new life just as Christ did.
- v. 4b.
- We all know that Jesus died on Good Friday and that He was raised to life on Easter Sunday.
- He was dead and then living again.
- We deserved death because of our sinfulness. Christ took our place and suffered that death. Our old self died in that transaction. But then just as Jesus was raised, so too we are raised.
c. Uniting with Christ in His death and His resurrection.
- v. 5.
- Paul here plainly states the truth we’ve been talking about: we are baptized into His death for us so that we can be raised with Him in His resurrection.
- All this points us to the idea of Jesus taking our place. Jesus died for us.
d. My old self is dead.
- v. 6a.
- This is bold stuff.
- My old self was crucified with Christ. The old Jim Butcher died with Jesus on the cross.
- Why? So that my body of sin might be taken away.
e. Why do I need that? Because I was a slave to sin.
- vv. 6b-7.
- In my natural, fallen state, I am chained to my sin. I cannot get free.
- But when the old self died (through Jesus dying in my place), I have a chance now to be free.
OUR RESURRECTION: Through what Christ has done, we are free to live for God, not sin.
- Romans 6:8-14.
a. If we died with Him, it’s great we also get to live with Him.
- vv. 8-10.
- In our salvation, we died with Christ. Knowing that, we can also live with Him. A new life has opened up for us!
- Verse 9 tells us that this is a lasting change. Death has no mastery over Christ.
- Verse 10 gives us the big picture of where Christ is (spiritually speaking). He died to sin once and for all. It’s done – taken care of. And now He lives His life to God.
b. We are to live the same way Jesus is.
- v. 11.
- Count yourselves dead to sin and alive to God.
- Your old self has been crucified and died. You have been resurrected a new spiritual creation.
- You need to understand this truth and live it out.
- “Count yourselves” doesn’t mean “pretend even though it isn’t true.” It means live out what’s happened in your life. You can inherit a million dollars and still live like you’re broke. Live out the truth of who you really are.
c. Live as though sin no longer has mastery over you.
- vv. 12-13.
- “Therefore” is important. There is a consequence to your new understanding of your spiritual reality.
- That reality is that you should not let sin reign in your body.
- Why?
- Number one: because you don’t have to. You’re a new, freed creature.
- Number two: because sin brought horrible things into your life and now something better is offered to you.
- Let me share a gross example. Let’s say you lived in a place where the water was infected constantly with bacteria and other bad things. It regularly gave you diarrhea and stomach cramps. It was a constant problem all day every day. Then someone brought a water filtration system to town. Now you had a choice between the old water and water that was clean and pure. How stupid would you have to be to say, “No thanks – I’m sticking with the old water.” Why would you do that?
- Why stick with sin when we’ve been freed and offered something better?
- Instead, offer yourself to God (v. 13).
- I want all of God I can get. I want His wisdom. I want His guidance. I want more and more of Him.
- Offer your body as an “instrument of righteousness.”
- This doesn’t mean self-righteousness. It means getting rid of the junk. It means pure, like the water. It means more like Jesus.
d. You are under grace, not Law.
- v. 14.
- This is really important.
- This takes us back to v. 1 and the misunderstanding of grace.
- We know from previous weeks in this sermon series that being under the Law did not bring a spiritual solution. The Law did not bring salvation. The Law did not bring new spiritual life. The Law just made me more aware of how far from God I am.
- The Law does not save.
- But, thankfully, we are not under the Law. We are under grace.
- Let’s go back to the beginning for a moment. Many think being under grace means being able to sin without consequence. I sin more and God will forgive more. Grace is a license to sin.
- Not at all.
- Grace is an effective means of salvation. As we just discussed, it ties me to Christ. It crucifies my sin with Him and then raises me up a new spiritual creation. Grace is, pay attention, effective.
- So when we say we are under grace we are not saying we are under a system where I’m excited that I get to sin perpetually with impunity.
- No, when we are under grace, we understand that we are under an effective system where my sinful self died with Jesus and then I was raised to newness of life with the ability to actually overcome my sin. What an offer! What a reality!
- Being “under grace” is not a license to sin but an open door to freedom from sin.
- If you think that sin is something you want to continue to live for, you don’t understand what Jesus did for you.
- Saying we are “under grace” should make our minds think of the incredible open door that God has given us through Christ – a door that opens to us by grace.
OUR CHOICE: We can’t sit on the fence – we are either serving sin or righteousness.
- Romans 6:15-23.
a. We’re back to the sin and grace question – but this time a little stronger.
- v. 15.
- Initially v. 15 sounds like a retread but it’s actually a little stronger than v. 6. The point is the same, though: we are not to take grace as an excuse to keep sinning.
b. Why not? Paul introduces the idea of slavery or bondage here.
- v. 16.
- We aren’t the ones calling the shots here. When we sin, we are in slavery to sin.
- We have a choice whether we want to serve God or sin. But those are the two choices.
c. We now have a choice because of grace and Jesus – we can serve God and righteousness.
- v. 17.
- This is an incredible opportunity and a great gift.
d. We are free from sin.
- v. 18.
- This is a statement to marvel over.
e. This is a human analogy to help us understand our situation.
- vv. 19-22.
- It’s a pretty clear choice.
f. This all leads to the famous statement with which Paul closes out the chapter.
- v. 23.
- It’s literally a life or death decision.
