Buried With Him

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who've died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life... knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

When grace covers every sin, why not sin all the more? Paul's answer reveals what it means to be dead to sin and alive to God.

From Justification to Sanctification

We come now to one of the most powerful passages of Scripture as we enter Romans 6 through 8. In chapters 1 through 5 we saw the reality of our lostness, and we were challenged to confess our unrighteousness and consider the wrath of God against our wickedness. But in our last studies we examined the height of God's grace, demonstrated in the death of Christ for our justification.

As Paul came to the closing words of that section, he must have been filled with delight when he dictated to his scribe, Tertius, those words of Romans 5:20: "The law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more." The law, given through Moses, causes sin to abound—not that sin was not already there, but sin becomes exceedingly clear in the light of God's law. Yet where sin abounded, the grace of God did much more abound. His grace super-abounds, overshadowing the multitude of offenses we have thought, spoken, and acted upon. We know better than anyone how wicked those things are, and yet we see how awesome His grace is. This is why Paul said, "we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the reconciliation."

The Question Paul Anticipates

With this as the backdrop, and now familiar with Paul's didactic process, we know that he anticipates the inevitable question. So in Romans 6:1 he asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" If abounding sin brought forth abundance of grace, then why not continue in sin to see more grace come? In the light of God's super-abounding, limitless, inexhaustible grace, how shall we respond—not just in speech, but in action?

As we study this section, we must study it carefully and in context. There is a way to read the victory Paul speaks of in chapters 6 and 8—where he says we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us—through the lens of our own experience of defeat in chapter 7: "the good things I want to do, I don't practice, and the bad things that I don't want to do, that's what I do. O wretched man that I am!" We must be careful not to view the victory of chapters 6 and 8 through our defeat, to the point that we begin to excuse our sinful tendencies, saying, "Well, I guess this is just the way I am. This is just the way the Christian life is going to be." Many have taught this passage in a way that frames it for a defeated mindset. But that is not Paul's focus. Paul's focus is the great victory we are to experience and walk in as Christians.

Positionally Righteous, Not Yet Practically Righteous

This section speaks of the aspect of salvation theologians call sanctification. In chapters 1 through 5, especially 4 and 5, we considered that we have been justified by grace through faith. God has accounted to us righteousness. Isaiah says we've been "clothed in a robe of righteousness," so that God now looks at us and says, "You are righteous. I've declared you righteous." As Paul said in Romans 4:25, Jesus "was delivered up for our offenses" and "raised up from the dead for our justification." On His throne, holy God looks at us through the lens of Jesus and says, "You are, in my eyes, right. You're without spot or blemish."

But—and it's a big but—we all recognize that we are not practically righteous. If we're honest, we'll quickly admit that this last week we fell short of God's perfect standard in some way. Even though we can know with certainty that we are saved and will be with God for eternity—Paul says in Philippians 3 that we are "citizens of heaven, eagerly waiting for that day"—we can still sin. We are positionally righteous, but not practically righteous. God's desire is that we would not stay wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. He has declared us righteous; now He wants to make that a reality in our lives.

A Parent's Heart for Growth

Parents can grasp this. Moms, you remember after the labor pains, they lay that precious little baby on your chest—7 pounds, or 12 if you're an Olson—and that baby is perfect, beautiful, even peaceful. The child has done nothing to earn your love or approval, and yet has all of it, positionally, at that moment. Just right.

But now fast forward twenty years. Imagine that same child still pooping in diapers, still sucking on a pacifier, still railing and screaming to get what they want when they want it. That's not a pretty picture, and that's not what we want. We want to drive those things out of them so that one day they stand as one who honors father and mother, walking in a way that pleases us and brings us joy. That desire has been imprinted on us by God, who made us in His image, because it's a desire He has. We don't see this in the animal kingdom. Sea turtles dig a hole on the beach, drop a hundred eggs, and leave—the last thing they ever do for their offspring. Five years later maybe ten survive, and the adult doesn't care. We don't do that. We want our children to grow in a way that honors us.

God's Aim: To Sanctify His Children

We are God's children, His church. He loves us. The Bible declares we are accepted and approved by Him because of the work Jesus did. Read Ephesians 1—it's a treasure trove of acceptance, redemption, and adoption in Christ. That's our position. But it's God's aim that we would move to Ephesians 2:10, walking "in the good works that God prepared beforehand." He wants us to grow up. He has justified us by grace through faith, but He intends to sanctify us, fashioning us more and more into the image of His Son. That is the sanctifying process—making us righteous not only in standing but in practice, that we would not only be in a right standing with God but rightly walking with God.

So in these first eight chapters of Romans—the "what we are to believe" section of this discipleship manual—chapters 1 through 5 deal with justification; chapter 6 through the middle of chapter 8 deals with sanctification; and the last half of chapter 8 deals with glorification, when we step into His presence and shall be like Him. This corruption shall put on incorruption. "The whole of creation is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God." But right now, God is sanctifying us.

"Certainly Not!" — How Can We Live in Sin?

So when the sinful mind asks, "If grace abounded where sin abounded, why not continue in sin so grace abounds even more?" Paul answers in verse 2: "Certainly not!" The J.B. Phillips translation renders it, "What a ghastly thought!" The King James declares, "God forbid!" The New American Standard says, "May it never be!"—probably closest to the Greek, which means, "May it never come into being!"

Why should this never become a reality? Paul answers at the end of verse 2: "How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it?" He answers the question with a question—very Jewish. How could it even be possible to continue in the perpetual practice of sin when we have died to sin?

You might respond, "What do you mean we've died to sin?" Paul has just introduced a completely new doctrinal teaching, totally foreign to his readers. It's much like Jesus speaking with Nicodemus in John 3: "Nick, you must be born again." Nicodemus said, "What are You talking about? Should I enter a second time into my mother's womb?" He couldn't grasp it. So Paul, having introduced this foreign concept, says in verse 3, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" Just as Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You're the teacher in Israel and you don't know this?"

Baptized Into His Death

There is debate among scholars about whether Paul, in verses 3 and 4, speaks of the physical sacrament of baptism—the going down into the water and coming out—or the spiritual baptism that comes at the new birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "That which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of Spirit is spirit." When we put our faith in Christ, we are born again, and a spiritual baptism takes place.

The important issue to recognize is that you and I have died to sin in Christ Jesus by grace through faith. That death to sin is not dependent upon the physical sacrament of baptism. You do not have to be baptized to be dead to sin; you do not have to be baptized to be saved. This does not diminish the importance of baptism—we are baptized in obedience to the Lord's command, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." But baptism does not bring about salvation, the new birth, or this death to sin. Some have wrongly taken this passage to say you must be baptized to be dead to sin. That is not what is being said here.

Buried With Him, Raised to Newness of Life

At the new birth, by the Spirit of God, you and I have died to sin. We are immersed—that's what baptism means—into His death. Verse 4 explains: "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Circle that word should.

Although the physical sacrament is not essential for this death to sin, baptism is a beautiful picture. As we go down into the water, we are symbolically buried with Christ in death. He died on the cross and was buried in a tomb; we have professed faith in His death, burial, and resurrection. Coming up out of the water symbolizes our being raised with Him to newness of life. That sacrament is only a public declaration of what has already happened spiritually—that you have already been born again by the Spirit, have died to sin, and have been raised to walk in newness of life. This is an essential ethic of the new birth: because of what Christ has done in us, we ought to walk in a new way, as those who are saved.

What Are We Saved From?

What does it mean to be saved? If you did a man-on-the-street interview and asked 100 people what Christians mean by "saved," most would say saved from hell, from eternal punishment. That is one aspect, but what exactly are we saved from? Consider Matthew 1, which presents Jesus' genealogy through His earthly father, Joseph. Joseph was betrothed to Mary when she was found to be with child—nothing he had done. Under Jewish law she could be put to death, but he loved her and was conflicted about what to do.

Then God spoke to him through an angel in a dream. Verse 20: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." Although we are saved unto eternal life, we are primarily saved from our sins. And eternal life is the ultimate saving from our sins, because sin is punishable by eternal death. Jesus came into the world to do this one thing—save His people from their sins. All who put their faith in Him become His people, and He rescues them.

United in His Death, United in His Resurrection

Paul continues in verse 5: "If we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." It's a sure thing. We've been joined with Him, buried with Him in baptism, joined in the likeness of His death—and in the very same way, it is certain we shall be joined in the likeness of His resurrection. Remember the if/then statements from math class. If we've died with Him, then certainly we'll experience resurrection power with Him.

The ultimate end of our resurrection is to be raised unto righteousness in the last day, to be with the Lord perfectly righteous for eternity. But here and now, the resurrection power of God—the very power that raised Jesus from the dead—is at work in us. Paul speaks to this in Ephesians 1:19, that God wants us to know "the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when God raised Him from the dead." That resurrection power is at work in us now.

Our Old Man Crucified

What is the application of this new teaching? Verse 6: "knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him." As Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I've been crucified with Christ; I no longer live." Before we believed, we had this fleshly, carnal, sinful body, and we walked in sin. Then we were buried with Him in baptism—and we still have this body. When you got saved, you didn't turn around five seconds later with a whole new body. Same body—kind of a bummer.

So our old man was crucified with Him "that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin." Verse 7: "For he who has died has been freed from sin." Slavery is largely a foreign concept to us today, but Paul wrote to people in the first-century Roman world, where more than 60% of the empire were slaves. Some were born into slavery, lived as slaves, and died as slaves. Once a slave dies, is he still under his master's control? No. The master could command the dead corpse, "Get up and serve me," but it's dead. To be dead means to be freed from slavery. Before conversion, we were all slaves, and our master was sin—it ruled us, had dominion over us, dictated how we lived. Then we died to sin and were freed from our old master.

Death Has No More Dominion

Yet how many of you know experientially that you may have gotten saved Sunday night and woke up Monday morning still grouchy, still angry, still wanting to hit someone? We still have sinful desires. So how is this freedom a reality? Verse 8: "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Therefore death no longer has dominion over Him."

This is what makes Jesus' resurrection different from other resurrections in the Bible. Lazarus was raised, but he died again; he's not walking around today. Jairus' daughter was raised, but she eventually died. The widow of Nain's son was raised, but he died. Jesus rose and never dies again. He ascended into heaven. Hebrews 7 says, "He ever lives to make intercession for us." Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus put death to death, so there is no sting in death any longer. He is the firstfruits from the dead, and He never dies.

What is the implication for us? If we are united with Him in the likeness of His death and now in the likeness of His resurrection, then since death no longer has dominion over Him, it no longer has dominion over us. We conquer death and the sin that causes death. We now live a new life, both abundant and eternal, beginning the instant we are born again. This is a phenomenal truth claim of Christianity: if you're a Christian, death and sin no longer have power over you. And yet we still find ourselves falling into sin and fearful of death—in one sense rejecting this truth.

Reckon Yourselves Dead to Sin

How can this be? Verse 10: "For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all." It wasn't just for Himself. We're not living life trying to attain to what Jesus did, as if only we could do what He did. He died once to sin for all. "But the life that He lives, He now lives to God"—to the glory of the Father.

"Likewise," verse 11, "you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." That word reckon means to deem, determine, purpose, conclude, decide, choose. In Christ, united with Him in His death and resurrection to walk in newness of life, we have the ability and opportunity to determine that we are dead to sin. It no longer has dominion over us. So now we can live to God, just as Jesus lived to the Father's glory.

Present Yourselves to God

What is the application? Verse 12: "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey the lusts of it." Don't allow sin to be master, dictating what you say, do, and think. Because of Adam's sin, this body is corrupted, and sin resides within it with sinful passions and desires that are against God. Paul says, "You've died to sin; you're no longer under its rule, so you don't have to let it dictate to you."

Verse 13: "Do not present your members"—your body, your energy, time, cognitive ability, physical strength—"as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin." Unrighteousness is anything that does not accord with God's character; sin is anything against what God commands. "But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." This is how Paul often writes: don't do this, but do this. There is always something we put away and something we put in its place. In Ephesians 4 he says, "Put off the old man, put on the new man. Stop lying! Speak the truth. Stop stealing! Get a job and give." You have the power in Christ to do this.

Paul pleads the same way in Romans 12:1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God... And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Don't present your body as an instrument of sin, but as an instrument of righteousness to God. We have this ability in Christ because we've died to sin and been raised to newness of life.

Not Under Law, But Under Grace

Why should we do this? Verse 14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you." Sin shall not rule over you because you've died to it. Why not? "For you are not under law but under grace." What does that have to do with anything? Remember Romans 5:20: the law entered and caused sin to abound, to become exceedingly clear. Where sin abounded, the grace of God came flooding in—and that grace is for salvation, and salvation is from sin. God's grace comes in to pull you out of the mire of sin, saying, "I'm rescuing you out of that." Now, no longer under the law that exposes the abundance of sin, you are under His abundant grace, and that grace produces the opportunity for righteousness.

And yet we so often find ourselves walking back into the bondage of sin. We are told here with victorious language that we have been freed. "If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." We were once captives to sin—"through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin"—and all we could do was sin. "But at just the right time Christ died for the ungodly," and He rescues us. "You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." He rescues us from sin, that we no longer be under its dominion and power.

The Frustrating Reality—and the Coming Answer

The unfortunate, even frustrating, reality is that many Christians in many churches all over the world may know this theologically and yet live in the midst of Romans 7: "The good things I want to do, I don't practice; the bad things I don't want to do, that's what I do. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Paul aims here to focus our attention on the sanctifying power of God, that we become more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Maybe that's you tonight, in the throes of Romans 7, finding that in yourself dwells no good thing, asking how you can be delivered. We'll talk about that in two weeks—so you have to come back. Next week we will consider together the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, which made this reality possible.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You that You have made a way whereby we can be made right with You who are holy and separate from sinners. You've made a way for us to stand before You positionally righteous. You've made us accepted, adopted us, and given us an inheritance that is incorruptible. We know with certainty that we'll be with You for eternity. And Lord, You desire that now, in this life, we would walk in a way that honors and glorifies You, that exalts Your greatness. So God, work in us by Your Spirit that we would do just that—that we would see true victory in our lives and understand what it means to be more than conquerors in You who loved us. And when we fall—because we're not speaking of sinless perfection, but we will fall short because of the fallenness of our nature—help us to be quick to confess it, to repent, to cry out to You for Your glory and grace, that we'd walk on, following hard after You, declaring Your wonder in this world. God, make this part of my reality and that of my brothers and sisters here, for Your glory and our joy. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.