Slides: Dead to Sin, Alive to God

Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Romans 6:1-11 

Sin and grace

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more… What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! (Romans 5:20-6:1)

They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 1:4)

¹ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Barcode salvation?

We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptized into Jesus' burial and resurrection

…having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Colossians 2:12)

When you were dead in your sins God, made  you alive with Christ. (Colossians 2:13)

Union With Christ

• Legal union: Jesus represents us. He is our legal head. He acts on our behalf. What he does is counted by God as ours.
• Living union: Jesus lives in us and we in him through a living connection. He is our living head, and we are his body. His actions affect and direct our experience. His death, resurrection, and reign flow into our lives.

Complete in Christ

Salvation = Jesus plus nothing!
Nothing I do makes me right with God. “The result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.” (5:18)

Salvation = Jesus minus nothing!
All that Jesus is and does involves me. The whole me is in union with the whole Christ. I cannot divide Savior from Ruler.

United with him

⁵ If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

Alive with Christ

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Know who you are

Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? … we know that our old self was crucified… we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Freed from prison
Someone freed from prison needs to live free from habits, feelings, and actions of a prisoner. He needs to keep reminding himself that he is a free man, and live like it.

Adopted into wonderful family

A child grows up in a poverty-stricken, abusive household. He is removed from that home and is adopted by loving parents. His old life is over. He is in a brand new situation. But it may be hard for him to live into his new identity. He must accept and keep reminding himself of his new reality. “Don’t you know you’re our son? Don’t you know we have plenty to eat? Don’t you know we’ll help you any way we can?” The son must stop trying to earn his parents’ favor, stop sneaking around stealing food, and live his new identity. “Count yourself dead to the old life, and alive to your Father.”

New you, new uniform

A biker belongs to a motorcycle gang and wears its garb. However, he changes his ways and eventually becomes a motorcycle policeman and wears an officer's uniform. He still loves motorcycles, but now he uses motorcycles for a very different purpose. Likewise, when you become a Christian, much of your personality remains, but it turns in a new direction. God doesn't destroy your personality. When he renews you in Christ, you take off the old uniform and practices, and you put on the new uniform and new practices--and you become who you were meant to be, doing what you always loved to do.

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal 3:27)

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 13:14)

“You have put off the old self [anthropos] with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator.” (Col 3:9-10)

St. Patrick’s Breastplate

I rise today

with the power of God to pilot me,
God's strength to sustain me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look ahead for me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to protect me…

Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me; Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me;
Christ to the right of me,
Christ to the left of me;
Christ in my lying down,
Christ in my sitting, Christ in my rising.