Romans 6:6-7

Sermon preached on October 19, 2008 by Laurence W. Veinott. © Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Other sermons can be found at http://www.cantonnewlife.org/.

In November of 1849 the Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky, was arrested by the authorities. At the time he was only in hs 20's and was arrested because he was a member of a group of intellectuals who met regularly to discuss literary and philosophical works. He had also illegally obtained a printing press and was planning on printing and circulating revolutionary pamphlets. He and the other ringleaders were charged with treason, found guilty, and sentenced to death by firing squad. Tsar Nicholas 1 was persuaded to commute their death sentences and to imprisonment with hard labor. But he wanted to teach them a lesson they would never forget. So an elaborate charade was planned. Part of it was not telling the condemned men that their death sentences had been commuted. They were kept in jail and kept in the dark right up until the day of their scheduled executions. Early on the morning of December 22 Dostoevsky and his fellow prisoners were transported to a public square. There they were met by solemn priests, a black-draped scaffold, empty coffins and the firing squad. Their original sentences were read and then they were led to stakes. They were tied to the stakes and the firing squad was lined up in front of them. Just before the order to fire was given, a messenger on a horse galloped into the square and announced that they Tsar had commuted their death sentences and that instead they would have to serve hard time in prison. It was a horrible charade. But the condemned men were spared. They didn't die. It looked like they came close, but the reality was that they were allowed to live.

Is that what it is like with your old self? In our text here the apostle Paul refers to what we used to be like before we became Christians. He refers to our old self as literally, 'our old man'. Is the old man dead or is he still alive and kicking? Is your old man dead or has he just been given a 'good scare' like Dostoevsky had?

In other words, what kind of attitude are you to have toward the power of sin in your life?

Are you to view sin and temptation as such an overwhelming force that it's something that you have to give into? Or is it something that you can indeed overcome?

It's true that that there are great forces arrayed against you. In 1 Peter 5:8 the apostle wrote,

"Your adversary the Devil
is prowling around like a roaring lion,
looking for anyone he can devour."

Peter well knew the power of temptation and evil. You'll remember that just before Jesus' arrest, Jesus told Peter that Satan desired to have him, that he might sift him as wheat. Satan wanted Peter's faith to fail. (Luke 22:30f) Peter had a great enemy in Satan. It also seems likely that he felt Satan's power in the Garden of Gethsemane. You'll remember that when Jesus took James, Peter and John with him in His hour of need, Jesus became to be very sorrowful and distressed. He said to them, (Matthew 26:38)

"My soul is swallowed up in sorrow
—to the point of death.
Remain here and stay awake with Me."

But they couldn't even stay awake one hour. Mark's gospel tells us that their eyes were heavy, it was like they were in a stunned stupor. The fact that it happened to all three of them suggests that there was some sort of Satanic attack there.

So how are we to feel about temptation and sin? Are we still so sinful that we are bound to fail? Christian, is sin in your life inevitable? If we look at Peter's denials—and that from someone who loved Jesus intensely and was absolutely devoted to Him—should we just shrug our shoulders and conclude that if Satan wants to have his way with us there's nothing much we can do about it, that we basically have to wait until we die or the Lord comes to be free from the tyranny of sin?

The answer that the apostle Paul would give to that is, "Absolutely not!" In Romans 6 Paul has been telling us that we should be dead to sin and alive to Christ. Sin is something that we should not be practicing. We are to be holy. We are to say no to sin. We are to do so with confidence and certainty. We should be absolutely convinced that we, with God's help, can overcome temptation. John Murray writes, (Redemption, Accomplished and Applied, p. 145-146)

"it is of paramount concern for the Christian and for the interests of his sanctification that he should know that sin does not have the dominion over him, that the forces of redeeming, regenerative, and sanctifying grace have been brought to bear upon him in that which is central in his moral and spiritual being, that he is the habitation of God through the Spirit, and that Christ has been formed in him the hope of glory. This is equivalent to saying that he must reckon himself to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God though Jesus Christ his Lord."

"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—
because anyone who has died
has been freed from sin."

The main thing we see from this is that if you're a Christian,

sin's dominion over you has been destroyed.

Sin's power over you has been crushed. Because of your union with Christ in His death, you have been removed from the tyrannical power of sin. You have been freed from it. Sin is no longer your master. Jesus' work on the cross was not only to secure the forgiveness of your sins—but to deal a death blow to the power of sin over His people. You are now free to serve God. You have been given a new nature, a new power that enables you to be slaves to righteousness.

This is because

your old self was crucified with Jesus.

What does Paul mean when he refers to 'our old man'? C. E. B. Cranfield says that it (Romans, Vol. 1, p. 308-309)

"denotes the whole of our fallen human nature, the whole self in its fallenness…"

"our whole nature which we bring from the womb…"

"our old self or ego, the unregenerate man in his entirety in contrast with the new man as the regenerate man in his entirety."

"corrupt nature as opposed to the new man, or holy nature…"

"The term 'crucified' is that of being crucified with Christ, and therefore indicates that the old man has been put to death just as decisively as Christ died upon the accursed tree. To suppose that the old man has been crucified and still lives or has been raised again from this death is to contradict the obvious force of the import of crucifixion."

"It is no more feasible to call the believer a new man and an old man, than it is to call him a regenerate man and an unregenerate. And neither is it warranted to speak of the believer as having in him the old man and the new man."

"If we claim to be without sin,
we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us."

Nor does this mean that Christians don't have inclinations to sin. In James 1 the apostle told us how God doesn't tempt anyone to do evil. Then he added, (James 1:14)

"But each person is tempted
when he is drawn away
and enticed by his own evil desires."

John Murray writes, (Principles, p. 220)

"Sin as indwelling and committed is a reality; it does not lose its character as sin."

"The believer is a new man, a new creation, but he is a new man not yet made perfect. Sin dwells in him still, and he still commits sin. He is necessarily the subject of progressive renewal; he needs to be transfigured into the image of the Lord from glory to glory (cf. II Corintihans 3:18)."

"the sin which still inheres in the believer and the sin he commits does not have dominion over him."

"It is one thing for sin to live in us: it is another for us to live in sin. It is one thing for the enemy to occupy the capital; it is another for his defeated hosts to harass the garrisons of the kingdom."

"the body as conditioned and controlled by sin, the sinful body."

"The body of the believer is no longer a body conditioned and controlled by sin. The body that is his now is one conditioned and controlled by what has come to be the ruling principle of the believer in his totality, namely, 'obedience to righteousness'.

"So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body,
so that you obey its desires.
And do not offer any parts of it to sin
as weapons for unrighteousness.
But as those who are alive from the dead,
offer yourselves to God,
and all the parts of yourselves to God
as weapons for righteousness.
For sin will not rule over you,
because you are not under law but under grace."

So our old man was crucified with Christ and the body of sin has been done away with. It's power is gone.

The third way that Paul impresses this great truth upon us is by saying that

we are no longer slaves of sin.

Slavery is gone. We are free from our slavery to sin. When someone is a slave they don't have any power to break free. But Jesus, by virtue of His death, has set us free.

Jesus didn't just die—He was raised from the dead. In verse 4 Paul tells us that that Christ's resurrection has implications for us, that,

"we too may live a new life."

The whole section that follows is about slavery and how one is a slave to the one you serve. Verse 18 tells us that we have been set free from sin and become slaves of righteousness. Verse 22 says,

"But now that you have been set free from sin
and have become slaves to God,
the benefit you reap leads to holiness,
and the result is eternal life."

Now what does all this mean for us?

First, it means that you who are Christians ought to have a great confidence about Christian living.

Yes there are great powers arrayed against us. But the power of sin has been broken. A radical change has taken place in your life. You have been set free from sin. You can live a life that is worthy of the Lord. You can shine in this dark world as stars in the universe as you hold forth the word of life.

Now I'm not suggesting for a moment that we don't need God's power. Quite the contrary, we can do nothing without Him. But the point is that we can put on the whole armor of God and stand. As we read in Ephesians 6:10-13

"Finally, be strong in the Lord
and in his mighty power.
Put on the full armor of God
so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers,
against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground,
and after you have done everything,
to stand."

In 1 Corinthians 10:13 we read,

"And God is faithful;
he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out
so that you can stand up under it."

For my second application,

I want to challenge every Christian—take this teaching seriously and get sin out of your life.

Look at your life. You see some sin there don't you? Why is it there? It shouldn't be there. Why haven't you got rid of it?

What are your sins? Is it anger? Is it a foul tongue? Is it a sexual sin—lustful thoughts? Is it pride? Is it lying, not being absolutely honest?

And I'm not just referring to big sins, but even little ones. What are your sins? Are you one of those people who are putting yourself first—where your wishes and desires are more important than other people's? Is your sin envy? Husband, is it not being considerate or respectful toward your wife? Wife, are you submissive to your husband? Is your sin a sharp tongue where you say things you shouldn't? Is your sin a short fuse? Is your sin greed?

What is your sin? What are your sins? Why are they there in your life? They're not God's fault.

Christian, recognize what you have in Christ and that your old self was crucified with Christ. He has freed you from the tyranny of sin. Say, "No," to sin and temptation and live a life worthy of your Savior.

Thirdly, for Christians,

you should be appreciating God's grace to you.

Consider your union with Christ. How rich this doctrine is. Have you realized all that God has done for you?

We should appreciate what Jesus has done for us in crushing the power of sin. John Murray writes, (Principles of Conduct, p. 221)

"Union with Christ in his death and resurrection is that which achieves the radical breach with the world of sin. Believers died to sin. The body of sin has been destroyed that henceforth they should not serve sin."

Isn't it wonderful that God joined you to Christ and that when Jesus died on the cross your old nature was crucified with Him? Isn't it marvelous that when Jesus rose from the dead you were united with Him and that the implications of that are that you may live a new life?

You're not alone in your struggle against sin. In fact you've been incorporated into the life of Christ. He has broken sin's dominion for you. He has made you a new man.

Christians, appreciate what God has done for you. Rejoice in Jesus. Love Him with everything that is in you.

Lastly, for those of you who are not Christians, you should see from this that sin's dominion over you has not been destroyed. Your body of sin has not been done away with. You are still a slave to sin. Because of all that

you are headed for death.

In verse 21 Paul wrote,

"What benefit did you reap
at that time from the things
you are now ashamed of?
Those things result in death."

Verse 23 tells us that,

"the wages of sin is death…"

You need Jesus. You need Him desperately. If you die right now you'll be lost forever to hell's fires. Don't go there. Go to Jesus now.

• Romans 6:6-7