Faith in Christ Alone

Romans.6:5-14 ESV

Focus: Faith in Christ Alone

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.6 We know that our old self [a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free [b] from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Prayer: Father God thank you for another opportunity that you have allowed us to gather. Thank you for your mercy and grace that has kept us up unitil this moment that we get to hear your words of life through scripture because we know scripture is king. Now let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord my strength and my redeemer amen.

“If we are to survive the atomic age, we must have something to live by, to live on, and to live for. We must stand aside from the world’s conspiracy of fear and hate and grasp once more the great monosyllables of life; faith, hope and love. Men must live by these if they live at all under the crushing weight of history.” _O.P. Kretzmann, D.D.

Paul in the text teaches and gives us something to live by, live on, and to live for... to the contrary some would say there are many things to live by many things to live on, and many things to live for. Today allow the text to impress upon your heart God’s righteousness and His grace. Allowing us to live, defining how we live, why we should live... ultimately moving us to live by faith. It is our faith in Christ alone.

Because of your faith in Christ alone you can live a new life

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.6 We know that our old self [a] was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Point 1- Because of our unity with Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin

For if we have become one with Him [permanently united] in the likeness of His death, we will also certainly be [one with Him and share fully] in the likeness of His resurrection. We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

The power of sin has been broken in those that believe.

Commentator states “Paul does not argue that Christians do not sin at all (a view called sinless perfection); instead, the tyranny, domination, and rule of sin have been defeated for them. This means that the normal pattern of life for Christians should be progressive growth in sanctification, resulting in ever greater maturity and conformity to God’s moral law in thought and action.”

You should consistently be maturing and conforming in your thoughts and actions as a Christian.

What did Christ nail to the cross?

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 up for me.

7 For one who has died has been set free [b] from sin.

Point 2- Sin does not have power over dead people.

Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer captive to sin’s demands!

For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin. You have been set free!

You can be set free!

The people, places, and things you can be free from...

8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Point 3- Dead to sin and Alive to God

In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God.

Jesus died because he took sin upon himself, but his resurrection demonstrates that he has defeated both sin and death. Dead to sin means dead to the pervasive love for and ruling power of sin. Christians must realize the mastery of sin has been broken in their lives.

Colossians 3:3

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

You are no longer exposed to sin, but you are hidden with Christ!

All your frailties, all the brokenness, all your weaknesses, all your poor decisions are hidden... because you died to the power of sin and now you are alive to God!

*I am Alive*
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

14 For sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace.

Point 4- There is freedom in God’s Grace

Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

The tension surfaces here between what God has already accomplished and the responsibility of his people to obey.

Are you willing to obey?

You will still be tempted by desires to sin but do not let those desires gain control. Each day you must give yourself afresh to God.

“Sin will have no dominion over you. This is not a command but a promise that sin will not triumph in the lives of Christians. Because they live in the new era of fulfillment, they are no longer under the old era of redemptive history; that is, they are no longer under law, where the Mosiac law and sin ruled over God’s people. By contrast under grace means living under the new covenant in Christ, in an eracharacterized by grace.”

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Do not even run little errands that relate to that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you have been raised from the dead! —into God’s way of doing things. Sin cannot tell you how to live. You’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in thefreedom of God.

Closing

I've found a Friend, Who is all to me, His love is ever true;
I love to tell how He lifted me
And what His grace can do for you. Saved by His power divine,

Saved to new life sublime!
Life now is sweet and my joy is complete, For I'm saved, saved, saved!