week 13 day 4

Romans 6

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%206&version=NIV


6:1–2 Paul was forced to answer the criticism already mentioned (3:8) that Christians did not bother keeping rules (6:1). This criticism came primarily from Jewish Christians who wondered what would happen to people who claimed freedom from the law. But Paul moved the issue away from law-keeping to the Christian’s new nature, in this case, his death to sin (6:2–3). The words “died to sin” (6:2) indicate that those who have believed in Christ have been separated from the ruling power of sin. Sin is no longer the master of one who has given his allegiance to Christ. Thus, the answer to the question in 6:1 is “By no means!”

6:3–4 Paul used the imagery of baptism to illustrate the vital union that the believer has with Christ. The Greek word for “baptize” was used in the dyeing trade for dipping cloth into dye. This dipping process brought about a change in the cloth’s color and identity. Christian baptism also brings a change in identity—an identification with a new community.

Paul used baptism as a picture of the believer’s change in identity—separated from the old life in Adam and united with Christ. The words “baptized into Jesus Christ” mean identified and united with Christ. This begins to explain more fully the believer’s solid link with Christ as opposed to Adam. It was man’s link to Adam, not to the Law of Moses, that was fatal. Therefore, it was man’s link to Christ, not to the Law of Moses, that would bring redemption. This is all based on the implications of chapter 5 for those who are in Christ rather than in Adam. Two rules (5:17, 21), the rule of death in Adam and the rule of grace in Christ, are in view.
Paul returned to the question regarding law for the justified (6:4; “live”). The Christian’s walk is not defined by any particular set of laws but by conformity to the resurrected life of Christ. Conformity to a law code has been replaced with conformity to Christ’s death and resurrection.

6:5–11 The function of this section is to clarify 6:3–4 by the example of Christ. This also relates back to Romans 5 and the believer’s links to Adam and Christ. Paul continues to deal with the criticism that Christians can continue in sin in order to enjoy more and more grace (6:1). The issue here is conformity to Christ, not only in his resurrection power, but in the purpose of his death—to do away with servitude to sin (6:5–6). The believer’s union with Christ in his death is designed to free him from sin’s mastery. The term “old self” (6:6) refers to the unregenerate person, the condition of the human race in Adam before having faith in Christ.
The words “so that the body of sin might be done away with” (6:6) refers to the physical body as conditioned and controlled by sin. Paul concludes his first words on sin and the believer by reinforcing the model of Christ (6:10)—dead to sin, alive to God (6:10–11). The word “count” (6:11) is a mathematician’s term and means to add up or calculate. Paul is saying, Add up the facts and live accordingly.

6:12–14 Paul’s use of “obeyl” (6:12) continues the topic’s discussion from 5:17, 21. Two reigns are in view—the reigns of sin and grace. Although sin can plague all believers, they are to consider themselves dead to sin and choose to walk in the reign of resurrection grace rather than the reign of Adamic death. Reign equals obedience to the call of either sin or grace. It is the presentation of oneself (cf. 12:1) in response to one or the other.

The entire Christian life is a response to one reign or the other. Paul implies that sin has been reigning over the physical bodies of believers. Now he says, Stop! Don’t place your physical body at the disposal of sin. Rather, present yourselves to God for his service.

Compare 6:14 with 5:21. Romans 6:14 shows that the believer has already been judged a perfect person in Christ; therefore, questions of law-keeping are not relevant. Paul is trying to keep a careful balance between affirming the Christian’s completed righteousness by faith in Christ and the expectation that a believer will live a holy life, not in order to get righteous before God, but because he is already righteous.

“Not under law” (6:14) means believers are not alone and faced with the insurmountable mountain of keeping God’s law. Paul puts it another way in 8:15. There is no fear of condemnation. Being subject to the law in this sense is to be liable to God’s retribution in a final sense of eternal wrath.

6:15–23 Triggered by his statement that believers are not subject to the law (6:14), Paul continued to assert both the righteousness of believers and their absolute mandate to live holy lives. Paul’s critics assumed that those who were under grace alone would have no standard for behavior. They claimed it was the law that was the motivation to obedience. But Paul showed that those justified by faith were motivated to love and obey God by grace, not the law. Paul came to the conclusion that believers do not need the law to love righteousness. The lives of believers in Christ are not determined by the limited provisions and resources of the “law,” but rather by the redeeming and renewing resources of “grace.”

The believer, not under the threat of condemnation for failure, is enabled to obey God from the inside (6:17). It is in that internal sense that the believer becomes a slave to righteousness (6:18). Paul appealed to a familiar principle: you are a slave to the one you serve. People are either slaves to sin resulting in death, or slaves to righteousness resulting in life.

Paul continued by showing the consequences of being enslaved by either sin or righteousness (6:19–23). Paul showed that true believers are not lawless. Actually, their slavery to Christ results in sanctification. Paul’s illustration of the two types of presentation (“slaves,” 6:19) needs to be taken seriously. Little more than this (6:23) can be said once salvation by faith has been elaborated. Verse 6:23 contains a fundamental law of God’s moral universe. Sin ends in death, and grace ends in eternal life. Death is earned as a consequence of sin; eternal life is received as free and unmerited favor.

Discussion question

What motivates you to live a good life?

Reflection question

Where do you need to be dead to sin but alive to God?

Scripture meditation – Today reflect, meditate and memorize verse 23