Introduction.(Romans 6:1-7) There are many things that happen to us that totally change our entire lives. When they happen (in spite of how we try to recognize it) we can't really grasp just how our life has been changed. Examples: High School Graduation - Not a child anymore. Now you have adult responsibilities and adult expectations. Marriage - Newlyweds can't imagine just how their life will change. They will never be the same person again. Parenthood - Your relationship with your mate changes, your sense of your place in the world changes (not for yourself - but for the lives you are responsible for).
     This passage describes something much like that. When we are baptized into Christ no “trumpets sound,” we don't see “heaven open” or gain an aura about us, but everything is different. The sixth chapter of the book of Romans speaks to Christians who, perhaps only shortly before the letter was written - or perhaps years before - had obeyed the gospel. Paul through the Holy Spirit explains to them in “hindsight” exactly what changed for them (or at least should have changed) just as it must with us. This morning we will look at this chapter together for a few moments and try to learn what Paul sought to teach the Roman Christians.

I. Shall We Continue in Sin? (Romans 6:1-7).

Notice a few things that the text says happened when we were baptized:

1. We died to sin (vs. 2).
2. We were baptized into His death (vs. 3).
3. We were buried with Him (vs. 4).
4. We have been united together in the likeness of His death (vs. 5).
5. Our “old man” was crucified (vs. 6).
6. We have been freed from sin (vs. 7).

II. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him” (Romans 6:8). This tells us something about the necessity of baptism. Baptism is the way in which we die with Christ. How else can we? We don't die with Christ in prayer. Even our faith alone is not said to allow us to “die with Christ.” When a person puts their faith in Jesus and they repent of their sins and confess Jesus before men in the waters of baptism we are said to have “died with Him.” If we do this we have the hope that “we shall live with Him.” Without it, we can't have that hope.

III. “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all” (Romans 6:9-10a). We sing a song sometimes entitled Jesus Paid it All. The lyrics run: “Gone is all my debt of sin, a great change is wrought within, and to live I now begin, risen from the fall. Yet the debt I could not pay, someone paid for me one day, taking all my sin away. Jesus paid it all.”
     Everyone of us owed to God a debt of sin that was utterly impossible for any of us to pay. God in Christ, though His blood and pain and anguish paid that debt on the cross - “once for all.”

IV. “But the life that He lives, He lives to God.” (Romans 6:10b). Jesus' coming to earth not only accomplished the atonement for our sins but it also set for us an example of true faithfulness. Jesus came to do God's will. He did not live to Himself alone. He lived a life of faithfulness to God. (Hebrews 5:8,9; Philippians 2:5-8). That's the way we must live.

V. “Reckon yourselves to be” (Romans 6:11).

1. “Dead indeed to sin” Note: “Reckon” Gr. logizo sometimes rendered “account,” or “consider.” This is not saying we can't sin, but it is talking about how we should view ourselves. Note: Sin killed us spiritually to begin with. In coming to Christ we just buried that dead body. If that is real in our lives it make no sense for us to “live to sin” any more.
2. “But alive to God.” (cf. Galatians 2:20). A few years ago it was a big trend in the religious world for people to wear these little bracelets that had the initials WWJD (“What Would Jesus Do”). I found it interesting that this was seized upon by environmentalist opposed to the use of SUVs who published their version of WWJD “What would Jesus Drive?”
        For the Christian concern for what Jesus would do is not a trend, a fashion statement or a tool for social action it is the realization that our lives must come to the point that we die to ourselves and live to God! At every turn we decide our steps by what Jesus did.

VI. Do not let sin reign sin shall not have dominion over you (Romans 6:13,14). Note: Sin can “reign” it can “have dominion.” We are reminded of God's words to Cain “sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7). There is an addictive force to sin. If we let it, it can captivate us (Titus 3:3). The Christian must put this to death in our lives.

VII. “But present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead” (Romans 6:13b). Illustration. On August 19^th, 2001, John Beaumont, a 45 year old husband and father of four, went to work like he had every other day and something happened that changed his life. He was in good health, not overweight, he didn't smoke or drink and he got a reasonable amount of exercise. As his car pulled through the intersection a drunk driver raced through the red light and smashed into the side of his car. The next thing he knew it was May of 2002. The trauma of the impact to his head, broken bones, and internal bleeding had put John in a comma for 9 months. The driver died on impact, but John lost 9 months of his life. The rest of his life he would use a cane. Headaches would be a regular occurrence. But all of that mattered very little. In a very real way he was “alive from the dead.”
     From that day forward everything was different. Foods tasted better. He enjoyed his family more. Everything seemed different, because he had been reborn.
     That is how it is with a Christian. We were dead and we have come out of our comma to live again!

VIII. “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:15). Illustration. It is not at all uncommon for young people when they first start out to get themselves into a mountain of trouble by accepting every credit card offer that comes along. In a blink of an eye a couple can find their debts outweigh their income. Imagine finding yourself in such a condition, and a friend or family member takes pity on you and loans, or gives you the money to erase that debt! The problem is solved. Would you then turn around and get more credit cards? That would be foolish.
     In the same way, having been forgiven our debt of sin, what sense does it make to return to the very thing that killed us?

1. “You are not under law but under grace.” This does not mean that we are not subject to any Divine law. The whole point of this chapter is that Christians shouldn't sin. Paul says in 4:15 “where there is no law there is no transgression.” What Paul means here by contrasting law and grace is a contrast between two systems. The old law which led us to understand sin and the new which delivers us from it. Both have obligations. Both teach certain behavior. (Titus 2:11-14).

IX. “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Notice: We “present ourselves” to obey sin. It's no one else's fault. We can't blame Adam, or our parents, our mate, our rough circumstances - we “present ourselves.” Sin is our own choice. (James 1:12-15).

Note further: In baptism a person “presents” themselves as a “slave” of “obedience leading to righteousness.” How can anyone say “it doesn't matter if a Christian sins - once in grace always in grace!” A slave was expected to obey his master. Example: Indentured servitude - poor families would “sell” or “contract” they children to serve a ship captain, master craftsman or landowner. The deal was - do what your told! Do you think a master of an indentured servant would keep a servant that didn't do what he was told?

X. “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.” (Romans 6:17). We must, in coming to Christ “obey from the heart.” God knows the heart. He wants all of us. He will accept no less!

Note: Obedience to Christ is obedience to a “form of doctrine.” This is a doctrine that “deliverers” us from sin.

XI. “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.” (Romans 6:18-21) Have you ever heard people, perhaps even “straight-laced” or “wholesome” people talk about the sins of their past as if they are proud of them? “I used to drink like a fish!” or “I was high so often they used me for a weather balloon!” or “I had so many women I lost count!” If we look at such things as “badges of honor” we aren't seeing things as God does! I'm not saying that we should wallow in self-loathing and guilt but Paul says these things should now make us “ashamed.” There was no fruit from these things - the end of them (had we continued in them) was death!

Illustration. What would you think about someone who did this in matters of physical health? “You know I once took some liquid plumber and drank about half the bottle - it was great!” or “Boy when I was younger I was cutting some wood and I slipped and cut my arm down to the bone - I was quite the man!” You would think they were nuts. It is just the same in spiritual matters.

XII. “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.” (Romans 6:22). Note: In obedience to the gospel we are “set free from sin.” This is also stated in verse seven and verse eighteen. This doesn't mean the true Christian will never stumble to sin. That is not bondage to sin. Bondage occurred when we had no escape - no atonement - no payment to cover it. We are liberated, the point is we must not enslave ourselves again either by service to sin or by forsaking the source of our atonement.

XIII. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord ” (Romans 6:23). Every job that any person ever accepts, at some point you have to discover - What are the wages? You hear people say often - “there just aren't any jobs available!” That's not really accurate - there are jobs, they just don't offer wages that make it profitable. Paul tells us here what the wages are for our service to sin - DEATH! Spiritual death - separation from God - eternal punishment - hell-fire! That's not the kind of income you can live on! We had better seek different employment.

Note: The alternative is not “wages” but a “gift.” Faithfulness is not merit. Obedience is not something that earns eternal life. Following what the Lord says to do is the duty of those who put themselves in His service.