together in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father we thank you Lord so much for your word and it is by your word and as Matt has also said through the singing and the affirmation of our faith lord together along with the preaching of your word that ultimately sanctifies your people lord and we ask that you would do that to us today for those who do not know your son and his wonderful work of redemption lord that you would draw them to faith in him draw us to a deeper understanding of the gospel lord In particular with today's sermon, Lord, I just ask that you would help us to recognize the sinfulness of sin, but also the wonders of your grace, Lord, to save such a sinful people, Lord, and help us to walk in a way that is ultimately worthy and pleasing to you. Help us to understand your grace, Lord, and how it applies to the Christian faith, life, and practice, Lord. Help us to not abuse it. Help us to properly apply it to our life. Help us to properly understand the grace that is found in the gospel, Lord. And help us just live in it, Lord. Help us to recognize that we have died to sin. We ask all these things in Christ's name. Amen. Well, I want us to open up our Bibles together this morning, and I want you all to turn to Romans. Chapter 6 verses 1 through 2 Romans chapter 6 verses 1 through 2 we will also be looking at Romans chapter 5 verse 20 which is just the verse preceding it and Because there is these two verses are very much tied to it, but we will just be looking at Romans chapter 6 verse verses 1 through 2. It's a short set of verses, they have three questions, and it's all about the relationship of sin and grace and how it applies to the Christian faith, life, and practice. And so that's what we're going to be looking at today. But before we jump in, let me just read Romans chapter 6, verses 1 through 2. Hear now the words of the living God. Paul writes, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? by no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? This is the word of the Lord. Well, Paul often anticipates objections and criticisms to the gospel that he proclaims and explains. And in his epistles, especially in the book of Romans, he anticipates these objections and criticisms very well, and Paul almost exclusively does it in the form of questions. By the time Paul writes the book of Romans. He has preached the gospel and interacted with hundreds, if not thousands of people, both Jews and Gentiles alike. And he's received questions about the gospel. People have sought him for clarification. People have objected to the gospel. They have expressed their concerns to him. And so he often understands the ways in which people would misunderstand the gospel, or aspects of the gospel, or aspects of gospel truths. He understands the way in which some people might misapply it, and even distort the gospel that he preaches. And Peter, the Apostle Peter, makes this abundantly clear in 2 Peter 3, verse 16. Peter writes that in Paul's letters, quote, Dear Church, Romans chapter 6 verses 1 through 2 is one of the many places in Romans where Paul anticipates an unfortunate and common twisting of a wonderful, beautiful, and glorious truth about the gospel. We're going to take a look at that this morning. And it's important for us to understand what this twisting is, what this misapplication is, because it's very much aware and present in our generation today, and as I'll submit to us today, it's going to be in every generation where the gospel is faithfully preached. So we're going to take a look at this under, or these two verses under, three headings. The distortion, the rejection, and the explanation. The distortion, the rejection, and explanation. So, beginning with our first heading, the distortion, Paul writes, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? Now, when Paul writes, what shall we say then? He is calling Christians and himself to consider something. He says, what shall we say then? He's calling Christians and himself to think about the implications of something he previously said. And this is where I want us to look at where that something is, and that something is found in Romans chapter 5 verse 20. And there's one section which he is referencing to, and it's this in Romans chapter 5 verse 20, when Paul writes, but where sin increased, grace increased all the more. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Paul's in essence saying, what should we say about this statement? Now, what Paul is saying in Romans 5, verse 20, what he means by, but where sin increased, grace increased all the more, what Paul is saying is that God's grace is greater than all of our sin. That wherever you think sin dwells the most, Wherever you think that the wickedness of sin, the sinfulness of sin, whether it dwells in a person or a group of people or a nation, maybe it was a particular act, that God is still able to override and overpower it, that His light and His grace still has authority and dominion over that, can overcome it. This is what He means by, but where sin increased, grace increased all the more. And I want us to recognize that when Paul writes this in Romans chapter 5 verse 20, he's not just simply writing it because this is sort of some doctrinal truth that he affirms. I want us to understand when he writes this, this is something that's experiential as well for Paul. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 verses 13 through 15, we see this very clearly. Paul writes about his former life. He says, I was a blasphemer, persecutor. an insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. That's what Paul writes about himself. And in this 1st Timothy chapter one, verse 13 through 15, really we see the totality of Paul's sinful and dark estate. And it's abundantly clear, and he uses this threefold expression. We could, if you look at the text, or you could just hear me, but he calls himself a blasphemer. That has to do with his words. He calls himself a persecutor. That deals with his actions. We know that he had blasphemy in Christ. We know that he had sought to imprison Christians. We know that he even was part of the murdering of Christians. He even goes so far as to call himself an insolent opponent. The Greek word translated in our Bible, insolent opponent, is a term used for people that enjoyed with a very great passion to inflict harm on people. So the exact Greek word that's actually used to describe Jesus' treatment of the Romans at his flogging and at his execution. The Romans only hired professional assassins, professional people that would execute crucifixions in scourgings. These are people that enjoyed it. And so when they're placing the crown of thorns on Christ and they're mocking him and spitting him, this is really what is described in this Greek word, insolent opponent. And this was the heart of Paul. So we see here in Paul, just in this text, we have darkness, we have a sinfulness in his word, in his actions, in his heart, and Paul even goes so far to describe himself as the chief of sinners, or a sinner of whom I am the foremost. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, he will even go to say, I'm an apostle, which I'm really the least of which that should be an apostle, okay? So he recognizes the sinfulness of his heart. the darkness of where he was at. However, although Paul's sin increased in thought, word, deed, and in his heart, 1 Timothy is very clear, Paul's own words, that God's grace overflowed. Paul literally makes up a Greek word which means superabounded or overpowered him. God's grace overflowed his heart with a faith and love for Christ. God's grace, which is an act of God, was the instrument whereby his heart and mind were completely and utterly changed. And it was changed with an affection for that which was, his affection changed from that which was something that he hated the most, something that he desired to destroy. Now there was a love for the church. Now there was a love for Christ. And it was something that was only and exclusively by the grace of God. This is what he means by, from not only what he knows about God, but also experientially when he says in Romans chapter five, verse 20, but where sin increased, grace increased all the more. This is something that he believes with all of his heart. However, it is a truth that is often distorted, unfortunately, specifically the understanding of God's grace. And it was common, just like it is today, in Paul's day as well. People wrongly concluded that God's grace allowed them and others to continue to live in an ungodly and sinful lifestyle. And it's the reason why Paul asked in verse one, the second question, are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? Or put another way, what Paul is asking here is, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? I'm going to repeat that again. Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace, his amazing grace? Now, Jesus' half-brother Jude in Jude verse 4 actually speaks of this distortion of God's grace. He says that there are, quote, ungodly people who pervert the grace of God into a license for immorality. So this was common in Paul's day. Jesus' half-brother Jude writes about it. Paul writes about it. You see this sort of litter, this distortion of God's grace all throughout really the New Testament. Well, dear church, what is some application for us just in this verse one? Well, dear church, we ought to expect this distortion of God's grace when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed and explained. It is one of those distortions that will always exist and always be needing of correction by the church. And what do I mean by this? What I mean is this. If we present the gospel and it is truly understood that we are saved by grace apart from works, The question in people who are hearing the gospel, it might say, are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? That question itself is logical from a very sinful nature. In other words, if God takes pleasure, this is for people who are misunderstanding, the logical sort of misunderstanding. If God takes pleasure, one might say, if God takes pleasure in justifying the ungodly, we ought to expect people to ask, why not remain ungodly then? God demonstrates his grace to sinners, we ought to expect people to improperly conclude the way to get more grace is to continue to sin. If all sins are forgiven past, present, and future through faith in Christ, if I have peace with God, then we ought to anticipate the question, then why should I stop sinning? Sort of a natural, logical, sinful implication. And this gets to the other, not only is it logical, but it's also natural. I've mentioned this, but what I mean by this is that by nature, man loves sin. We ought to remember that. It's our natural disposition is bent towards sin. Obedience to God's law, his statute, his commands are unnatural. It's one of the reasons why he commands us so much, right? It's because we're prone to forget, we're prone to wander, to leave the God that we love. You don't tell people to do things that they just do naturally. We are prone to just transgress against God's law. Holiness is difficult and unpleasant for that which is born of flesh. Therefore, when Paul says, where sin increases, grace increased all the more, people think to themselves when they hear this truth, A message says that God loves me unconditionally, that I can do whatever I want and not change my lifestyle, that I can have salvation and my sin, that I could have salvation and not really follow the law. Many people will look at this and say, now you're speaking my language. I like this. because I love my sin, right? That's sort of the aspect. And this happens to both unbelievers and believers alike. Once again, we're prone. I want us to see this distortion. It's both logical, once again just to repeat, it's both logical and it's also natural. However, we Also expect that you know this distortion of grace as I mentioned is also with believers ourselves if we're honest when Christians are tempted the reason why we fall into sin Is maybe because we even understand the gospel we understand God's grace. We understand its depth its breath and its magnitude. And while we might not permanently distort God's grace, there are times in which we will episodically distort God's grace to participate or even excuse sin, right? This is the way believers sort of fall into this trap. So once again, we ought to expect this distortion of God's grace when the gospel is faithfully proclaimed, explained, and understood. But how should we respond to this? How would we respond to these objections and do it so in a loving and kind way? Is it something major? Or is it something minor? Well, let's move to our next heading, the rejection. Look at Paul's answer to the distortion of God's grace. Paul simply writes, what does he write? By no means. by no means. Now, in the Greek, it's actually two words, not three words, but in these two words, in the Greek, it's a strong denial. It's one of the strongest denials that one could express in the Koine Greek. It's a negation. Many people have translated Paul's negation here, his rejection of this distortion of God's grace in the following ways. Let it not be is one translation. Another translation is, let it be unthinkable. Another one is, it should not even be suggested. And in one translation, I believe this is the King James Version, it just simply says, God forbid. So this is a strong negation here. How we should react as Christians, as the body of Christ, to this distortion of God's grace. Dear church, there are two things that we can learn from Paul's rejection. The first thing we learn is this, that if someone concludes that the grace of God is a license for sin, they have not yet begun to understand really God's work of salvation, His grace. There was a season in my life where I took care of my little brother for quite a long time. It was just me and him, and I dressed him up early in the morning, and I was helping him become a young man at one point. And I think many parents here would relate to this, but since I was really operating for a period as his both mom and dad, I would often tell him things to do. Hey. He threw out the trash, or, hey, can you do this? Make sure to do this, this, this, this, this, this, and that. And then when I'd come home and I'd come look, I would be like, you just did the complete opposite, right? And so you start questioning to yourself, like, he completely didn't understand what I was saying. I mean, he completely went through one ear, out the other, right? And so in a similar way, When someone hears about the grace of God and goes, hey, I could continue on sinning, or I could have my sin and my salvation at the same time. Once again, this twisting. It's proper to conclude that there's just somebody who has not properly understood. There's more explanation that's needed. We should be graceful to those people as well in understanding this, and if we're Christians ourself, we ought to be convicted to even believe this. They don't understand the way to sin. We might not also as well. We might not understand the way or properly understand the way and purpose of salvation. We might also not truly understand the purpose of grace. Our second point of application with this rejection is that the same text that is used to twist the purpose of God's grace is the same text that sets it straight. And I want us to look again at Romans chapter 5 verse 20 again. Romans chapter 5 verse 20 again. We're going to look at sort of this in its entirety. Paul writes, Now the law came to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned In death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life and through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And for those who are looking at Romans chapter five, verse 20, I want us to really hone in on a key word, which is reign. Yes, it is true that wherever sin increases, grace will increase all the more. However, it is also true that wherever grace increases, so also will it reign. So also will it reign particularly over sin itself. Will reign over the darkness. God's grace here, what Paul's sort of portraying for us is that grace is portrayed somewhat like a king that has conquered and vanquished his enemy, which is sin and death. And actually leads us into paths of righteousness. leads us in a sort of way in which we should walk. So when we think about grace, grace not only saves us, it's not only an act, but it is also a work of God by which he will reign in the life of a believer. Wherever God's grace abounds, there he also reigns. Therefore, if we properly understand Paul, grace came to reign over sin in us, not to advance it. Grace came to reign over sin in us, not to advance us. And I believe, dear saints, one of the most powerful illustrations of this is in an interview with Joni Eareckson Tada. Joni Eareckson Tada, at the age of 17, was swimming with some friends and dove into a river, and it was a pretty shallow area, and she dove head first, broke her neck. She was paralyzed from the neck down and she's still alive today. And I believe now she may be in her 60s or 70s, but she has been a paraplegic her whole life. She cannot feel, she cannot walk or move from her neck down. And she has struggled with this disability, this injury that has really plagued her her whole life, but she was a very, very devout Christian. And it's wonderful to sort of listen to her interviews and the way that she talks, the way that she acts. the way that she thinks, it's amazing. But in an interview with her, the radio host asked her, so what do you look forward to the most in heaven? So what do you look forward to the most in heaven? And the radio host was really stunned, and I think everybody who listens to this interview, her response was that I won't sin anymore. that I won't sin anymore. It's convicting. Because you would think her answer would be, I can't wait to experience to walk, to run, or to feel. But rather it was, so that way I don't have to sin against my Savior anymore. That's what she longs for in heaven. Not only to be with her Savior, but also that she will no longer offend him in thought, word, and deed. Brothers and sisters, I think that's Convicting, wonderful, true illustration of the grace of God not only saving Joni, but also reigning in her life. Dear church, the disposition of the one saved by the grace of God is not to continue to sin, but to thirst for a day, and we will sin no more against our Lord. The desire to kill and make a practice of sin, Paul says, can very well be an indicator, a litmus test of your spiritual state, whether you're saved or not, or your spiritual health. I want us to listen to 1 John chapter three. Apostle John writes, everyone who makes a practice of sin also practices lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins. "'And in him there is no sin. "'No one who abides in him keeps on sinning. "'No one who keeps on sinning "'has either seen him or knows him. "'Little children, let no one deceive you. "'Whoever practices righteousness is righteousness, "'as he is righteous. "'And whoever makes practice of sinning is of the devil. "'The devil has been sinning from the beginning.'" It's interesting how the Apostle John sort of portrays Christ, righteous living, Satan, the practice of sinning, right? So there's this sort of bifurcation of two separate lives. And if we belong to Christ, this is the way that we ought to live in terms of practicing, practicing righteousness and practicing wickedness of the devil. This is what the Apostle John is saying. So therefore, dear friends, do we thirst for a day that we are set free from sin? Do we thirst for righteousness? Do we seek the kingdom of God? Are we sorrowful over our sin? Do we repent of our sin? Do we confess our sin? Both confessions is a wonderful way. It's one of the means by which we rage war with sin in our lives. Confession. The Christian is one that is saved by faith alone. However, it is not a faith that is alone, as Martin Luther said. Now moving to our final heading, the explanation, look at what Paul writes in the second half of verse two. Paul here gives a deeper explanation for why grace reigns in the Christian. He writes, how can we who died to sin still live in it? It's another question. How can we who died to sin still live in it? Point of clarification, what Paul does not mean is that when you come to faith in Christ, you will never sin. Nor does he mean that we won't backslide at times in our life. Or pick up old or new sinful habits. There's a war that's raging in. Neither does he mean that in the Christian life there won't be any temptations. So we will be tempted. We will fall into sin. We know this is true, once again, simply because of experience itself, right? Christians every day fall into different types of sin. But what does Paul mean? What Paul means is that the moment of your conversion, your status and relationship with sin received a death blow. It was something in your nature that truly changed your affection, your heart. And, you know, we often here this word used this term, we see it in Paul's writing, it's one of the reasons why we use it, there's this term called justification. And it was a word used in the Greek world, especially in Jesus's day, and it was used in the Roman court of law. And we know that when Paul uses it in his epistles, when he uses it, especially in Romans, what he's talking about is the moment where an individual is declared righteous, in the court of law. That which he was accused of, his sin, the punishment that he would receive, he looks at all the evidence before a Roman court of law and would declare him righteous. This is what this idea of justification means. However, it often means, and sometimes Paul uses it in this way also, it means to set free or to be relieved of something. This is the way Paul uses it later in Romans chapter 6. And it really just means simply to be set free of. And in antiquity, especially in Mexico, for those countries that have adopted what is called Roman law, many of them on the tombstones of those who would face the death penalty by the state. On the tombstones of those individuals, you will see this phrase justified out of or justified from, especially with those who were executed. On the tombstones of some graveyards, you would read, so-and-so was justified at 5 p.m. And just to be clear, the family didn't put that, and they were saying he became a Christian at 5 p.m., right? But what the state was doing would say, rather that the state wrote in a document that at his justification, that was his time and the moment that he died, the moment that he was set free from the penalty and punishment of this world, his obligations to the law. And so even if you go to Mexico and you see even tombstones, you will see, you know, justified in Spanish. And these are for some countries who adopted Roman law. I think you could see this in some of the older gravestones in Scotland or in Europe. But you will see this idea of justification, this idea of being set free. And this is what Paul means when he says that you have died to sin. Grace reigns now, not sin. You have actually been set free from something. Faith in Christ is the death blow to the penalty of sin. You've been set free. Faith in Christ is the death blow to the power of sin. You have been set free. Faith in Christ is the death of our relationship with sin itself. By faith, we are not only in Christ, but Christ is also in us, and he is ruling and reigning. This is what we call the union with Christ. our union with Christ. He is ruling and reigning in our hearts. He is conforming us more and more into the image and likeness of himself. The Christian is what we would call, as good Presbyterians, dying more and more unto sin and living more and more unto righteousness, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism would say. And a good image of this, dear saints, I want us to sort of picture this here. Sin in the Christian dies a death very much like a rose left in a vase. Sin dies in the Christian life very much like a rose left in a vase. And I remember one time writing up a sermon, doing maybe some seminary work, and I had bought flowers for my wife, and they were sitting on the table, and at one point, it was alive. They were vibrant. They were, once looked really, really pretty. But, second after second, minute by minute, Day by day, week by week, there's a slow decay of that which was once alive. And you could even argue that once you snip a certain rose, the death has already begun. It's just a matter of time until you finally see the thing die and dry out. That is what the death of sin looks like in the life of the believer. Grace reigns in us. to what Paul means in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, I have been crucified, when he says, I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, and I love this last statement, who loved me and gave himself for me. It's one of the only times in the New Testament where the Apostle Paul really makes it personal for himself. It wasn't just that he died for the world, which is completely true, praise the Lord, But here, Apostle Paul takes a personal spin on it and says, no, no, no, the Lord Jesus Christ died for me. He lives in me. I am no longer living of my own fleshly nature, but is actually Him in the Spirit of God who rules and reigns in my heart. Christ died for me. I have been crucified with Him. These are particular truths of the Christian life which we should cherish. Dear Church, the truth that the Christian has died to sin is not merely about behavior, but also identity. There are many people that call themselves Christian, which is fine, that means follower of Christ, but I've been pretty convinced of this, that the Apostle Paul were to say, So what are you? What religion do you follow? He could use Christian, but I think in the most particular sense, in a specific sense, he would say, I am one that is united to Christ. That's a lot of his language. He would say things, I have died to sin. I have been crucified with Christ. I am united to Christ. I am set free by the power and penalty of sin. And yes, all that is wrapped up in the term Christian, but there's a deeper identity that the Christian should have. There's a state that you're in. We should think and operate in those ways as well. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, he's a professor actually at my seminary, Matt's seminary, and he gives a wonderful illustration about identifying with your death to sin. He gives a great powerful explanation of the Christians, how the way we should relate to sin. And Dr. Ferguson, He comes from Scotland, so he's not American, but he says, say I became an American citizen, and sometime in the future, the Queen commands me to come back and fight for the United Kingdom. He continues, since I am now an American citizen, I can always respond back. Dear Lizzie, thank you for writing me, but I am no longer a citizen of Scotland. You have no dominion over me. I do not live under the reign anymore of the United Kingdom or your reign. I am now an American. And that is exactly how the Christian should respond to sin. and our relationship with it, our identification with it. Dear Christian, in the same way, this should be the response to the world, the flesh, and the devil when they come tempting us. It is especially important for those that are maybe marked and haunted by their sin. Maybe some of us have fallen to wicked sin, have hurt people. Maybe it marks you and it sort of carried around with you. I'm here to tell you this morning that your sin does not define who you are, Christ does. and your union with Him. You are not your sin because you have died to Christ. You have died with Him. You are a new creature, a new man, a new woman. You are pardoned. You are declared righteous. You are united to Christ. You are now in a different state. Dying to sin also means something else as well, especially for our culture today with identification. We should do this with grace and love, right? No sin should work as an adjective to describe the Christian. In other words, there's no such thing as a greedy Christian, or a racist Christian, or an adulterous Christian, or a gay Christian, or these sort of identification markers that the Christian Him and herself lives a completely new life who strives and fights to obey the God that they love, the one who died for them. And once again, the reason is because a Christian has died to sin. Dear Christian, we are not only saved, but we are being saved, conformed more and more to the image and likeness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So what shall we say to these things? Dear saints, this distortion of God's grace, that we should live in it. I pray that our answer would be by no means. Jesus Christ lives in me and died for me and he reigns in me. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word. Lord, help us to feel the sinfulness of sin But also, because your grace abounds all the more, help us feel the weight and glory and majesty, Lord, of your grace, your act to save us. Lord, help us to be in your word, Lord, to worship on the Sabbath, to be attached to your vine, And we place our faith, Lord, knowing that through those means and those means only, those common, ordinary means of grace, Lord, that you are sanctifying us day by day more and more to the image of your Son, Lord. Lord, I pray that this text would convict us, would convict me, and we would just be reminded that truly that you did die, that you do reign in us, Lord, that we are truly united to you, Lord. Help us just wonder and marvel at the truth of your person and work, and your work of redemption. And we say all these things in Christ's name. Amen.