Please join me this morning by turning in your Bibles to Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six. We've been studying the book of Romans together and seeing that Paul's letter to the Roman Christians lays out for us God's gospel, which takes us on a journey from guilt to grace, to gratitude. Chapters 1 through 3 lay out for us the dark truth that we are all sinners and in our natural spiritual condition we stand guilty before a holy God. Chapters 4 through 11 walk us through the good news. of God's grace to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ, explaining how that by faith in Jesus alone we can be justified, we can be made right with God and forgiven of all our sins. And then we'll see in chapters 12 through 16 how we should respond to God's grace to us in the gospel of Christ, by living a life of gratitude and joyful service to our God and Savior. So in Romans we see God's gospel taking us from guilt to grace to gratitude. Here in Romans chapter 6 then we are squarely in the grace portion of this letter. In chapter 4, using the historical example of Abraham, we were reminded of God's plan of salvation and justification, that it has always and only ever been by faith in God and His promise, not according to human works or merit or effort. We're not saved by our works. We're not saved by law keeping. We're not saved by good deeds. We are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. And so the very first verse of chapter 5 summarizes well the message of chapter 4. Look at Romans chapter 5 verse 1. having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ aren't you grateful for that this morning we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ this peace is ours for the taking by faith and by faith alone in chapter 5 then we see the truth of the two atoms The two Adams and their representative acts on behalf of others. The first Adam was, of course, Adam in the Garden of Eden, failing to obey God, failing to do as God commanded, and falling into sin, and causing the whole of humanity to fall into sin along with Him, as He represented us in the garden, represented humanity, represented all image bearers in the garden. That was the first Adam. The first Adam failed. The second Adam was, of course, Jesus. whose righteous life and sacrificial death on the cross brought salvation and justification to all who will look upon Him in faith, trusting in Him alone for salvation. Adam and Jesus, the two Adams, if you will, the two representatives, the two champions who represent us, serve as spiritual representatives of two different groups of humanity. The lost who are in Adam and the saved who are in Jesus Christ. just as Goliath and David represented their respective groups of either Philistines or Israelites, tying their actions and either their victory or defeat to the people they represented, so Adam and Jesus serve as the representatives of two different spiritual groups, those who are in Adam and those who are in Jesus Christ. This spiritual representation, we said, was called federal headship. Remember that? It's been a few weeks. Federal headship with Adam and Jesus acting as federal heads, spiritual representatives for two different groups of humanity. Look at Romans 5.19, where we see this clearly. Romans 5.19, for as through one man's disobedience, who's the one man? Adam. The many were made sinners. Even so, through the obedience of the one, who's the one? Jesus. The many will be made righteous. So there are only two people who can represent you spiritually. either Adam or Jesus. Only two options available to us today. Adam is our default representative. We are all naturally in Adam from the point of conception. We are all born sinners, born guilty before God because of our spiritual association in Adam. Those who are born in Adam will die in Adam. Will receive condemnation and the just wrath of God in hell for all eternity. But those who by faith have Jesus as their representative, they receive justification and forgiveness of sins and eternal life. There are only two options for all of humanity then. Either you are in Adam or you are in Jesus. Either Adam is your spiritual representative by default, or by faith, Jesus is your spiritual representative. Either Adam is your representative in the garden, in his failure, and in his sin, and in his guilt, or Jesus is your representative in his righteousness and perfection and glory. There is no third option. Spiritually speaking, there are only two teams you can be on. You're either on Team Adam or Team Jesus. Which is it for you today? Where are you spiritually? Are you on Team Adam or Team Jesus? Team Adam is the default. Do nothing, and you're spiritually in Adam, guilty and headed for God's judgment. But there is another option. Trust in Jesus, be made right through faith in Him, and find forgiveness and eternal life. As great as our sin is before God, God's grace is greater. Amen? And that's where chapter 5 ends with the super abounding grace of God that covers over all our sins. As deep and wide as our sin may be, God's grace is deeper and wider still. Super abounding, even to the chief of sinners, the Apostle Paul. Look with me at Romans chapter 5 verse 20 and 21. Paul says the law came in, the law of Moses, so that the transgression would increase. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now that brings us up to speed with where we are today in chapter 6. And it's an important context to get right, to correctly understand where Paul is gonna take us next. Because this issue of being an Adam, or being in Christ, has incredibly important implications and applications for us today, and how we live. So look with me at Romans chapter six, and I'll read verses one through seven. The Apostle Paul, continuing to write, says, What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin." This is the Word of God. Thanks be to God for his word. Let's pray together. Lord God, this is such an important passage. We wanna get it right. We wanna understand it rightly. It's important for us to know who we are in Christ. The new realities, the new realm, the new rule in which we live. Thank you, Jesus. for providing the way through your substitutionary, sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection. Thank you for the new realm we have been ushered into as a result of your victory. Help us to see how we have been ushered into an utterly new reality. with respect to sin. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. In verse 1 of chapter 6, Paul is taking up a kind of hypothetical argument. He's anticipating objections on the part of his readers. And perhaps he's heard these very objections before as he has been preaching the grace of God in salvation. He's anticipating possible misunderstandings of what he's been laying out. And so Paul begins this portion of the letter by asking a question. What shall we say then? How should we respond to this? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? Now remember, back in chapter 5 and verse 20, Paul has just talked about the superabounding grace of God that far exceeds all our sin. Hallelujah, what a great truth. And so Paul, as a good defender of God's truth, anticipates a certain kind of twisted logic that might come from some. Maybe there's some smart alecks out there. who say, oh, well, if a couple of pills are good for me and make me feel better, maybe I'll take the whole bottle. Is that how it works? No. There's a twisted logic there, and there's a twisted logic here. If God's grace superabounds in the face of sin, wouldn't sinning more result in even greater amounts of superabounding grace, and presumably, therefore, God will get more glory? God is glorified when I sin. Is that how it works? No, man, you're taking the whole bottle. That's foolishness. That's not how it works. But Paul anticipates this and he wants to give it a good answer. If God's grace is like a diamond, and the beauty of that diamond is seen clearest against the backdrop of the dark cloth of our sin, Then won't that beauty be even more clearly displayed if we take that diamond and plunge it into a vat of black tar? Will that make the diamond more beautiful? No. It doesn't work like that. The diamond's beauty will not be enhanced, but rather obscured. That's not what we do with diamonds. We don't throw diamonds in vats of black tar. No, we treat them carefully for they are precious. We put diamonds in delicate settings designed to show their brilliance. And so it is with God's grace. We don't pretend that somehow living a life of unrepentant sin will put God's grace on display in our lives in greater ways. No, we treasure God's grace. We protect God's grace. And so this is the question and the issue that Paul begins chapter six with. If God's grace is greater than all our sin, why can't we live lives of greater and greater sin? And I believe Paul responds to this question this morning with four answers. So we're gonna see this morning four reasons genuine Christians won't use God's grace as an excuse for sin. Four reasons genuine Christians won't use God's grace as an excuse for sin. Here's the first reason. We won't use God's grace as an excuse for sin. Because we have died to sin. Verses 1 and 2. Look with me. Romans 6, 1 and 2. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? May it never be. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Paul answers this twisted logic in the strongest of terms. May it never be. We saw this same strong answer from Paul in chapter 3, where three times he anticipated questions from his audience, answering them firmly. May it never be. May it never be. May it never be. Paul will use this phrase, may it never be, 10 times in total in the book of Romans. It's one of the strongest expressions of denial that could be made. May it never be. We might say it this way, not on your life. No way, Jose. Where's Pepe? Forget about it. Yeah, right. What, are you nuts or something? May it never be. Why is Paul so insistent on denying the idea that sinning more will somehow make God's grace even greater? Why is he dismissing this question as a legitimate way of thinking or living? The answer comes in the second part of verse two. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Paul is delivering some vital truth here to the Christian in verse two. The Christian has died to sin. This is the reality for us as believers who are in Christ. If you're a Christian, you have died to sin. Bank on it. Count on it. Believe it. Live it. This is the reality. You have a fundamentally new orientation and relationship to sin than you did before when you were still in your unbelief in Adam. Now that you are by faith in Christ, you are, by the authority of God and His Word, dead to sin. Before, in Adam, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, but now in Christ, you are dead to sin. Do you see the difference? before you were dead in your trespasses and sins, and now you are dead to sin. That's a world of difference. There's been an amazing, ground-shifting, transforming change in you as a Christian. You are now dead to sin. And this new reality has some significant implications for living, as you might expect. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? So what does Paul mean when he asks, how shall we who died to sin still live in it? To live in sin is to live in an unbroken pattern of sin. It is to live a lifestyle of sin in which there is neither concern nor conviction over your sin. Paul is talking about a life that is characterized by the habitual practice of sin. It is the idea of continuing in sin, remaining in sin, wallowing in sin, rejoicing in sin, without remorse and without repentance. This rhetorical question, is prompted by the indicative reality of our new relationship as Christians with respect to sin. As Christians, we are now dead to sin. This is part of our new identity in Christ. We are dead, dead, dead to sin. Now what does it mean that we're dead to sin? It's a good question. It means that we are dead to its demands. Dead to its rule in our lives. It means that we are dead to sin's power to rule over us as our master. It does not mean that we're never tempted to sin. It does not mean that we never sin as Christians. Because I got a whole room of witnesses here who can testify to the ongoing struggle the believer has with sin. What it does mean is that sin is no longer your ruler. Sin is no longer leading you around by the nose as your master. My family has a dog. Did you know that? I don't think I've ever talked about my dog in a sermon. You're going to get a dog story this morning. It might not be a happy one. My dog's name is Daisy. Collective awe. She is a 12-year-old terrier mix, which is a nice way of saying she's a bit of a mutt. I got her from the pound. And as my family knows, I'm very fond of reminding her, Daisy, I saved your life. I am Daisy's master. She knows that I am the alpha dog in this relationship. When I say, Daisy, night-night, she runs into her kennel. When I say, Daisy, come, She comes, usually. Had to take her to the vet. She knew something was up. They know, right? You can't hide these things. When I say come, she comes. She obeys my voice because I am her master. Now Daisy is an old lady, we like to say. She is 12 and that means she won't live a whole lot longer. Don't tell my kids. But on that day, when Daisy dies, and she makes the trip over the rainbow bridge or whatever you call it, do you think on that day, when she dies, she'll still obey my commands? Good job, class. No, she won't. She'll be dead. I told you it wasn't a happy story. She's still alive, but the day is coming, right? You have to face reality. On that day, if I say, Daisy, come, she will not do what I say. I will no longer be her master. Our relationship will have changed. She will no longer be able to fulfill my commands our relationship will fundamentally change shall be unresponsive to my demands no longer obeying what I say now this is what Paul is getting at here as Christians we have died to sin we are no longer sins lapdog Doing whatever it says. Going wherever it leads. Our fundamental relationship in reference to sin has changed drastically in Christ. Where formerly sin was our master and we obeyed its commands, now we are dead to sin. And sin no longer has power to command us, power to rule us, power to control us. And because that is true, the genuine Christian will not live a consistent lifestyle of persistent, unrepentant sin. A professing Christian who lives a lifestyle of persistent, unrepentant sin has reason to question whether or not they are really dead to sin. And therefore, they have reason to question whether or not they are really in Christ. That's the first reason. Second reason, not only because we are dead to sin, secondly, because we have been united with Christ in His death, in His burial, and in His resurrection. Verse three, Paul here is building on what he has just said about the Christian's new relationship with reference to sin, that we are dead to sin. Or do you not know, verse 3, that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Paul asked the rhetorical question about their knowledge. Or do you not know? More literally it would be, or are you ignorant? I like the more direct approach. Are you ignorant? This is something they probably do know. At the very least, it's something they probably should know. Know what? That all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death. Now, Paul mentions baptism here, and he'll mention it again in verse four. And this has been confusing for many. Now, Paul is not trying to lay out here his whole theology of baptism. That's not his point. But it is important to understand what Paul means by being baptized into Christ and into his death and burial and resurrection. What kind of baptism is Paul talking about here? Is he talking about water baptism? Or is he talking about spirit baptism? I used to think Paul was talking about spirit baptism here. Paul was talking about the moment of salvation when the Spirit of God comes and takes up residence in us and places us into the body of Christ, the church. And that is a possible way of reading these verses. But as I have studied this passage, I don't think there is any compelling reason to understand this as merely spirit baptism. I think Paul is talking here about water baptism. The public confession of faith and public identification with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection as symbolized through the act of being immersed in water. Under normal circumstances, baptism was viewed by the early church as being part of what it means to be a Christian. The idea of an adult Unbaptized Christian would be a contradiction in terms. They didn't have a category for that. New Testament scholar James Dunn has observed that the early church viewed faith, repentance, the gift of the Spirit, and water baptism as one unified package which he calls conversion initiation. Part of becoming a Christian, it's all kind of, it's a package deal. It all goes together. You don't really get some of it, but not all of it. It was all part and parcel of being a Christian, and water baptism was included in that. So baptism here is being used by Paul as a kind of summary term for being a Christian. For conversion. Paul is using baptism here as a kind of shorthand for conversion. It's not that water baptism made you a Christian, because we know that's not true. For water baptism, like circumcision, could never save anyone. And that was Paul's whole point back in chapter 4, in his discussion of circumcision and Abraham. Abraham wasn't saved by his circumcision any more than anyone is ever saved by their baptism. Rather, water baptism serves as a very visible identifier of a person who's already professed faith in Christ, repented of their sins, received the Holy Spirit, and so on. Furthermore, Paul uses water baptism here as shorthand for conversion, because water baptism graphically portrays our spiritual union with Christ in His death, in His burial, and in His resurrection, which is central to Paul's argument as it relates to our being dead to sin. Some pastors will even quote from this passage as they say, as they are baptizing someone they may say this, buried in the likeness of his death, raised to walk in newness of life. So Paul is arguing here that the believer is dead to sin because he or she has been baptized into Christ Jesus and therefore baptized into his death. The Christian is spiritually united to Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation, the moment of faith. This spiritual union includes our being united with Jesus in his death on the cross. Whereas before we were united with Adam in his sin in the garden, now we're united with Christ in his death on the cross. This spiritual union with Christ and His death is visibly illustrated in our immersion in the waters of baptism. So our death to sin, this fundamentally new relationship we have to sin, our death to sin is bound up in our spiritual union with Christ in His death. Because Christ died, we have died. And this death in Christ is a death to sin and its mastery over us. The power of sin to rule us has been broken at the cross. For we have died with Christ. Therefore, we will not live in a pattern of persistent, unrepentant sin, presuming upon the grace of God. Third reason, because our old self, our old man in Adam has been crucified and our new self in Christ has been raised to walk in newness of life. Verses four through six. The fullness of the good news of the gospel is not only do we share in Christ's death, but hallelujah, we also share in Christ's resurrection. Not only are we spiritually united with Christ in His death, but we are spiritually united with Christ in His resurrection. Look with me at Romans 6, 4. Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. for if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin spiritual union with Christ means that we are united with him in both his death and his resurrection That is the point of verses four and five. And just as our spiritual union with Christ in his death resulted in our being made dead to sin, so our union with Christ in his resurrection has made us a new creation, able to walk now in newness of life, in resurrection life, with resurrection power attending us. Look at verse six. Knowing this, brothers and sisters, it's important that we know this. Amen? Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. What is he talking about our old self? Some people say he's talking about our old nature. I don't think he's talking about natures here. He's talking about our old self in Adam. How did we get from being in Adam to being in Christ? We died with Christ. And we were resurrected with Christ. Into Christ. Into the realm of Christ. Away from the realm of Adam, and sin, and guilt, and fear, and shame, and condemnation, and divine judgment. And into the realm of grace, and mercy, and forgiveness, and justification, and righteousness, and eternal life. Our old self is our old self in Adam. And that old self was crucified with Christ. In order that, our body of sin might be done away. Our old self in Adam, which was under the mastery of sin, was done away with, was crucified, is dead and gone. Paul's language here is positional. and forensic. Paul is explaining that by God's declaration on the basis of faith, we have been spiritually united to Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. A spiritual union vividly pictured in water baptism. This spiritual union with Christ means that we are no longer united to Adam in his sin and failure and guilt and shame and condemnation. Our old self in Adam was crucified with Christ and our new self in Christ was raised up to walk in newness of life. A new way of living. A new way of living that is not lived in slavery to sin. Paul is talking here about a radical regime change that has taken place in the believer's life. We've been delivered from the realm of Adam to the realm of Christ. Therefore, we live differently than we did before. We live in the newness of life, the newness of life that has come to us as a result of being united with Christ in His resurrection power and glory. 2 Corinthians 5.17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. There's a new sheriff in town. There's a new regime that we're living under. There's a new rule. We are dead to sin and alive to Christ. Fourth and final reason, because we are no longer slaves of sin. The end of verse six through verse seven. Again, verse six, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of our sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin. Our old self in Adam was crucified. in order that our old way of living might be done away with. So that we would no longer be slaves to sin. That is what we were. Slaves to sin. Obedient to our master's commands. But no longer. The power of sin to command us and demand our obedience has been killed. Our old self in Adam was a slave to sin, but that person is dead. Amen? That person is dead. The slave is dead. And he who has died is freed from their former life of slavery. Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty we are free at last. So it is for us as Christians, spiritually united in Christ's death, burial and resurrection. We won't live a lifestyle of persistent, unrepentant sin, because we are no longer slaves to sin. We are free. freed from sin's mastery, freed from sin's life-dominating power, freed from sin's cruel control over us. Yes, sin still tempts us. Yes, we are tempted to walk down old paths of sin and disobedience. Yes, we are tempted at times to live in the old neighborhood, according to the old life, with the old friends. But we must remember, we must know that the old man in Adam is dead and he has no claim to us, no rule over us. We have a new radical relationship with reference to sin. Sin is no longer our master who can command us at will. In Christ we are now dead to sin and our old man in Adam is dead. This is vital in the fight with temptation, is it not? We have to get our heads screwed on straight. We have to understand what is our identity? What is our standing? What is our relationship with reference to sin and temptation? We are dead to it. We don't have the same relationship that we had with it before. It can no longer command us. It can no longer make demands of us. We are united with Christ in his resurrection, and we have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life. Believer, you never have to sin. Right? You never have to sin. Say, oh, the devil made me do it. Oh, my old flesh, you know. You never have to sin. You now have power. Resurrection power. through Christ to say no to sin and yes to righteousness. 1 Corinthians 10, 13 says, no temptation to sin has overtaken you, but such as is common to man. And God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond that which you are able, but with temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you'll be able to endure it. You never have to sin. As Christians, we can resist sin. We can run from sin. We can reject sin. All these options are now open to us in a way that they never were before when we were slaves of sin in Adam. This is our fundamental new reality as Christians. This is the way things truly are for us. as a Christian. And this is exactly the way we need to think about sin and temptation. Beloved, we must become who we are. We are in Christ, united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. And because we are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection through the Gospel, we are dead to sin. And we are empowered with resurrection power to walk in newness of life. We must become who we are, living in the freedom from sin's mastery over us, and in the newness of life that Jesus secured for us through His death and resurrection. The power of the gospel is not only the power to give us eternal life, to give us a home in heaven sometime in the future, but to change us radically now in the present, more and more into the likeness of our glorious Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, thank you. that you have saved us, not just for some future inheritance, though you have, but you have saved us to sanctify us now, to grow us in holiness, to grow us in righteousness and in the likeness of you, the perfect Holy One. Lord Jesus, help us to know these things. to believe these things and to live in light of these things. That we have been spiritually united with Christ. That our old self in Adam is dead, and therefore we are dead to sin's demands over us, to sin's rule over us. and that just as you were raised by the power of God unto life again, even so we have been raised with you to spiritual life, to walk in newness of life, a new kind of living, a new realm, a new reign. Lord God, help us to be who we are, to know who we are, and to live out who we are in Christ. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.