EXPOSITORY SERMON: ROMANS 6:1-23

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Have you noticed how Paul has anticipated objections to his teaching as he writes the letter to the Romans? In Romans 6-8 Paul will answer three possible objections to justification by faith.

1. If God's grace abounds when we sin, let us sin more so grace may abound more. (6:1-14)

2. If there is no law, we can live as we please. (6:15 ?:6)

3. Paul's teaching has made God's law sinful. (7:7-25)

B. In Romans 6-8 Paul will show us how to live lives of victory, liberty and security while explaining our relationship to the flesh, the Law and the Holy Spirit.

C. In Romans 6, Paul gives us three instructions for attaining victory over sin: KNOW, RECKON, and YIELD.

II. DISCUSSION

A. KNOW (6:1-10) See verses 1,6,9. Satan wants us ignorant, because living a Christian life depends on us learning how.

1. Beginning at Rom. 5:12 Paul makes a subtle shift in his emphasis.
a.

3:21-5:21	6-8
He died for me	I died with him
He paid sin's penalty	He broke sin's power
Saved by His death	Saved by His life

b. This means justification by faith is a continuous living relationship. A relationship whose maintenance depends on Christ and us!

2. Because of this living union with Jesus Christ, the believer is in a new relationship to sin.
a. FACT ONE: The believer is dead to sin (2-5) - through baptism. The late William Barclay, a Bible commentator and minister of the church of Scotland, makes three important points concerning water baptism in the first century church:
1) It was adult baptism.
2) It was intimately connected with confession of faith. It was a point where a man's life was torn in two. The place where the old pagan life was to be left behind.
3) Baptism was by total immersion, which lends itself to the analogy Paul is making, that of a burial.
4) Through our burial in baptism we are brought in contact with Christ's death. (Gal 2:20) If we are dead to sin we no longer want to continue in it.
5) Christians cannot live in between. They are either dead to sin or alive to sin. Our union with Christ assures us of a home in heaven (v.5). But verse 4 indicates we share His power today. (Col. 3:1,3)
b. FACT TWO: The believer should not serve sin (6-10).
1) The body is neutral, it can be controlled by sin or by God.
2) The word for destroyed in verse 6 means inactive, not totally annihilated, which means if left unchecked or unguarded it can return.
3) Sin wants to be our master in the worst way, but we must not let it. Since sin and death have no dominion over Christ, we need to be in Christ.

 B. RECKON (11)

1. The Greek word for reckon is used 41 times in the NT, 19 times in Romans alone. It does not mean to guess, think or suppose, but instead it means to impute, or to credit to one's account.

2. We must then live by faith so our account can be cleared of sin by Jesus Christ. To reckon yourself dead to sin, you must truly be dead to sin. If we truly believe and are dead to sin then we reckon ourselves to be alive to God.

C. YIELD (12-23) - In this section we find the word yield five times. It means to place at one's disposal.

1. How are we to yield? (12,13)
a. Intelligently, not impulsively based on some emotional whim.
b. We must surrender ourselves to Jesus, and be prepared to surrender further as we grow in the Lord.
c. But why does the Lord want our bodies?
1)His temple (I Cor. 6:19,20; Phil. 1:20,21)
2) But also His tool or weapon.(13)
d. Examples of God using men's bodies:
1) Moses and the rod.
2) David and the sling.
3) The mouths of the prophets.
4) The feet of Paul.
e. But what of Satan and his purposes for our bodies? David looks on Bathsheba, his mind plots, and his hand signs Uriah's death warrant (Ps.51)

2. Why are we to yield? (14-23)
a. Favor (14,15)- because of God's grace we have reason to obey, not to sin.
b. Freedom (16-20)
1) Before you were saved you were slaves of sin. Now you belong to Christ.
2) The Prodigal Son is an example of someone whose bondage to sin led him deeper and deeper into sin. First he was a slave of wrong desires, then wrong deeds. He finally became a literal slave. What he thought was freedom from his father was the worst kind of slavery. Only when he returned and yielded himself to his father was he truly free.
c. Fruit (21-23)
1) When you work, you expect your pay. The wages of sin is death, or righteousness - holiness and everlasting life. These verses apply to the alien sinner of course, but we must remember that Paul is writing to Christians.
2) If a believer refuses to surrender his members to Christ, but chooses to use his members for sin he is in danger of discipline.

III. CONCLUSION

 A. By who may we need to be disciplined? Our human father, our brethren or the Lord. (Heb. 12:5-11)

B. But, if we follow the instructions of Romans 6 everyday of our lives to the best of our abilities: we will KNOW we have been crucified with Christ and dead to sin, we will RECKON this fact in our own lives and we will YIELD our bodies for the Lord to use to his glory.