Romans 6:9-12 (KJV) Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Review With Purpose

The last few weeks we have studied three doctrines that are extremely important to understand, if you will understand the Gospel. We looked at the Doctrine of Imputation, which teaches that Jesus died for our sins on Calvary, and rose again from the grave for our justification. When we receive Jesus as both Lord and Savior His righteousness is imputed to us, and our sins are laid on His finished work. Because of Imputation the Father looks at us as His sons and daughters.

We are saved by faith in Christ, not by works. We are saved because of Imputation.

Because of Imputation, God gives us the Holy Spirit. We spoke of His work in our lives as we studied the Doctrine of Baptisms. We learned that water Baptism is an outward symbolic ordinance that the believer willingly submits to after salvation. Water Baptism symbolizes what the Holy Spirit does to the believer, causing the old man to die, and the new creature to be born. The Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, made alive spiritually. The Holy Spirit baptizes us in Christ Jesus. We are united with Christ in His death and in His resurrection. We are raised to walk in newness of life.

We also studied the Doctrine of Original Sin. In this we learned that Adam, created perfect and without sin by God, willingly and willfully disobeyed the Word of God, bringing spiritual death on all his progeny. The first Adam failed in his stewardship, so God sent a second Adam, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from all sin. Here is the point:

The “Christian” Walks With Christ Daily

IF Adam sinned, and brought the world under the slavery of sin, and IF God sent His Son as the Second Adam to pay the penalty for sin for whosoever believes on Him, and IF God the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer to free us from sin ….

… then sin is no longer the Christ follower’s master.
Jesus is our Master.
Sin and Satan has no real hold on the believer.
We are freed from sin to serve the Living God!

Paul goes back to the Cross to explain this. He says:

Romans 6:9 (KJV) … Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

Jesus very literally died on the Cross. He conquered death. Some liberals have advanced the argument that Jesus just swooned, and pretended to die, and that His disciples covered this up. If this is true then there is NO Gospel. The Gospel is that:

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV) … Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures

Jesus died a horrible death to free us from death and sin.

Crucifixion was considered “the most cruel & hideous of tortures” (Cicero). Author Dr Alexander Metherell wrote, “The pain was absolutely unbearable. In fact, it was literally beyond words to describe it; they had to invent a new word: “excruciating”. Literally excruciating means ‘out of the Cross’”.

Before Jesus was removed from the Cross for burial a Roman guard, well versed in crucifixion, ensured that Christ was dead. The Bible says:

John 19:34 (ESV) … one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.

This was a clear forensic sign that our Lord had passed into glory. Jesus’ body was embalmed by washing and wrapping Him in myrrh and aloe – about 75 pounds in weight (John 19:39, ESV). He was then sealed into a tomb for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:40). Jesus died to sin. He died for your sin and mine. Our sins were paid for in full. The Bible says:

Acts 2:24 (ESV) God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Jesus died for our sins, and will never die again. His death was sufficient to pay for our sins. God raised Christ from the grave, showing that His work was sufficient. We read:

Romans 6:10 (KJV) For in that He died, he died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.

Jesus DIED ONCE TO SIN. Now HE LIVES UNTO GOD. Some say, “Jesus died so that we can freely sin”. This is a lie from the pit of hell.

His death was sufficient to pay the penalty for our sins. Being resurrected by God, Jesus now “LIVES UNTO GOD”. The Bible tells us that:

Mark 16:19 (KJV) {Jesus} was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.

Why does Jesus sit on the “RIGHT HAND OF GOD”? We are told:

Romans 8:34 … It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

And again,

Hebrews 10:12 … after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Now the Bible ties what Jesus did into our salvation with the word “LIKEWISE”

Romans 6:11 LIKEWISE {in the same manner} reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD we are freed from the mastery of sin. God the Holy Spirit lives in us. We are not what we were, but are children of the “Dayspring from on High” (Luke 1:78). We who are saved are not what we were. We are to walk in victory because of Jesus.

The Christ Follower Has Power Over Sin

Romans 6:12-14 (KJV) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 BEITHER YIELD ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Christians are called to live in the light with God. We are not the servants of sin, but are sons and daughters of God. We are not to yield our body parts to sin, but to Christ’s control. We may desire to sin, but sin is not our master. We have ultimate authority over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The new convert to Christ will find sin easy, for he will – like the toddler – often stumble as he takes his first steps. But as the convert studies the Word of God, and practices the Christian disciplines of prayer, fasting, and Biblical meditation, the stumbles will be less and less.

The mature believer, instead of running to SIN, runs toward the SAVIOR. We rest in Christ.

John 7:37-39 (ESV) … “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive …

Jesus did not die on the Cross for our sins so that we can continue to wallow in sin. Jesus died on the Cross so that the Holy Spirit could enter our lives and give us control over sin. We are called to choose to “yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God”

Let’s put this simply. If you are a Christian, you don’t belong to Satan nor to this world. You belong to God, to Light, to Jesus. Do that which Christ has called you to do. “sin shall not have dominion over you”. Grace has dominion over you. You are freed from sin.

But I Just Can’t Help Myself. Hogwash!
Christian, Take The Trash Out

If you are a Christian, yes, you can. We are told:

Romans 6:16-18 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye WERE the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

If someone comes to me and says,

I’m a Christian Homosexual, or
I’m a Christian Adulterer, or
I’m a Christian Murderer, or
I’m a Christian Gossip, or
I’m a Christian Racist, or
I’m a Christian Whiner & Complainer ….

I could go on and on. When they say this, my immediate appeal is the Scripture we are studying now. If you routinely surrender your members – your body parts – to sin, then you are servants of sin. And as we are told in verse 16 and elsewhere, “SIN is UNTO DEATH”. Sin leads to death, to darkness, to destruction. But if you are a Christ follower, you are “MADE FREE FROM SIN TO BECOME SERVANTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS”. You want to serve God, not the flesh. You choose Who you will walk with.

Choose wisely.
Sin kills.
Darkness causing Stumbling.
The Spirit of Christ gives LIGHT.

Galatians 5:16-26 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Is it a struggle at times? Absolutely. Anything worth doing in this life is a struggle. When we were lost in our sins, we “walked according to the ways of this world, following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). But NOW we FOLLOW JESUS. We do not chase the darkness – we chase it away! We know that sin must not remain in our lives.

Illustrate: I remember years ago when I lived in Georgia, I needed to take the trash out – but I put it off. It was hot outside, and warm inside. I went to bed that night, and woke up the next morning. When I went in the kitchen I found tiny little critters crawling out of the garbage, and all over my kitchen. YUK! I took the trash outside, dumped it, and washed the can out. Then I went back in the house and with paper towels carefully gathered all the little critters and got them out of my home.

The Christian must daily do a negative thing and a positive thing. Daily we “take the trash out”. We eradicate sin from our lives. We toss it as unsuitable for a child of God. But we also encourage ourselves to do those things which glorify Christ and our Father. We are obedient children, doing the good for God’s glory.

Romans 6:19-20 … for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. 20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.

God calls His Children to be as He is. He said:

1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” …

We are not “holy” to retain our salvation, nor to gain our salvation. We are “holy” because we know that the do otherwise is to open the door to death and suffering. We are as Adam was. We are free to choose. Knowing this, we freely choose righteousness and Godly living over the way of darkness. That way leads only to death!

Romans 6:21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

There is no good “FRUIT” that comes from walking in the darkness of sin. Sin always leads unto death, sickness, and disease. God has opened the door to a better way.

Romans 6:22 (KJV) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Christians do not normally walk in darkness. We walk with Christ in the Light of God. We love His Word, His Commandment, His Law. We choose to do the good, and walk with Jesus.

Closing Plea

Romans 6:23 (KJV) For the wages of sin is death; BUT the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The final sentence of this chapter is divided by a “BUT”. On the left side of the “BUT” is sin and dearth, darkness and pain. On the right side of the “BUT” is the gift of God, eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Those who love the Lord and submit to the Lord have the wonderful gift of salvation. It is a gift, but in order to receive it you must put down death and darkness. You must turn away from all other lords and gods, and turn fully to Jesus. You must move from the left side of the “BUT”, and run into Christ’s arms.

I pray you will. With. Delay. Today. Amen.