'In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.' Romans 6:11
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over
him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
First command of Romans – 6:11
Gospel is all about what God does for us, not
what we do for him.
We are to grasp what is true of us now
1. How should a Christian think of themselves? v2, v8-11
a) We are ‘dead to sin’:
Sin as a power & authority has gone. We are no longer under the master called sin
b) We are ‘alive to God’
Now we have a new master – a good and perfect one who loves us
This change of identity will impact how live: v12 – we cannot continue in sin: v1-2
2. Why should I think of myself like this?
Union with Jesus: v5. What is true of Jesus is now true of us: v3-4. We now belong to him
a) Fact: ‘our old self was crucified with him’: v6a. What we were in Adam has died
b) End in view: ‘body ruled by sin might be done away with’ or ‘brought to nothing’: v6b – power of sin has been disabled
c) Result: ‘we should no longer be slaves to sin’: v6c – it no longer has legal claims
d) Reason for the new freedom: ‘anyone who has died has been set free from sin’: v7 – further expanded in v8-10
3. What difference does this make in practice?
a) Avoid the old master: v12
b) Do not sin: v13
c) Serve God: v13b
Conclusion: v14 sums it all up. Who do you think you are? “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v11).
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