How Does a Christian Actually Live Free From Sin’s Control?
Romans 6:6-11
July 2, 2023
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
Bible Baptist Church, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
I. Review (Romans 3:23; 5:18,20)
A. Sin Abounds, But Grace Abounds MORE
1. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God
2. Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one [ADAM] judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one [JESUS] the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
3. Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.
B. God’s Grace Makes it Possible to Live in Victory Over Sin’s Dominion
1. Where once, sins dominated our actions, our attitudes, our thoughts, our lives…
2. God has made it possible for every believer in His Son to no longer be a slave of sin, and no longer continue in any sin
a. The Laws of God exposed our sins, our sin-nature – they can’t fix you
b. We all needed something greater than laws to free us from living in sin
c. That greater power is God’s Amazing Grace!
3. Every believer in this room can and should live in victory, where once pornography, and lust, and bitterness, and anger, and shame and depression, and hurt, and sorrow, and covetousness, and lying, and laziness and greed were winning!
4. Out of His great love and kindness, JESUS broke the grip of sin on us!
C. So, Are We Free To Sin Now? (Romans 6:1,2)
1. Romans 6:1,2 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
2. Since Jesus took care of the eternal consequence of our sins
3. Paul asks, “shall we continue in sin since Grace continues?” (Romans 6:1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
4. His answer is emphatically “NO!” (Romans 6:2) God forbid.
a. Paul says, “God forbid.”
b. It is the most emphatic no in the Bible
c. Certainly Not! No way, Jose! Never!
5. He answers, “How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein?”
a. Some of THE most important words ever written to the believer
b. Ponder those TWELVE words… How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
c. How can someone pardoned from his or her crime continue to remain in prison, or continue to commit the same old crimes?
6. God’s Grace does not free us to sin, but from sin!
D. So how do we get victory over temptations and sinful lifestyles we are so used to?
II. Message – Free From Sin’s Dominance – Part 1
A. Paul expects us to KNOW the following things, and believe them with all our heart.
1. Know them like you know your address.
2. Like you know your birthdate
3. Like you know your MOTHER!
4. You need to know the following things and be reminded of them constantly, in order to not continue in sin
5. These are all spiritual truths that have been allowed to spill over into our lives for real!
6. It would be like trying to convince an adopted little girl she is safe, and loved and secure now. She may FEEL scared, and fear everything, but no longer needs to fear!
B. Know Some Things - Know Ye Not?
1. We ARE Dead to Sin (Romans 6:2)
a. The Bible says we who have been saved, are now dead towards sin
1) Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
2) What does “dead to sin” mean?
a) My connection to sin has been broken. It has been cut.
b) My addiction to sinning is cut
c) They used to say when the telephone connection dropped, they said “the line went dead.”
d) I have something new in me that is drawn to Jesus Christ, to the Bible, to heaven, to soul-winning, to preaching, to fogiving…
3) We are either dead towards God… Or dead towards sin
a) We learned this last week
b) A lost man or woman is dead towards God
c) A Christian is dead towards sin!
4) We are dead to sin because a believer, when they got saved was placed into his death, and was crucified with him. As far as God sees you were buried with him and you have risen again with him. [WE LEARNED THIS LAST WEEK]
a) Reaching out and touching Jesus Christ by child-like faith
b) We accepted His life for ours
c) We believed He saves – it is not forced on anyone
d) And when we did that, we received everything He accomplished by His life and death and resurrection!
5) Everything Jesus went through is applied to us now
a) His death, his burial and his resurrection
b) Baptism is a picture of death—a picture of dying with Christ and being buried, but then rising up into a new life.
c) That’s why baby sprinkling is such a joke and is not right!
d) We were baptized into his death when we believed – we died!
e) So legally, according to God, you are dead now. Your old sinful adamic nature died when you by faith touched Jesus Christ
f) The old you is dead and buried, just as much as Jesus was!
6) That's why we can and should walk in the newness of life, not in depression or defeat or misery. Because HE rose from the dead, never to die again!
2. We are “in Christ” (Romans 6:3)
a. I know, physically, I am in Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland
b. But where am I, spiritually? Where does GOD see me?
c. Some of you only get as far as getting into a church – but that is not where you need to be!
d. Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
e. I am in Christ!
1) 2Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2) John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
f. We are no longer in sin. See Ephesians 2:1-5
1) Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2) Ephesians 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3) Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4) Ephesians 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5) Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
g. We use that type of phrase when we talk about “being in this world.”
h. Someone else is “in business”, someone else is “in sports.”
i. A Christian is in Christ. That is our position. That is where we are and who we are.
1) We are no longer in trouble with God…
2) We are hidden in Christ surrounded by Jesus Christ.
3) We are in the family of God. We are in the kingdom of God.
4) We are in Christ!
3. We are living a New Life – a Resurrected Life (Romans 6:4,5)
a. Romans 6:4,5 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
b. We are living now a resurrected life, an entirely different life than we had before
c. Whether you realise it or not…
d. A part of me was resurrected - my spirit, and I am not going to continue to live the old previous life anymore. Not now that I am saved!
e. One day, every believer here will be physically resurrected, but until then, we live heavenly lives here and now. Lives that are free from sin’s control of us!
4. You need to know that your old self, your old man is crucified with Jesus.
a. Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, ...
b. Not WAS dead, but it IS dead.
c. That’s the old me – dead!
d. And CONTINUOUSLY dead. It's not coming back.
5. You need to know that your body will be destroyed - And that is a good thing
a. Romans 6:6 … that the body of sin might be destroyed,...
b. Right now, it's okay for you to live in your body for a while, but imagine having to live in your body forever?
c. After a while, you're going to wish you could have a new body and a Christian gets a new body.
d. And that is exactly what we are going to get in the resurrection!
e. A new body that doesn’t age, doesn’t sin, doesn’t hurt, and lives forever!
f. Bill Gates eat your heart out!
g. No amount of wealth can buy what you and I get for FREE!
6. Dead people are free from sin.
a. Romans 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
b. It is an important fact – dead people do not sin
1) They don’t lie
2) They don’t steal
3) They don’t commit adultery
4) Eh, they are DEAD!
c. That's why we know that there is no sin in heaven, and that we are free from sin when we die, never to sin again
d. Because, dead people don’t sin!
e. Well, those of us who have been saved, are dead like a dead man
1) Sin in our old nature has been defeated – it is dead
2) And that means we can now live free from sin’s dominance
7. Since we are attached to Jesus Christ, we will be with Him forever
a. Romans 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
b. A literal, physical resurrection promise
c. That plot of ground, that ash urn is not the end!!!
d. Job 19:25,26 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
8. Greatest fact… Death has no more dominion over Jesus!
a. Romans 6:9,10 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
b. Jesus died unto sin, which means He died for sin.
c. And notice how many times He died for all sin…
d. ONCE, and now He forever lives for God.
e. And that is passed upon every believer now!
f. Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. [NEXT WEEK]
9. Those are powerful eternal FACTS to remember when being tempted to sin
a. All of these things are legal facts with God.
b. You may not feel like them. They may be hard to believe and hard to understand, but they are true.
c. It's like a person who's just gotten a divorce. And the divorce is a legal standing act that declares you now no longer related to and no longer dominated by another person, and it may feel strange. It may be hard to get used to, but it is a legal fact that changes the way you live.
d. We are divorced from our old life! Halellujah! You will still bump into it, but you is free from their dominion over you!
C. Reckon Some Things (Romans 6:11)
1. The Second thing you need to do after you have understood what you are, and known those five great facts, you need to add it all up and conclude the following things…
a. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
b. It's called reckoning. It is called believing these things are true for you.
c. Reckon means you add up your bank statement and find out how much money you have left, and discover an hundren million euros!!! It would change your life! Usually for the worst! But you get the point!
d. And when you reckon your place in God's eyes… when you look at yourself and add up what is true and what is real, and what is good, all because of Jesus Christ, it will change your life for the better.
2. #1 Reckon yourself to be dead to sin.
a. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
b. Paul is now describing something you will only understand if you know about the trinity of the human.
c. There are THREE parts of you.
1) 1Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2) What you and I see is the body of a person
3) But beneath this skin is a soul, an invisible you. That's the real you. That's your emotions, your heart, how you feel. That's the part of you that makes a decision about what to do hour by hour
4) And there's another part of you called your spirit. That's what God sees.
5) Now let's take a step back. When God looks at you and he sees a body and a soul, guess what He sees?
a) If you're not saved, God sees your spirit as dead. It's not alive towards him. It hasn't been resurrected. You were born with a dead spirit. You are born in sin, and so when he sees you, you are dead to him.
b) When you get saved, your spirit is regenerated. It is born again.
c) Your soul is not born again. Your soul is eternal. God made the real you to live forever, but your spirit gets resurrected.
d) And now God sees you as alive. And guess what He sees when he sees your body? He sees it dead. Now he sees it legally dead. Just like a divorce.
e) The relationship is legally dead, even though feelings come and go still after the divorce, but we have to reckon ourselves in our body to be dead to sin and alive to God. That's our spirit.
6) We switch our attention from how our body feels. To how our spirit feels.
7) You reckon through what Jesus did, you're able to make this choice now because of what Jesus did and what He accomplished for you.
d. So, reckon means to don't just believe it, but live like it is true. Like you have an entirely new life now beyond just eating, sleeping, working, hair colours, tatoos, etc
3. #2 Reckon that sin has been dethroned in you.
a. Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
b. Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
c. Sin has been knocked off the throne of your life/heart!
d. Yes, sin is still there in your body, in your flesh, in your old nature, but it has been dethroned. It's no longer in charge, so do not obey sin anymore.
1) You will struggle with temptation.
2) You'll still just give in to a rude feeling, saying something that is wrong, just like you do.
3) When you are on a diet, you still are tempted and you still give in because the body's still quite alive.
4) But you and I should not obey our body anymore. As a matter of fact, God says it is powerless over you now. It has no authority.
5) Even though the body lusts for something, wants something, has to have something in order for it to be happy.
6) Still Tempted, but NOT Enslaved
7) So, let not sin reign in your body. Do not obey the lusts thereof
8) You do not have to obey it. You don't have to give into it. You don't have to yield to it. That body is not important anymore.
9) Yes, you still feed it. Yes. You still rest. Yes. You still take it for walks, but it doesn't dominate your life and you do not obey it. You obey God.
4. That brings us to our third point.
D. #3 Yield – more next week (Romans 6:13-14)
1. Romans 6:13 Neither 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.
2. Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
3. Paul says, in order to no longer continue in sin, you need to yield to the right things
a. Meaning… Giving into, submitting, resting (instead of panicking), letting something or someone else be ahead of you, be in charge of you, be more important than you
b. Isn't it amazing how the one great freeing truth of the Christian is not knowledge. It's not even Bible knowledge. It's not theology. Even though that is very important, that's the foundation of what we're learning.
c. But the one great freeing power of a Christian is YIELDING.
1) When you know something to be true
2) and you reckon it to be true for you.
3) And then you submit to that truth and obey it.
4) You will be able to close your mouth when you have cursed and sworn, and F’d and blindeded, and say I am so ashamed, and am sorry
5) You will be able todo whatever God asks of you, and will find yourself full of joy doing every hard thing
6) And every sin that used to win every time it tempted you, will lose its power, and you will instead, know the power of the Holy Spirit of God in your life!
4. More next week
III. Conclusion
A. Don’t be so hard on other Christians who haven’t learned all this yet, or are struggling with yielding, reckoning, and resting in the will of God!
B. Everyone in this room still does wrong, says wrong things, sins, and breaks God’s clear commandments of how to live right
C. But, Because of GRACE…
1. God’s Son has covered every wrong thing we have done and will do!
2. And because of that same grace, we can live free from the dominion of sin in our thoughts, in our emotions, in our words and actions!
D. But only sinners, who have been born again
1. This does not mean we are free from the pull of temptation
2. It does not mean you won’t give in to temptation
3. It does not mean you are free from depression and discouragement, and sorrow and pains, and heartaches, and defeats
4. It does mean, everything is well with your soul!
5. And that you can live in victory over sin’s dominion
6. And that all the sorrows and suffering and persecutions and losses, will be made up for – will be worth it all!