Posted in Bible Study, Romans

Session 9 – Romans 6:1-14

Alive in Christ

In the first study of this series, we highlighted the significance of Romans.  It stands alone in the Bible as the essential “life manual” for the Christian – it is the “greatest mountain” in the beautiful heights of God’s Word.  Our study in Romans is now at the midpoint of the book and chapters 6-8 rise up like the major “summit” of a mountain peak.  These three chapters provide a concise and complete statement of successful or victorious Christian living.  The importance of this section requires that we take a little more time in Romans 6, mountain climbersso be prepared to take a little longer on this study.  The climb is a challenge, but the view at the summit is spectacular!

While the distinctly practical third section of Romans starts in chapter 12, chapters 6-8 are an important bridge that must be crossed first, before considering the practical aspects of our Christian life.  Also note that we can’t proceed into chapters 6-8 until we have the doctrinal foundation of chapters 1-5 (Justification by Faith).   Now, as we move into chapter 6, Paul introduces us to a key fact about about our being a Christian:  the personal reality of being “in Christ” – 6:1-14 provides us with a “magna carta” statement of our spiritual holiness as a practical reality in our life.  For the true Christian, these three facts now stand true for the rest of eternity:  1) we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross; 2) based on that, we are redeemed from the penalty of our sin and born again as a child of God;  3) we are declared completely and permanently righteous by God.

Francis Schaeffer was one of the 20th century’s greatest biblical theologians, and one of his most important books written in the 70’s is titled “How Should We Then Live?”  This important question is a great way to express our introduction and conclusion to Romans 6 and those three facts above:  If and since we are declared righteous in Christ, how should that impact our life?  That is a profoundly important question!  This book became a modern Christian classic and influenced many people in determining not to let the selfish humanism of the day rule in our life.  Paul, in Romans 6, says it this way – are we an instrument of righteousness or unrighteousness (Rom. 6:13)?  What we see and hear right now on earth is not all there is to life – we must grasp the truth of our eternal spiritual reality.  The conduct of our daily life needs to be a demonstration of Christlikeness – it needs to be our natural and constant lifestyle.

take notesBible Study Journal

  • Before we go through some specific observations in the chapter, take the time to read through Romans 6:1-15 a couple of times.  Be sure to have your Bible Study Journal handy (either paper or computer) so you can note your impressions, questions, and ideas for further study.  
        • A few questions to ponder after reading the passage:
          1. In what ways does Paul say being “in Christ” impacts the Christian?
          2. How can you make being “resurrected in Christ” actually be a living fact in your life?
          3. Can a Christian enjoy the sinful pleasures of the world and still be an instrument of righteousness?
          4. In the movie “The Princess Bride”, Miracle Max says of Westley “It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead.” So, on a scale of 1-10, how dead are you to sin?
          5. In what ways are you an instrument in God’s hands to show His righteousness?
        • Let us agree together:  we’re serious about digging deeply into God’s Word so that we can know Him intimately and successfully reflect Him in the needy world we live in!

Holiness as a Lifestyle

This chapter is a crucial cornerstone for the book of Romans, our “Christian Life Manual.”  It elaborates our core beliefs about faith in Christ and living the Christian life.  We will give a little more space to look through these important verses.

Rom. 6:1 catches our attention by questioning, “What shall we say then??” This is a rhetorical question, and Paul doesn’t intend to wait for anybody to give an answer.  God led Paul to ask this because of the dramatic impact these next verses should have on our new life in Christ.  He has already punctuated his letter with this phrase two previous times (Rom. 3:5; 4:1 – look them up!) and he will use the phrase four more times in Romans (Rom. 7:7; 8:31; 9:14, 20 – it’s interesting to see how this unique phrase highlights many of Paul’s key thoughts).  So Paul goes ahead to give us the answer to the question!  He uses this technique in his letters as an effective way to drive his thesis or argument forward.   (One commentator found 74 rhetorical questions in Romans, so Paul really wants to drive the key truths of this major letter forward effectively!)

For this question in v.1, we need to recognize the clear dependency Paul has on the last verses of the previous chapter.  In Rom. 5:18, Paul uses the strong concluding connector “So then”, expressing that these thoughts bring together the conclusions of most of Romans 5.  Note also the logical “For” in Rom. 5:19 and the final concluding “So that” in Rom. 5:21 – if you string this together you can see that Paul makes a major statement of how God has dealt with sin.  Sin abounded, grace increased – sin reigned in death, but grace now reigns through righteousness.  And with that strategic conclusion,  he brings us to the truth of being baptized in Christ, a “new creature” alive in Him.    dandelionsRom-6

Does Paul’s message of justification by faith (Rom. 4) and the “abounding grace” of Rom. 5:1-5, 20 encourage us to keep on sinning so that we can enjoy more of God’s abundant grace? In Rom. 6:2, Paul makes the answer easy:  “No way!” (Literally “may it never be!”, actually the strongest Greek expression of Paul’s day repudiating an opposing statement.  This is another expression Paul uses several times in his letters (14x, 10 in Romans) to underscore the importance of knowing God’s Truth.  Sin may still be functioning in the world, but it should not be for the believer.  (Note:  We don’t agree with the line of thinking that suggests that a person who receives Christ as Savior must immediately make Christ the Lord of his life, in effect no longer sinning.  A drug addict laying in the gutter can truly receive Christ as Savior, but we know it is likely to take some time for that person to become established in a holy walk.  A truly holy life is a work in progress for all believers as we place ourselves under the guidance and teaching of the Holy Spirit.)

In Rom. 6:3-5, Paul asks another probing question: “Don’t you know…?”  This causes the listener (including you and me) to stop long enough to think “well, do I know this, and if I do, is it obvious in my life?  Paul often uses this interjection (another phrase he uses often in his letters as he builds his logic).  He wants the listener not to “be unaware” (or ignorant) of the point he is making.  Paul says “It’s possible that you haven’t thought this through carefully enough, and it’s important that you completely understand and apply this truth about your spiritual life!”

As you study this chapter, remember God is using Paul’s writing to say these things to you personally.  We must get to the place where we understand that what we see and hear physically right now on earth is NOT all there is to life. Our “real life” is spiritual, and by being redeemed, justified by faith, we are rescued from everlasting separation from God (death, hell) and assured of everlasting life in God’s presence.  In these verses, Paul makes concrete statements about our spiritual life, based on our faith in and relationship to Christ and His finished work on the Cross.

Baptism here (Rom. 6:3) is not referring to our physical baptism by immersion in a pool of water (which every Christian should do soon after receiving Christ as Savior, in order to show obedience to Him and be a testimony of His death and resurrection).  In this verse, Paul is referring to the spiritual act of the Holy Spirit to place us “in Christ”, we are immersed (baptized) into Christ.  Some additional verses to look at on this subject:  1 Corinthians 6:17; 10:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21.  This relates to being born again – we have become a child of God.  It’s the truth that Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3.

Paul builds a major premise in Rom. 6:6-13 that is perhaps the strongest single statement on living a godly Christian life in the Bible.  It is summarized by these three words:  Know, Reckon, Yield.  In Rom. 6:6-10, he tells us that we must know with certainty the facts of our being in Christ – facts that are clearly given by God in the Bible.  Then in Rom. 6:11-12, we are to reckon, take into account, think through logically, conclude action steps based on what we know.  And finally,  Rom. 6:13, we are to yield ourselves to God as an instrument of His righteousness.  Check out Rom. 12:1-2 for more about our yielding to God.

Rest assured, there is much that can be discussed in this amazing passage.  “Knowing” is so important.  Please go carefully through these thoughts and study questions, and allow God to teach you by His Holy Spirit.

Bible Study Journal
      • Recall that Romans 6-8 are the central focus of this book as Paul writes of how God wants us to live the Christian life to His glory.  Read Rom. 8:37-39, which is at the end of this section.  What are some key points that you see should characterize living the Christian life as God designed it?
      • How does Rom. 6:3 relate to experiencing the Christian life as described in 8:37-39?
      • How do you think Rom. 6:4, “walk in newness of life” helps to make that possible?
      • What do you think:  Is it realistic for a Christian to actually live in this world in a way that shows he or she is “free from sin”?
      • Have you spent any time memorizing Scripture?  It’s a discipline that we all need to put effort into.  Here’s a suggestion:  Possibly the most profitable verses a Christian should memorize are Romans 6-8.  Wow!  Yes, that’s a lot of verses and it might take a while and require a lot personal determination.  But the benefits are life-long and strongly recommended!