Off the Shelf Sunday School--Romans

Union with Christ (6:1-10)

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.       

1.    Paul responds to those who say “have faith and do what you like.” This false idea ignores the fact that Jesus saves us so that we can serve him as our Lord. Jesus is both our Savior and our Lord. Those who are not changed, but claim they have faith, are deceiving themselves. Jesus commands his disciples to take up their cross daily and follow his commands. (Lk 9:23-24)

2.    Those who preach a gospel that stresses accepting Jesus by faith and not being changed by his Lordship are false teachers. Salvation is much more than fire insurance against going to hell. It changes the thinking and behavior so that you do what pleases God and not just yourself. Christians are born-again through faith instantly, but they live a lifetime learning to serve the Lord Jesus. A major focus of the epistles of the New Testament is on how to live as a Christian.

3.    Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Paul says that we shared in his death. There is a sense in which we were present with him on the cross. Likewise, the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that we will be resurrected and share in his glorious life. Jesus is united with born-again Christians in an intimate and inseparable way. He is our life as well as the means of our salvation. (Ps 27:1)

4.    Paul says that Jesus died to free us from being slaves to sin. This does not mean that Christians do not sin after they are born-again. It means that we have a new nature of holiness, through the presence of the Holy Spirit who instructs us in righteousness. The sinful human nature is still present, but it is being overcome by the transforming work of God. Christians are learning to live for God and not only to satisfy themselves. 

5.    In what ways has the Holy Spirit changed your thinking and behavior? Are there some sinful habits that you are struggling with? If so, this is a sign that God is at work in you. The sinful human nature is being crucified to make you more like Jesus. (Gal 2:20; Eph 4:17-24)