Romans 6:1-2 - 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
Message: After grace is given and received and sin paid for, what place is sin in our life?
Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.
What the Lord is Saying:
Chapter 6 begins in the same way of Chapter 4, with a question. Paul brings up a question that he probably thinks the community in which he is speaking might ask. Chapter 4's questions were focused on defending the idea that justification was found before the Law, in the faith of Abraham. It was one of many rhetorical questions put forth in the book of Romans. Yet, the focus of chapter 4 was on explaining and testifying of righteousness being credited. Chapter 5, verse 12 to 21 focused on sin entering the world and being completely paid for by Christ through His death on the cross and resurrection. And more specifically, verse 1 of chapter 6 is building off of chapter 5, verse 20 which said, "And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, graced abounded all the more." In light of grace increasing is now this question: "Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase?" There is a transition that is taking place here in chapter 6 as Paul now begins to explain the daily experience of being justified and credited with righteousness.
Chapter 5 briefly, in the first 11 verses began to tell us the meaning of being justified, credited with righteousness: Peace, hope, joy, and freedom. We have peace with God. We have hope in the glory of God. We have joy in tribulation. We have freedom from wrath. However, those are still permanent applications.
Chapter 6 is now moving towards sanctification. How does this new person in Christ act? And so verse 1 seems like a reasonable question. And yet, unreasonable. Romans has really been about straight doctrine up to this point. The life, death, blood, and resurrection of the Lord has been all matters of fact. To be honest, I haven't seen much emotion or feeling in these verses. Granted, it is there, but really kind of subtle. The first half of Romans 6 will start with application, though it seems to be more principle, but it appears practice will come in verse 15.
The reality is that my sin cost God His Son. Yes, I know that I am a sinner even before I sin (5:14). But my aim in life can't be to sin. Sin produced death.
This is a hard statement because what we have in Christ is much more greater than what we had in Adam, even before the fall. The result of this greater life is the sin in my life. So, maybe sin is a good thing? This is obviously the reason for Paul's question. Paul has a clear progression in this letter and this question is now a natural result of what was stated in chapter 5. Yet, am I still in Adam?
Anti-nomianism = against law. This is one who wants to live their life without any encumbering rules whatsoever. This is one who wants to do as they please. It almost seems that this individual has in chapter 5:20 the great defense for why they can live life as they please because "where sin increased, grace abounded" so now that I have my life insurance policy (or rather fire insurance policy), I can live as I like.
Verse 2 answers the question. Most definitely not. "May it never be!" The person who reads 5:20 and that verse alone asks the question but for those that have been following along throughout the entire book of Romans can clearly see that we were in Adam and now we are in Christ. And in Christ I am a new creature. I have been cleaned up, not so I can go get dirty again. Jesus is not a washing machine that I know will always clean me when I get dirty so I might as well let the washing machine work well by getting dirty.
In my conversation with a Mormon for over a year, one of his biggest challenges to my faith and the faith of all Christians was this idea that Christians say a prayer and live however they desire. And his point was that is not a Christian. I couldn't agree with him more and I told him I agreed. And Chapter 6 is the clear picture of this. The problem with the Mormon is he then thought his religion was the only answer to practicing one's faith. Because his faith not only focused on this, but had the clear step by step process of this being accomplished. Like they had broken the code on how to live. And their way was the only way. My concern though is we have the principles of how we are to live, but we still must surrender our lives to God and let him work through our lives. Is we strip it down to a rule book for living, where specific steps must be followed, then aren't we then just saying that we are living by the Law and unless the Law is followed then we are not in Christ. Could it be that our new life in Christ is more about what it is not that what it is?
This is what it seems like to me. The key is to live not in Adam. To shed the old. And submit to the new.
Promise: From Tabletalk, April 16, 2014, "Upon conversion, we gain not only a new legal standing of righteousness but also a new heart inclined, generally speaking, to holiness."
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