1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

 

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

 

6:1-2: What’s the most important truth for following Christ? Justification? The Holy Spirit’s presence and power? Hope? The transforming power of the Word? If we asked most people, I would be surprised if the majority would answer, “Our spiritual union with Christ.” However, upon studying this teaching I’m inclined to conclude that being spiritually united with Christ could very well be the most important truth for following Christ.

 

This verse begins a new theme for Romans. Sanctification (6:1-8:39) naturally follows Paul’s teaching on sin (1:18-3:20) and salvation (3:21-5:21). Sanctification refers to becoming more like Christ; the process of pursuing holiness.  

 

Because Paul taught that “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,” (5:20) he already knew that someone was going to inquire the obvious: is it okay “to continue in sin that grace may abound?” (6:1) Paul answers, “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (6:2)

 

So, the question is, “What does it mean for Christians to have died to sin?” Or alternatively, we may ask, “How does a Christian become free from the power of sin?” Paul’s answer is that we’ve been spiritually united with Christ. Our union with Christ is one of the most important truths of the Christian faith. Let me summarize our spiritual union with Christ with three observations.

 

First, the New Testament, especially Paul, emphasizes our spiritual union with Christ. Using the words “in Christ” (or Christ in us) to explain our spiritual union, Paul uses it over one hundred and fifty times. So, this fact alone should alert us to its importance. Could this be the most important truth for following Christ?    

 

Second, our spiritual union includes objective and subjective elements. Objectively, our union in Christ forms the basis for our election (Ephesians 1:4-5), being made spiritually alive (Ephesians 2:5), being a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), adoption (Galatians 3:26), justification (Romans 8:1), sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:2), and glorification (Romans 8:30) https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-union-with-christ/ In short, being united with Christ is all-encompassing doctrine and therefore it could be the most important truth for following Christ.

 

Subjectively, when we talk about being “spiritually intimate with God” we are also talking about our spiritual unity with Christ. Our religious experiences of God are based on our relationship with Christ. Due to this subjective aspect, the Spirit also plays a key role in helping us to experience our spiritual union with Christ.

 

So, by experiencing the gospel (in the power of the Spirit) we experience the blessings of our election, being made spiritually alive, being a new creation, adoption, justification, sanctification, and future hope of glorification. Isn’t this amazing? This is awesome! This is why I often say that we need to experience the gospel on an everyday and twice on Sunday.

 

Third, our spiritual union connects us with Christ. We are spiritually united to Christ’s in his death, resurrection, exaltation, and future return. We have died with Christ, resurrected with Christ, been exalted with Christ, and will share in his glorious return. What could be a more important truth for following Christ than understanding and experiencing our spiritual union with Christ?

 

Having discussed the importance of our spiritual union with Christ, let’s now return to our study. Romans 6:3-14 highlights three points about our spiritual unity with Christ: (1) understand our spiritual union, (2) experience our spiritual union, and (3) practice the truth of being spiritually united to Christ.  

 

6:3-5: In these verses, Paul introduces the idea of our spiritual union with Christ. Pate explains: “because God is eternal and timeless; therefore past, present, and future are before him at the same time. Thus God sees Christians (in the future from the cross) as though they were on the cross with Christ (in the past).” (136)

 

Paul uses the rite of baptism to illustrate the truth of being dead to sin. Baptism is a good choice for a few reasons. First, baptism signifies the inward reality of a new life. The old life has been buried (under the water) and the person has now risen to a new life (coming out of the water).

 

Second, baptism also refers to a new identity. The verb “baptizo” means to dip and immerse. For example, if you baptize a white cloth in blue dye, then the cloth takes on a new identity (blue color). Likewise, when we are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, we take on a new spiritual identity.

 

So, Christ-followers are spiritually united to Christ in his death and resurrection as if, we too, were crucified (Galatians 2:20) and resurrected (Colossians 3:1) with him. In order to have a clear understanding of what it means to be spiritually united with Christ in Romans 6:3-15, I will summarize each key point.  

 

1. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (crucified and resurrected with him)

 

6:6-7: What is the old self? The old self “refers to the old life, that is, to what we were in Adam before God saved us. That old life is done for. We have died to it.” (Boice, 667). This life before our conversion to Christ is now the past (symbolically buried in our water baptism).

 

What does Paul mean by “the body of sin?” This phrase may be taken the “sinful self, our fallen, self-centered nature, body being used here as a synonym for flesh.” (Stott, 175) According to Boice, “Paul is talking about the old nature…the Christian’s actual inclination to sin, which must be dealt with.” (668)

 

The word “nothing” needs to be understood in light of sin’s power or dominion over us. In other words, Paul’s teaching that “our selfish nature has been defeated, disabled, and deprived of power.” (Stott, 176). This doesn’t mean that we won’t sin again! Rather, it means that the power of sin has been broken so that “we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (6:6).

 

Finally, the “one who has died” and “has been set free from sin” (6:7) refers to the person whose old/former life is now dead (symbolized in baptism). We died because we have been crucified with Christ.

 

Perhaps an analogy would help. Let’s say that you had many causal (and physically intimate) relationships in the past. But now, you are married. If you have the most amazing, the most intimate, the most awesome marriage—the spiritual, emotional, and physical union of two people, then would you return to your former life of these same casual (and physically intimate) relationships?

 

No, this former life is dead. And if this former life is dead, then he/she has been set free from returning to these past (and sinful) relationships.

 

1. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (spiritually crucified and resurrected with him)

2. The old self (life before conversion) is in the past and dead (crucified with Christ).

3. The body of sin (sinful inclinations/desires) no longer has power over us.

 

6:8-10: The phrase “once for all” (6:10) is used in the book of Hebrews and refers to Christ’s death on the cross—it’s complete and final. Jesus not only died for our sins, but he was resurrected—“the life he lives he lives to God.” (6:10).

 

Our spiritual union is more than sharing in Christ’s death, but it also includes being spiritually resurrected with him. (Note: in the future we will be physically resurrected with glorified bodies: 1 Corinthians 15:42-58). If “death no longer has dominion over him,” then it no longer has dominion (or power) over us because have been spiritually united to Christ in his resurrection (cf. Philippians 3:10).

 

1. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (spiritually crucified and resurrected with him).

2. The old self (life before conversion) is in the past and dead (crucified with Christ).

3. The body of sin (sinful inclinations/desires) no longer has power over us.

4. We live with Christ; we have been spiritually resurrected with Christ.  

 

6:11: Our old life is “dead to sin” because it has been crucified with Christ (and symbolized in being under the waters of baptism) and we are “alive to God” because we have been spiritually resurrected with Christ.

 

Paul’s exhortation (“consider yourselves”) is a call for reflection. It’s a call for spiritual contemplation. Whereas Romans 6:3-10 focuses on knowing and understanding our spiritual union with Christ, Romans 6:11 is a call to experience something. What are we to experience?

 

Romans 6:11 is a call to experience the blessings of the gospel. It’s a call to experience our union with Christ—the blessings of our election, being made spiritually alive, being a new creation, adoption, justification, sanctification, and future hope of glorification. So, how can we experience these gospel blessings?

 

We can experience these gospel blessings in God’s Word, baptism, communion, worship/praise, and prayer (these sacred moments and experiences need to be intentional and reflective).  

 

1. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (spiritually crucified and resurrected with him).

2. The old self (life before conversion) is in the past and dead (crucified with Christ).

3. The body of sin (sinful inclinations/desires) no longer has power over us.

4. We live with Christ; we have been spiritually resurrected with Christ.  

5. Reflect and experience the blessings of the gospel (from election to glorification).

 

6:12-14: So far, we have highlighted the importance of knowing and understanding our spiritual union with Christ (6:3-10) and experiencing our union with Christ (gospel blessings) (6:11). Paul concludes this passage with a challenge: practice the truth of being spiritually united with Christ (6:12-14).

 

From these verses, I would like to share four observations. First, don’t let sin control us; we shouldn’t present our bodies “as instruments for unrighteousness.” (6:12, 13) When Paul writes about our “mortal body” he’s not saying that our bodies our evil, but rather, that it’s a vehicle (or instrument) for sin (recall Romans 3:9-20).

 

Second, present ourselves “to God as instruments for righteousness.” (6:13) According to Paul, we “have been brought from death to life.” (6:13) Our old life is dead. We have been crucified with Christ and have been baptized in Christ.

 

Third, Paul reminds us that living under the law also means living under the power of sin. While the law could restrain sin in a limited way (commandments, threats, punishments), it could never bring spiritual renewal and transformation. Grace, however, has changed all of this. For with grace you also have the gospel. Sin is powerless to rule us because grace reigns.

 

Fourth, we should note that 6:12 has a “therefore.” What Paul is saying is that whatever follows after “therefore” should be understood as a natural result or consequence of truths previously revealed. In other words, because Christians have been spiritually united with Christ, we should (1) stop using our bodies for sinful lifestyles, but rather (2) use our bodies for acts of righteousness.

 

1. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection (spiritually crucified and resurrected with him).

2. The old self (life before conversion) is in the past and dead (crucified with Christ).

3. The body of sin (sinful inclinations/desires) no longer has power over us.

4. We live with Christ; we have been spiritually resurrected with Christ.  

5. Reflect and experience the blessings of the gospel (from election to glorification).

 

Because Christians our spiritually united with Christ (1-5 above), we should…

6. Stop using our bodies for sinful lifestyles.

7. Use our bodies for acts of righteousness.  

 

1. Why is the teaching of being spiritually united with Christ so important?

 

2. How does baptism highlight our spiritual union with Christ?

 

3. What’s the body of sin? Why is this teaching central to understanding the power of sin?

 

4. What does it mean to be spiritually resurrected with Christ? How does one live in this resurrection power?

 

5. How can we individually reflect and experience the blessings of the gospel on a regular basis? What can we do as a church? How can your small group reflect and experience the blessings of the gospel?

 

6. What’s the relationship between Paul’s two final exhortations—stop using our bodies for sinful lifestyle and use our bodies for acts of righteousness (6:12-14) and previous truths revealed in 6:4-10 (see Our Spiritual Union with Christ summary, 1-5). How can knowing this relationship make a difference in your everyday life?