NVBC Weekly
December 13th, 2021 — Blog

 
 

Romans 6 is a powerful chapter. Let's meditate on a few of its truths.

In Romans 6:4, Paul writes, "We were buried therefore with [Jesus Christ] 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."

We can often forget who we are in Christ, and so we just keep living like we always did—as those enslaved to sin. But(!), as this verse says, we’ve died with Christ, and therefore can walk in newness of life. How can this be?

Verse six says: “We know that our old self was crucified with [Jesus Christ] in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”

Let us follow Paul’s line of thought: firstly, he affirms that our “old self” died with Christ (he even uses the violent term “crucified”). Our “old self” was who we were before salvation—our old person, totally dominated by sin. That “old self” was pierced to the cross with Jesus Christ.

The result of this, secondly, is that our “body of sin” might be brought to nothing. Our “body of sin” is connected to our “old self.” Because of our death with Christ, our “self” that was subject to sin’s power has been totally stripped of power and authority in our lives. Hallelujah!

And thirdly, this all means that we are no longer enslaved to sin! We were enslaved to sin when our “old self” was alive, but now that we died with Christ, we are totally set free from sin.

This brings us to the last part of our meditation. In verse 11 Paul writes, “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

Two things Paul says we must do: (1) consider ourselves dead to sin and (2) consider yourselves alive to God in Christ. Amazingly, much of the true Christian life is a life of mental reformation. Why? Because you and I keep forgetting that because of our union with Jesus, we’ve died with him, are set free from sin, and are alive to God in newness of life.

These are FACTS.

And so we must, with the ever-present help of the Spirit, remember that sin no longer has a hold on us and that we are alive to God in newness of life—all because of what Jesus Christ has done.

Meditate on these truths! I’ll meditate on them too.

Isaac