Class Lesson December 29, 2013

If you could be somebody else for a day, who would you be?

Sin is no longer your master, Christ is.

Through Jesus you became a new person with a new identity.

Your identity is incredibly powerful, whether for financial or citizenship reasons.

Romans 6 recalls the dramatic change that took place at your conversion.

Through Jesus, you have become a new person with a new destiny.

Don’t go back to your old way of thinking; live what God says about you.

This lesson is concerned with the effects of salvation for the present life. 

Salvation is best described in 3 stages:

1. Justification: We are forgiven through our faith in Christ, become God's children and receive a new nature (identity).
2. Sanctification: Describes the process by which we step by step put off sin's hold on our thoughts, decisions, attitudes and behavior. This is what is happening now to Christians who are still on earth.
3. Glorification: Describes the final purification of our new bodies and hearts by living in God's presence when we go to be with Him.

Since you have a new identity in Christ, you don’t have to go back to your old way of thinking and living.

I. EMBRACE YOUR NEW IDENTITY – ROMANS 6:8-11

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him. 10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 


What did Paul mean when he said we died with Christ? What does it mean to live with Him?

• We believers identify with the death and resurrection of Christ in that we died unto sin to be raised to live a new life in Him.
• By His resurrection, Christ defeated death.
• Christ died once for all but lives forever.
• Because of Christ's death and resurrection, His followers need never fear death. This frees you to enjoy fellowship with Him and do His will.

If we’ve been given a new identity, why are we so tempted to serve our old master?

• Our human nature is to be tempted and have fears and doubts.

How is your life different because you are dead to sin and alive to God?

• We have the ability to overcome sin and to grow in righteousness; the life we live, we live to God.
• We do not have to give in.
• As we mature spiritually, we will sin less.
• Our old nature died and is unresponsive to sin, we have a new start!

 

 

 

 

 

 

II. FIGHT SIN – ROMANS 6:12-14

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.



What actions are you taking to deny sin’s power in your life and to grow in Christlikeness?



How does our new identity in Christ help us to face life head on?

III. WALK IN RIGHTEOUSNESS – ROMANS 6:15-18

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not! 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to, 18 and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.


 

What is the point of Paul’s illustration about the relationship of a slave to his master?

• Every person will choose whom he or she will serve – sin or God.
• In Christ, we are set free from sin.

How are you giving yourself over to or entrusting yourself to the kind of teaching that will help you grow in the things of God?




At this point, Paul raised a rhetorical question perhaps asked by Jewish legalists who had befriended Christian believers.

• The question was whether the gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus permitted or even promoted lawless lifestyles.
• If believers are under grace, does sin matter anymore?
• Does the gospel of grace through Christ allow for, if not actually promote, sin?
• If God’s response to sin is grace, isn’t it a good thing to sin and experience the reward of His kindness?
• The actual question was, “Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” v15.

Paul answered point blank.

• “Absolutely not!” v15.
• The idea God’s grace actually encourages sin is completely unreasonable.
• It does no such thing.
• In fact, grace does the opposite.
• In verses 16-17, Paul stressed that grace creates a righteous lifestyle in each person who trusts Christ.
• To illustrate and support his denial that God’s grace encourages sin, Paul asked his readers to consider Rome’s slave market. 
• If a person, perhaps on account of gripping poverty or other desperate need, offered himself or herself to a slave owner, the person then became an obedient slave of the one who now owned them.
• Paul’s point is the exclusive and life-long ownership of the purchased slave.
• He or she had one master for life.

Paul next applied the slave/owner picture to point out similarity to Christian believers.

• God’s people are like slaves in the sense of whom they obey.
• In verses 16 and 17, Paul used four variations of the Greek word for “obey.”
• Clearly he desired to intensify the reality that Christian believers, slaves to Christ, obey their Master.
• Those who trust Christ distinctively mark their lives with following Jesus, thus desiring righteousness over wickedness, purity over evil, right over wrong.
• That’s the Christian’s way all day, every day.

Paul didn’t give any room for something in-between.

• It was either/or without mixture.
• Unbelievers walk the way of “sin leading to death;”
• Christians walk in “obedience leading to righteousness” v16.

What does it look like to be a slave to righteousness?”

• The Christian slave is one who serves Christ freely, wholeheartedly, and gladly.
• The better word for “slave” is “servant.”
• Believers in Christ are those who serve Him while living righteously in an unrighteousness world.

 

 

 

 

How can we put Romans 6 into practice this week?

1. Be certain about your identity in Christ.

• God’s Word says that Jesus died to sin once and for all.
• He broke the curse and made you new.
• Though sin is always enticing, you are a saint in the eyes of God.

2. Form good habits

• Walking in righteousness does not happen by accident.
• Spiritual discipline is essential.
• Evaluate how you spend your time this week.
• Develop a plan to let go of activities that don’t promote holiness and replace them with things that will honor the Lord.

3. Serve Him.

• Serving Jesus is a moment-by-moment lifestyle.
• How will you serve your Master this week?
• Offer every task to the Lord, even the most menial.
• Look for at least one way to lighten the load of another person.
• Pursue the Lord and offer yourself as an instrument of righteousness.

Added Thoughts:


1. When we are under grace the wrath of God is entirely removed from us, so that all God’s action toward us is saving action. All his power flows in the service of His mercy, and not the service of His wrath or punishment. He is for us and not against us. Therefore our chief enemy, sin, will not defeat us. Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” – that is, for those who are “under grace.” And what does this imply about our future? Let Romans 8:31-32 answer: “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” In other words, if God did the hardest thing in justifying us – putting us under grace – at the cost of his Son, then He will do everything necessary to save us, including not letting sin be master over us. Being “under grace” means being out from under wrath. And when we are out from under the wrath of God, all His power stands in the service of His mercy to help do whatever it takes to get us to glory (Romans 8:30). So the first answer is: being under grace guarantees that sin will not be master over us because being under grace means being out from under wrath, and having all the power of God on our side and not against us.



2. When we are “under grace,” paralyzing guilt that makes us hopeless in the fight with sin is taken away. This was my argument from Romans 6:6b-7. So I will not dig into it again here. Notice the last phrase in verse 6: “. . . so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.” That’s the goal we are after in this chapter: real freedom from sinning. Then comes the foundation of this liberty in verse 7: “For he who has died is freed [literally: “justified”] from sin.” Which is the same as saying, “For he is under grace, not under law.” In other words, justification by faith alone is the foundation for not being a slave of sin. Which is another way of saying that being “under grace” is the foundation for not being a slave of sin. And the point I made some weeks ago was that one reason that some people are enslaved to sin is that they feel so hopeless they won’t even make the effort to change. That is what the teaching and the reality of justification by faith alone is meant to overcome. So the second reason we see that being “under grace” guarantees that sin will not be master over us is that being under grace means being out from under the kind of guilt that is so paralyzing and hope-defeating, we don’t even take up the fight with sin.



3. When we are under grace, God is at work in us to will and to do his good pleasure. That’s a quote from Philippians 2:13, but let me show it to you from the immediate context of Romans 6:14-19. The key verse on this point is verse 17: “But thanks be to God . . .” Notice that carefully. What is he going to thank God for? What has God done? “Thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed (literally: to which you were handed over).” What is he thanking God for? He is thanking God for their obedience to the teaching of the apostles. And it is not mechanical, but “from the heart.” This is what happens under grace. When the wrath of God is removed, and paralyzing guilt is taken away, the saving work of God is sanctifying work. That is, God inclines your heart to obey the form of teaching to which the apostles handed you over. “Thanks be to God that you became obedient” from the heart! You see this again in the wording of verse 18. Notice the passive verbs. Who is doing the acting in these verbs: “And having been freed from sin, you became slaves of (literally: were enslaved to) righteousness”? Here again it is God at work. God “freed” you from sin. God “enslaved” you to righteousness. So there are two supports for this third point. When we are “under grace,” God works in us to do His will. That is why sin will not be master over us if we are under grace. We see it first in the words of verse 17: “Thanks be to God that you became obedient.” And we see it secondly in the words of verse 18: We “were freed” (by God!) from sin and we “were enslaved” (by God!) to righteousness. This was God’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.



To sum up, then, we’ve been asking why being “under grace” guarantees that sin will not be master over us. Reason one: because under grace, the wrath of God is entirely removed and the power of God flows to us in saving, helping, keeping mercy, not punishment. Reason two: because under grace, paralyzing guilt is taken away and we are given hope that it is worth it to fight sin. Reason three: because under grace God Himself comes into our lives and inclines our hearts away from sin and toward righteousness.

Final Thoughts

1. Do not jump to the conclusion that when Paul says, “Sin will not be master over us,” it means that we will be perfect in this life. Paul makes plain in Philippians 3:12 that he is not perfect nor has he already attained his goal, but he presses on. He says that we are being changed from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). And when we get to the struggling Paul of Romans 7, who says, “I do the very thing I do not want to do,” we will see that even though he says sin is the culprit (7:20), he takes responsibility for his complicity and says, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (7:24). We will not be perfect until we are transformed fully in the presence of Christ (1 John 3:2). When Paul says that sin will not be our master, he does not mean that the defeated and dethroned foe is driven from the castle at once, but in stages, and the Christian life is to fight that fight and to fight it as those whose victory is sure: “Sin will not sit on this throne.”


2. When you hear that God is sovereign and that He has guaranteed that those under grace will not be defeated by sin, do not jump to the conclusion that the battle is a charade, and nothing hangs on your choices. Don’t say, “Let us sin that grace may increase” (Romans 6:1). Don’t say, “Let us sin because we are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:15). In other words, don’t come to the Bible with the assumption: if it does not depend on what I choose ultimately, it does not depend on what I choose at all. That is man-centered, unbiblical thinking. Rather say, “Since it depends on God ultimately, there is hope that I, a dead and hardened sinner, may choose what is good and live a life pleasing to the Lord. Let the sovereignty of God make you hopeful that change is possible, not passive as if no change were necessary.

3. Finally, realize that Paul is teaching us in this chapter how to live for the glory of God, not the glory of ourselves. That is why God’s action is ultimate and ours is dependent on His. That is why God doesn’t say, “Just do it.” It is why He says, “Because you are under grace, do it.” And: “Because you have died with Christ, don’t do it.” And: “Because you are enslaved to righteousness by God, do it.” “Just do it” is man-centered. Do it because “God is at work in you to do it” is God-centered. Putting it this way keeps the work of God front and center in your life. That is where He will get the glory.



I close with the way Peter put it in 1 Peter 4:11, “Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.



That’s our goal – the glory of God through Jesus Christ. So, know that by faith you are “under grace,” not “under law.” Therefore, sin will not be master of you. Fight it by faith because victory is sure.





Day by day we live the new life in Christ. Living for Christ in this life is to be characterized by daily growing in our victory over the power of sin and growing in the likeness of Christ. The theological term for continuing to grow, or be set apart in Christ, is sanctification. Sanctification is not sinless perfection, as some have claimed. We will not achieve that in this life. Nevertheless, we are to devote ourselves to becoming more like Christ – not just in what we say or claim, but in what we do and in who we are. To grow in Christ, we are to yield ourselves to godly righteousness daily.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord Jesus, You are my Master. By Your grace help me to live for Your glory. Amen.

If you're a Christian, your identity encompasses all the abundance of being a beloved child of God. Here's how you can start living your life fully in Christ, keeping in mind that:



You're a saint. The fact that you've placed your trust in Jesus Christ is enough to qualify you to be a saint. Even though you'll still struggle with sin while you live in this fallen world, your core identity as a Christian is as a saint, not a sinner - and you can always count on Jesus' help to overcome sin in your life. Rely on His help to resist temptation. When you do sin, confess and repent. Maintain attitudes of humility and gratitude for God's grace. You're blessed. God has given you the greatest blessing of all - Himself. No matter what other blessings God may or may not choose to send into your life, you can always be confident that God Himself will be with you, loving you, and working everything in your life out for good purposes when you trust Him to do so. God also brings many different, specific blessings into your life regularly. Make a habit of reflecting on those blessings every day (or every week) and thanking Him for them. You're appreciated. God notices and appreciates every good choice you make throughout your life - even when other people don't. So change the way you live as a result. Exchange grumbling for praying, competing for celebrating, bitterness for thankfulness, performing for serving, and boasting for encouraging. You're saved. Thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, you're saved from: sin, death, Satan, your old human nature, and a pattern of worldly living. You can respond in gratitude to your salvation by doing good works that God has prepared for you to do, to help others discover relationships with Him and help redeem this fallen world. You're reconciled. Jesus has spiritually reconciled you to God and other believers. Since God plans for all Christians - from all the diverse types of backgrounds on Earth - to live harmoniously together in heaven forever, you should do your best to live harmoniously here and now. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be peaceful, humble, and compassionate toward other people. You're afflicted. Everyone in this fallen world - Christians and non-Christians alike - must endure suffering. However, as a Christian, your suffering can accomplish good, redemptive purposes. Rather than asking "Why?" when you suffer, ask "Who?" instead, shifting your focus from trying to figure out something that you may not be able to understand and toward seeking God Himself, who promises to always be with you. Ask Jesus to use the suffering you experience to make you more like Him and point more people to Him. You're heard. God always hears and responds to your prayers when you're connected to Him through Jesus. Feel free to confidently express any of your thoughts and feelings to God at any time, expecting Him to listen to you and answer your prayers according to what's best for you.




Now we are brought to the question that has created confusion for multitudes of Christians: If the works of the law cannot save a person, is it therefore necessary to keep the law? Apparently this was a burning issue in the early church, because Paul asked the same question in Romans 6:1. “Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” In other words, does grace give us a license to disobey the law of God? His answer is: “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (verse 2).



How interesting it is that Christians in this age of relativism can invent their own definitions that condone lawbreaking. The Bible says sin is violating the Ten Commandments—the law which has been described as irrelevant and old-fashioned by many modern theologians. Don’t be deceived. Every one of those great moral precepts is just as timely and needful today as they were when God wrote them on the imperishable tables of stone. And nothing has ever happened to make them less binding than they were when God gave them. In fact, we are going to discover that Jesus came to magnify the law and to open up its spiritual application, making it more comprehensive than the legalistic Pharisees ever imagined. Under the distilling influence of Christ’s perfect life of obedience, we can see the spiritual details of law-keeping which are neither recognized nor made possible apart from Him.





This is the will of God, your sanctification. . . —1 Thessalonians 4:3



The Death Side. In sanctification God has to deal with us on the death side as well as on the life side. Sanctification requires our coming to the place of death, but many of us spend so much time there that we become morbid. There is always a tremendous battle before sanctification is realized— something within us pushing with resentment against the demands of Christ. When the Holy Spirit begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle starts immediately. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate . . . his own life . . . he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26).



In the process of sanctification, the Spirit of God will strip me down until there is nothing left but myself, and that is the place of death. Am I willing to be myself and nothing more? Am I willing to have no friends, no father, no brother, and no self-interest— simply to be ready for death? That is the condition required for sanctification. No wonder Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us falter. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ on this point. We say, “But this is so strict. Surely He does not require that of me.” Our Lord is strict, and He does require that of us.



Am I willing to reduce myself down to simply “me”? Am I determined enough to strip myself of all that my friends think of me, and all that I think of myself? Am I willing and determined to hand over my simple naked self to God? Once I am, He will immediately sanctify me completely, and my life will be free from being determined and persistent toward anything except God (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).



When I pray, “Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,” He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus puts in me— it is Himself in me (see 1 Corinthians 1:30).



To summarize, sanctification is the same Greek word as holiness, “hagios,” meaning a separation.

1. A once-for-all positional separation unto Christ at our salvation.

2. A practical progressive holiness in a believer’s life while awaiting the return of Christ.

3. We will be changed into His perfect likeness—holy, sanctified, and completely separated from the presence of evil.





Question: "What sort of New Year’s Resolution should a Christian make?"


The practice of making New Year’s resolutions goes back over 3,000 years to the ancient Babylonians. There is just something about the start of a new year that gives us the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. In reality, there is no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight on December 31. The Bible does not speak for or against the concept of New Year’s resolutions. However, if a Christian determines to make a New Year’s resolution, what kind of resolution should he or she make?

Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit smoking, to stop drinking, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, in conjunction with exercising more and eating more healthily. These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” The vast majority of New Year’s resolutions, even among Christians, are in relation to physical things. This should not be.

Many Christians make New Year’s resolutions to pray more, to read the Bible every day, and to attend church more regularly. These are fantastic goals. However, these New Year’s resolutions fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions, because there is no power in a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation for stopping or starting that activity. For example, why do you want to read the Bible every day? Is it to honor God and grow spiritually, or is it because you have just heard that it is a good thing to do? Why do you want to lose weight? Is it to honor God with your body, or is it for vanity, to honor yourself?


Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” John 15:5 declares, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” If God is the center of your New Year’s resolution, it has chance for success, depending on your commitment to it. If it is God’s will for something to be fulfilled, He will enable you to fulfill it. If a resolution is not God honoring and/or is not in agreement in God’s Word, we will not receive God’s help in fulfilling the resolution.

So, what sort of New Year’s resolution should a Christian make? Here are some suggestions: (1) pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) in regards to what resolutions, if any, He would have you make; (2) pray for wisdom as to how to fulfill the goals God gives you; (3) rely on God’s strength to help you; (4) find an accountability partner who will help you and encourage you; (5) don’t become discouraged with occasional failures; instead, allow them to motivate you further; (6) don’t become proud or vain, but give God the glory. Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”






I hope that everyone one had a Merry Christmas and that you are giving some thought this Sunday to maybe some New Years' resolutions? Our lesson this Sunday is all about the "Do Over" change that is taking place in you right now. Sounds to me like a New Years' Resolution!


See you this Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan