Kolb’s basement, August 29, 2007
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died has been freed (justified) from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Romans 6:5-10
Submit to Scripture. Do not Make Scripture Submit to You
Some of the most damaging beliefs that have been taught, and spread, and believed throughout church history have risen because of unsubmissiveness to Scripture. The proponents of these teachings, though they may have been correct in a large portion of their theology, were culpably blind at certain points.
The reformers are an example of radical humility to the Bible. In their understanding of the nature of salvation by grace through faith (contrary to the common Catholic teaching) they were amazingly submissive to the truth of the Word of God, despite the cost. However, in several beliefs, the reformers were also guilty of some pride toward the Bible. In their views of issues such as infant baptism and the territorial character of the “visible church” they closed their eyes to Bible’s teaching and were unwilling to counter traditional thought or retract their previous positions. The effects of this are still crippling the Church.
Especially when studying difficult texts like Romans six, we must exercise true humility. The temptation is strong to cling to an interpretation when evidence contradicts it. This temptation is grounded in pride. It is painful to acknowledge that we are incorrect (teachers particularly) or to change our understanding when what we previously thought seemed to sound better.
For some of us, the concepts we have been finding in these verses are new. Be careful not disregard them for that reason only. Justification by faith was new to the bulk of the sixteenth-century church. But perhaps more importantly, we must not hold so tightly to these somewhat new ways of viewing these passages that, if we begin to see that they are wrong, we will close our eyes to the truth. Even though I do not think we need to change our current view of Romans six, I think we must consciously be willing to do so if such a change is necessary. The Word of God is the authority; we submit to it. So, tonight, let’s approach this Word humbly.
When Does Baptism into Christ Happen?
Last week after Bible Study, some one brought up a very helpful question. “At what point are we unified with Christ—at conversion, at His death, or some time in eternity? And did Old Testament people like Abraham and David die with Him even though he had not died?” I am answering this question now because it will help us to more fully understand how to think of union with Jesus.
Here is the simple answer: believers were united to Jesus when He lived on earth, died, and was raised. Imagine a timeline out in the middle of floor. Somewhere here in the middle (around 30 AD) your unification with Christ as your representative began. Jesus’ death is like an oak tree that grows out of our timeline. Its roots and trunk are historically grounded on Golgotha at 30 AD, but its branches spread out and overshadow all of history and all of the future. So David and Abraham before, and we after, receive the effects of this historical life, death and resurrection because, like the tree, it spreads over all of time.
We should not primarily think of dying and living with Jesus individualistically, though we should not lose that aspect. We should rather think of it corporately. In the work of Christ, all believers as a body (not simply as individuals) were immersed into Him.
Life is the Point, and Life is Certain
In verses five through ten, Paul absolutely devastates the idea that this chapter began with—that we should sin so that grace would increase. He does this by proving the unalterable certainty of resurrection with Christ for those who have died with Christ. “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection.” When Paul uses the future tense (certainly we shall be in the likeness of His resurrection) he is not mainly concerned with future resurrection in the last day, but is making a logical argument. I could say something similar: “you knocked on the door so that you could enter this house. For those that knock on the door shall enter the house.” Those who die with Christ shall (logically) be raised with Him to newness of life.
Do you see the massive weight of this argument? If Paul proves that resurrection (or, “walking in newness of life” in verse four) is a definite result of death in Jesus, the thought that we could live in sin for any reason is utterly incongruous.
Knowing This
Before arguing fully for why resurrection is certain, Paul reestablishes some facts we already know from verses three and four. “. . . knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin . . .”
“. . . our old self was crucified with Him . . .”
Note how this parallels with verse four. “We have been buried with Him through baptism into death . . .(v. 4)” and, “. . . our old self was crucified with Him . . .(v. 5)” In His crucifixion, Christ legally represented us. In God’s eyes, we died with Him in His death.
“. . . that our body of Sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin . . .”
This is the reason for our crucifixion with Jesus—newness of life. Again the link with verse four is clear. “. . . so that we to might walk in newness of life (v. 4).” and “. . . that our body of Sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin . . .(v. 6)”
The core part of believers’ resurrection in the future will be full freedom from sin resulting in true worship and true joy. But even now, though God has chosen to delay its completion, resurrection with Christ has occurred for the elect. Our sinful, fleshly, Adam-saturated self has been made new. And we are no longer slaves untiringly constructing Sin’s kingdom. We know this: we were joined with Christ in death in order to be joined with Him in life.
Justification: the Basis of Resurrection
Paul has been building an argument against the idea that we should sin so that grace might increase. But one critical link is missing. From verses two through six, we know that we have died with Christ and that death will certainly result in resurrected life no more dominated by Sin. But why is it that is this resurrection is so irreversibly certain?
Verse seven is the answer—and the answer is enormous. “For he who has died [with Christ] has been justified from sin.” (Many translations say “freed from sin.” This is due perhaps to the translator’s interpretation of the whole passage. Every other place that Paul uses this word it is translated “justified,” as it should be here.)
Here is the truth that undeniably confirms the reality of our resurrection and our inability to live in sin: the elect, who have died with Christ, are justified. This might be the most important statement in the first half of this chapter. The Church died with Jesus in His sin-bearing, death-crushing, crucifixion and therefore it stands before the Holy Judge righteous and alive in His only Son. Because death is broken, Sin’s grip is loosed and we are certainly in His resurrection.
The Life of Christ Proves the Life of the Church
The fact that resurrection unquestionably follows our death in Christ is so victorious, and sin-denying, and decisive in refuting any abuse of justification, that Paul proves it again in verses eight through ten, but in a somewhat different way. “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”
Before, Paul used the logic of verse seven. Now Paul is appealing to concrete evidence; evidence he had experienced first-hand. It is as if he is saying, “Look at Jesus. He lives! Death is no longer His master. The power of sin and death is shattered. For the very death that Christ died on the cross under the mastery of sin and death, was a death against sin and death. By being overpowered by sin and death, He was overpowering sin and death. And if He, our representative is raised and lives to God, we most certainly live to God in Him.”
Summary
-Unification with Christ is corporate and began in His historical life, death and resurrection. Like an oak tree it overshadows all of time.
-Paul proves the resurrection of believers (newness of life, freedom from sin) in order to do away with the argument that we could continue in sin that grace might increase. He does this in two ways.
1. Those who have died with Christ have been justified. And because the wrath of God is satisfied, sin and death have no power over the Body of Christ (v. 5-7).
2. Jesus Christ lives, proving evidentially that He and all who are in Him are raised (v. 8-10).
Bryan Elliff © 2007
