Grace vs. Sin Series [Part 5 of 5]: Click | View Series

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 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 (Romans 6:12-13).

The Anti-Gospel

In this series, we’ve explored the anti-gospel and it’s effects: sin that leads to death, religion that leads to bondage, mechanical salvation and zombie culture that result in utter hopelessness. The gospel is that the person and work of Jesus Christ makes us alive. We are dead to sin, united with Christ, living under grace.

The Life of the Living

A member of our church recently tattooed “alive” on her wrist to remind herself of the new life she has in Christ. She wanted a physical, visible reminder of who she is in Christ. Life is active. Our living is a proclamation of the grace given through Christ Jesus. We are obedient because of our freedom from sin and death and our enslavement and union to Christ (vv. 17-18).

Obedience from Promise

Our obedience is a result of the promise: For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Because of v. 14 we are able to obey vv.12-13. Resting on the work of grace, we are empowered to not let sin reign and to present ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness.

In conclusion, it’s either obedience to grace or sin, life or death, freedom or bondage, a promise or hopelessness. Praise be to God, who empowers obedience which stems from our identity as recipients of his grace. It’s not who we were or what we’ve done, but who he is and what he’s done that gives us life under grace. And that’s a promise from our gracious God.

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Grace vs. Sin Series [Part 4 of 5]: Click | View Series

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

“Go on, or die”

The American South has a dark history in regards to human slavery. However, there are some inspiring pre-abolition stories. Harriet Tubman, an escaped Maryland slave, had a major role in the secretive movement known as the Underground Railroad. Through this network, Tubman and others were able to liberate numerous captive slaves.

It is reported that on one occasion, as a freed group was heading north to secure their freedom, a man began to lose heart and wanted to return to the plantation in re-submission to his captors. Tubman responded by pointing her rifle at the man and stating, “you go on, or die.” She did so both to prevent the man from losing his one shot at freedom and to protect the integrity of the continued mission of liberation. Choosing to return to bondage would essentially be his death and would cause the death of others. Tubman’s identity as a free woman motivated her mission to bring others to this freedom at any cost.

Freedom Is the New Slavery

Paul addresses spiritual slavery and freedom in Romans 6. He makes clear that all are enslaved either to sin or Christ—there is no middle option. Freedom from Christ is enslavement to sin. Freedom from sin is enslavement to Christ. Slaves obey the one they serve, and in turn become more like their master. The ironic twist for Christians is that our freedom is a different form of slavery: union with the Christ who has set us free.

Obedience in Identity

Our obedience stems from our identity. As slaves to sin, we obey sin, which results in impurity and lawlessness (v. 19), unrighteousness (v. 20), shame (v. 21), and death (v. 23). However, our new identity as slaves to God (v. 22) and slaves to righteousness (v. 18) results in obedience, sanctification (v. 19), and eternal life (vv. 22-23).

This is life in the gospel: not that we obey and thus become slaves to Christ, but that we are slaves to Christ and thus we obey. The command to “present yourselves” is obedience empowered by the liberating grace which binds us to Christ.

To be continued.

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Grace vs. Sin Series [Part 3 of 5]: Click | View Series

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 (Romans 6:5).

Marionette Salvation & Mechanical Faith

When you’re dead, you cannot make yourself alive. However, many buy into Pinocchio-like religion, hoping that something they do on their own can make them alive. The nature of death, however, is the utter absence of life—a hopeless state apart from outside action. Similarly, the late-80’s film Short Circuit featured a robot named “Johnny 5” who pursued knowledge in hopes that the “input” would make him alive. Both view self as the imparter of life, rather than trusting the gracious character of God.

Sadly, this practice is rampant in both secular and Christian circles. Whether it be education, humanitarian causes, or the mechanical “do better, try harder” faith our religious hearts default to, our good deeds and religion replace a humble child-like reliance on a gracious Father. The gospel, however, is that life is given apart from the hopelessness of self-salvation. Christ Jesus imparts life on our behalf.

United with Christ

Although the post-Reformation church focuses on the believer’s status before God as salvation, the pre-Reformation church understood salvation in terms of union with Christ, as Paul addresses in Romans 6:

• We are united in his life, death, burial, and resurrection (vv. 3, 5, 8).
• Since we are united with him, we participate in his triumph over sin and death (vv. 6, 9-11).
• Our present life is a proclamation of the future hope promised to those united with him (v. 4-5).

Life is not imparted by the acquisition of knowledge, whether theological or otherwise. Nor is life imparted by the self-efforts of desire or good works. May we not affirm the hopelessness of self-saving religion. Rather, may we cling to the promise of living under grace.

To be continued.

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Grace vs. Sin Series [Part 2 of 5]: Click | View Series

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? (Romans 6:1-2)

Zombie Culture

Elementary school would have been drastically different for me had it not been for Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Not only was it the most groundbreaking music videos of its time, it was also what introduced me to the concept of zombies. Although numerous books and movies have incorporated zombie culture, my first understanding was that zombies were to dance. In essence, they’re the walking (or dancing) dead. Of course, this is fictitious, for the nature of being dead is that there is absolutely no life at all.

Functional Death

Paul uses the language of “functional” death in Rom. 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” The nature of death is its finality and hopelessness of life again. Those who are living under grace are not to return to the dead state of hopelessness. Playing on this “functional death” imagery, Paul asserts the idea of the living acting like the dead as well as the dead acting like the living.

Dead to sin vs. Dead in sin

Elsewhere, Paul addresses being dead in sin: “You were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). But in Rom. 6:1-2 he addresses being dead to sin. Formerly, apart from Christ, we were dead in our sin. But the gospel is that the dead are made alive by grace through the person and work of Christ. It is common to think that the gospel gives license to sin. The Pharisees in Paul’s day actually thought the gospel led people to sin. Paul speaks differently: not that believers are “functionally dead”—dead acting like the living—but we are truly alive in Christ (v. 8). This means we are no longer dead in sin, but dead to sin (v. 11).

Paul teaches in Romans that life in Christ is deadness to sin. Just as the dead cannot act like the living, the living should not act like the dead. As Christians, we live amongst the walking dead. May we not reinforce the hopelessness of death by affirming zombie-like deadness but rather proclaim the gospel through our lives.

To be continued.

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Grace vs. Sin Series [Part 1 of 5]: Click | View Series

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14).

Grace vs. Sin

Grace is one of the most defining words of the Christian faith. It is at the core of the gospel. Grace is “God’s generous initiative and sustaining faithfulness culminating in the powerful, restorative activity of God on behalf of humanity” (New Dictionary of Biblical Theology). Grace, therefore is a character trait of God that is independent of human influence, yet sufficient and effective in transforming those to whom it is displayed. Scripture uses words such as “lovingkindness” and “favor” to describe grace, and the result is the recipient’s ongoing delight in God.

Conversely, sin is characterized by ongoing delight in godlessness or other-godness: delighting in self or various other idolatries. While the Old Testament concept of sin implies “missing God’s standard,” “iniquity,” “guilt,” “wickedness,” “distortion,” “rebellion,” and “emptiness,” the New Testament furthers the idea by using “debt,” “trespass,” “transgression,” and “injustice” (New Dictionary of Biblical Theology). The core of sin is the ongoing state of corruption, brokenness, bondage, and emptiness.

Hopelessness State vs. Empowering Promise

Sin is in essence an ongoing state of corruption and lack of conformity to God’s standard. Sin manifests itself in various ways, both in wicked acts, idolatry, heart attitudes, and ill-motivated “good” deeds, all of which affects the sinner and others, but most of all defying a holy, gracious God. Sin is enslaving. Sin empties sinners of true humanness and their created purpose.

Foretaste of a Future Reality

In Romans, the Apostle Paul addresses the sinful state of mankind and God’s redemption of them by his grace (Rom. 3:24). His grace restores the empty and hopeless sinner in both action and essence. Understanding that Christ’s mission was to deal with sin once for all, Paul gives believers an empowering promise to live under grace: For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14). This is a proclamation of the person and work of Christ and a declaration for those identified in him. The result is participation in the mission of a new life that displays the promise of grace: a present outworking as a foretaste of a future reality.

The person and work of Jesus Christ informs our identity as Christians, the mission of the church, and the future hope of the kingdom. This series will further explore Romans 6 and the concept that living under grace is not a command, but a promise.

To be continued.

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