Christ Church

Romans 6:1-14

Joe Harby on

The Text

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? . . .” Romans 6:1-14

Not Under Law

You, no doubt, have at some point in your Christian life heard the last verse from this passage quoted at you completely out of context. “You are not under law, but under grace.” This is usually extracted from the text, without regard to what went before, in order to free you from legalism. But I’d like to argue that it is intended to do something far better. It’s intended to free you from sin.

Sin That Grace May Abound?

First, we should note the question that Paul is trying to answer. Does God’s grace free us to live in sin? Paul’s answer to this has to do with the nature of our salvation. We were saved by being united with Christ (v. 5). This union was declared in our baptism.

Dead to Death, Alive to Life

Paul describes here what our pre-Christ self was like. He was an old man, a slave to death itself. When death spoke, the old man jumped. The power of death is sin, via the law (1 Cor. 15:56). But God’s great victory came when he took that old man’s strength and used it against him, conquering the old man with the death of Christ. And when Christ conquered death, he brought all who were united to him to new life.

Not Under Sin, But Under Grace

With death dead, the power of the old man is gone. The power of the law, which once drove us to sin, is gone. We now live a new life, in the new man. And this new man has no business returning to the grave of the dead man for orders. Because of the conquest of death, on that first Easter morning, you now have the right to walk out of this church as a living man, a free man, free of the chains of sin, free of the fear of death.

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Ephesians: The Perfect Man

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The Text

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (Eph. 4:1-16).

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Ephesians: Rooted

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For This Reason (v. 14-16)

Paul is entering into a conclusion for the first half of the book of Ephesians. The preceding three chapters have taught us about the new family to which we, through the Son, now belong. And Paul concludes form this that we ought to be doing two things. The first is that we ought to be worshipping God. The second is that we ought to receive the strengthening of the inner man from the Holy Spirit.

Rooted (v. 16-17)

Now Paul expands on the nature of this strengthening. First, we must constantly remind ourselves that the strengthening of the inner man is revealed in a way that only the eye of faith will see (2 Cor. 4:16-18). Second, we should note that this is a gift from God, not something that we strive to create in ourselves. Third, we should realize what the revelation of God’s glory looks like. The fear is always that God’s concern for his glory makes him a self-centered megalomaniac. But, here we see that God’s glory is revealed in his goodness to us.

That You Might Know (v. 18-19)

The aim of giving this gift is to see us have two things – a knowledge of what it is that God has done for us and, by that knowledge, a deep confidence in our salvation. God desires that we have confidence that establishes us like a try rooted deep into the earth and able to withstand great storms.

This is what happens when you meditate on God’s word daily as the man in Psalm 1 does. You become rooted, established, founded, convinced. Your meditating on the promises of God is a chance for God to argue daily your doubts out of you.

Glory (v. 20-21)

All of this is the work of God, “. . . to him who is able to do.” He is the power that works in us. This has all been a description of the work which God works. So what is left for us to do? We worship.

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Ephesians: The Mystery of One Body

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Paul’s Suffering is the Gentiles Glory

Paul introduces and closes this section with a reference to his being in prison specifically because of the Gentiles (v. 1 and 13). But he says that this imprisonment is good for them, it’s their “glory” (v. 13). How so?

The Mystery

The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians are packed tightly with a number of different images that Paul uses to describe our reconciliation with God. Paul describes this reconciliation as a mystery that was being unfolded (1:9-10). This means that throughout the OT this was being hinted at, but not directly said. And part of this mystery was the inclusion of the Gentiles (Eph. 3:4-6 and 9). It was clearly prophesied. And yet it was so incredible, so unthinkable that the Jews who poured over these prophecies still could not see this coming. In fact, we are told that even the angels didn’t see this coming (Eph. 3:10).

One Body

And the thing that they are brought into is one body (v. 6). Jews and Gentiles, heaven and earth, are brought together into one body. If you think about it for a moment then you start to realize that the “one body” might be more than just an image. It is actually, literally one body. It’s Jesus. Jesus is God become man, heaven reaching out to earth, life having the victory over death, sinners reconciled to God.

A Book of Mysteries

This ridiculously complex mystery was all wrapped up in this book. And you can read and read and study and study and you cannot exhaust the depth and profundity of this mystery.

A Future Mystery

The mystery that unfolded was still a mystery until it unfolded. And that means that though it was promised, it was utterly incomprehensible until that moment that it unfolded. The mystery of how God would achieve salvation through the incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection of his Son was once a mystery and is now a clear fact. But we live in the face of another mystery. Where do we go after we die? God has told us. He has made promises about it. And yet it is still a mystery. God record in the past should give us peace in trusting in this promise.

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