Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also ______________________________________________.
There is a new life to live
This lesson marks the beginning of a new series of Bible studies entitled Learning to Live the New Life. According to Romans 6:4 we as Christians are called to walk in newness of life. Unfortunately, within modern Christianity it may be safe to say that the majority of Christians are living defeated lives. Their Christian walk is characterized by repeated attempts at pleasing God followed by repeated failures at doing so. Is this what God has intended for the Christian? Absolutely not!
The idea of a victorious Christian life for some is simply an abstract and distant concept. But God’s desire is that we walk daily in his Spirit and experience daily triumph over this world. God’s plan for the Christian is a life of abounding victory over sin. This is, in essence what is meant by walking in newness of life. For the remainder of this study we will be looking at Romans 6 where we will learn about this new life and how to live it.
The Sacrificial Provision for the New Life
Romans 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; ______________ hath no more ___________________________________. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he _____________________________.
A new life, apart from sin, and for the glory of God, has been provided for us by the death of Jesus Christ. When we say that Jesus died as our subsitute, we are not simply saying that he died in our place, but that we identify with his death. His death on the cross was as if we also died on the cross. God now accepts his death as if it were our death. Before Paul told the Romans about the new life in Christ, he started by explaining this difficult concept.
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized ________________________?
The word baptized here means to be united and identified with. This same idea is used in 1 Cor 10:2 where it is spoken of in regard to the children of Israel and Moses.
1 Cor 10:2 And were all ________________ unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
The Bible says that the men and women of Israel were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the sea. This has reference to God`s miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egypt. The children of Israel followed Moses and watched as God used him to perform powerful miracles to aide in their escape. From this time forth Moses and Israel were united forever. The events surrounding the escape from Egypt left an indellible imprint on all of Israel and has been spoken of for generations ever since.
The history of Israel cannot be spoken of without mention of this man Moses. Israel`s very identity as a nation is tied directly to Moses and the way in which God used him on their behalf. This is the context of 1 Cor 10:2. Israel and Moses became one, never to be separated again.
This illustration can help us to better understand our relationship to Jesus Christ. Look again at Romans 6:3
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Just like the indivisible relationship that was developed between Moses and Israel, we have a new relationship with Jesus Christ that cannot be divided. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we identified with his sacrifice on the cross, we were baptized into his death. The event of our salvation forever changed who we are and the course of our life. His death became our death, and as we will see in a moment, his life became our life. We are now absolutely tied to Christ, never to be separated again. This is what it means to be baptized into Jesus Christ.
This concept is repeated in • Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been ________________________________ have put on Christ.
Although this concept may be hard to grasp, it is very important in understanding the new life which we have in Christ. It is not simply a vague or abstract concept, but it is a real, practical truth that has clear impact on our daily lives.
The Spiritual Power of the New Life
When Jesus died on the cross for us, he freed us from the penalty of sin. Sin no longer has a legal claim to our lives. We are no longer captive to sin, but we are at liberty to live a life free from sin.
• Rom 6:7. Q. What is he that is dead?______________________________.
• Rom 6:6. Q. What is destroyed as a result of our death with Christ?
Q. What should we not do since we have been crucified with Christ?
When Jesus died for us he severed our ties to sin. Within each and everyone of us is a drive and a desire to indulge the flesh and to sin against God. This sinful nature is what was handed down to us from Adam. Before Christ saved us, we were held captive to this sinful nature and could not please God. When we, by faith, accepted Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins, this sinful nature lost it’s dominion and control over us.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have ______________________________: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
In order to fully understand the new life that we have in Christ, we must not stop here. Jesus did more for us than simply severing our ties to sin. Although the old sinful nature still remains within us, we have been given a new nature and the ability to choose between the two.
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his _________________________:
Being baptized into Christ not only means that we identify with his death, but that we also identify with his resurrection. By his death he paid the penalty of sin, but by his resurrection he neutralized the power of sin by giving us the Holy Spirit.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he _____________________ once: but in that he liveth, he _____________________________.
After the Lord died on the cross and rose from the grave, he ascended to God the Father and sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within all believers. Through the Holy Spirit God has provided for us a new nature, contrary to our old sin nature. Now we are not only free from the old sin nature, but we are free to choose to live in the Spirit, or as Romans 6:10 says, to “live unto God”.
The Christian who continually struggles with sin in their lives, is not captive to sin, but has willingly yielded to sin and has failed to yield to the Spirit. With the above knowledge, consider again Rom 6:4.
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The Surrendered Practice of the New Life
When Paul taught the Romans this important truth, he did not stop at simply stating the facts. He encouraged the Church at Rome to take these truths and apply them practically to their lives.
Rom 6:11 Likewise _____________ ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The word reckon here means to “behave as if it were so”. We are not only to understand the truth, but to live as if it is actually true! Paul goes on to show how reckoning this truth would affect their lives.
Rom 6:12 _______________ sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
We are no longer servants of sin, if we obey it we are obeying it by choice and not compulsion. If sin reigns in our lives it is not because it has stormed the throne by force but because we have let it reign!
In September 22, 1862 , Abraham Lincoln issued a presidential order that all slaves under the Confederacy be freed from slavery. This was the law of the land and it applied to all slaves. There were some slaves who heard this proclamation and immediately took advantage of their new found freedom. There may have been others that remained in slavery because they did not hear about the proclamation, but more tragically, there may even have been those who heard the proclamation, but fearing freedom chose rather to remain under their oppressive masters. For the second group simply educating them about their freedom may have set them free, but for the last group there remained nothing that could be done except for they themselves to live like they were free and to walk away from their slave holders.
Some Christians today, like the church at Rome simply need to know that they are free from sin and have the ability to choose the Spirit rather than the flesh. But there are others who know about the free life in Christ but choose rather to remain in sin. The only remedy for this sad state, is for these Christian to turn from sin and to yield to the Spirit. They know the facts, but must reckon it to be so.
• Rom 6:16. Q. Who’s servants are we?
Q. What two masters can we choose between?
The fact is, that every Christian will yield to something. Either they will yield to the flesh or they will yield to the Spirit. There is no neutrality in this matter. One must yield, and he now has the freedom to choose what to yield to.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness __________________: but yield yourselves _____________, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
All of the above is illustrated nicely in the following verse:
1 Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
In this single verse we see 1) that the Christian still faces temptation, 2) that God always provides a way to escape temptation, and 3) it is up to us to choose whether to indulge in the temptation or to take the escape! We escape temptation when we yield to the conviction of the Spirit instead of yielding to our own lusts.
As we live this new life there are two essential tools that are absolutely necessary for us to succeed. The word of God and prayer must be a part of our daily lives or else we are bound to yield to sin. When we read God’s word with a yielded spirit and speak to him daily and continually in prayer we are well on our way to walking in newness of life and being filled with the Spirit of God. When these tools are forgotten we will undoubtedly drift from God and submit ourselves once again to the influence of sin.
Conclusion
We died with Christ, therefore our sin nature has lost the ability to keep us captive. We have also risen with Christ and have received the indwelling Holy Spirit. To live the new life is to continually yield to the Spirit of God.
Yielding to the Spirit and thus walking in newness of life, manifests itself in many different ways. Throughout the rest of this series we will deal specifically with practical areas of life and will examine how yielding to the Spirit in those circumstances will help us to live the new life!
Review
1. According to Romans 6:4, how does God want us to live?
2. How has God made it possible for us to live this new life?
3. What are the two natures that are within the Christian?
4. What are we able to choose regarding the two natures? (Rom 6:13)
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