Dead with a New Life

23 June 2013 AM – Romans 6:1-7 – Scott Childs

Introduction: (Romans 5:12, 18-21) Adam, the first man, disobeyed and led the human race into sin and death. Christ the God Man provided a way to credit all repentant believing sinners with righteousness. Where sin abounded, God’s grace much more abounded. (6:1-7) Abounding grace is not license to sin!

Transition: God says that if you are a true Christian, your sinful spirit died to sin and rose again to a new life. To make the most of this new life, there are three facts you must believe.

I.              Believe That Your Old Spirit is Dead To Sin (1-3)

A.     From birth, you were alive to sin

1.      You inherited a sinful nature from Adam. No one needs to take sinning lessons to learn to sin.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

2.      Your human spirit (old man) was in union with your sin nature. You were a slave to sin.

B.     Your old spirit died to sin when Christ saved you (2)

1.      Death is separation. What union was separated? Not your body. Not your soul. Your human spirit or old man died and the union with your sin nature was broken.

2.      Paul uses baptism to explain this death.

a)      Note what he tells us (3)

(1)    This baptism was into Jesus Christ.

(2)    Paul and all other believers received it.

(3)    It immersed the believers into Christ’s death.

b)      This baptism obviously took place at salvation.

c)      It is not possible that baptism produces salvation because scores of salvation verses fail to mention baptism. For example:

Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

d)      It cannot here refer specifically to water baptism because it took place the moment of salvation and water baptism takes place after salvation.

Acts 10:47-48 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

Water baptism (as found in the Bible) is always the immersion of one old enough to make his own choice to repent and trust Christ alone for salvation. It is an act of obeying Christ and a testimony of one’s salvation. Infant baptism is not the baptism found in the Bible.

If you have not followed the Lord in water baptism after being saved, you need to do so.

Water baptism is a physical symbol of a spiritual reality. It is an outward expression of an inward work of God. ^{Alan Carr}

e)      This baptism (in Romans 6) is spiritual baptism that takes place the moment of salvation, when believers are immersed into Christ and in the Holy Spirit. God miraculously plunges the repentant sinner into Christ where his sinful human spirit dies to sin and raises again to new life by the Holy Spirit, Titus 3:5.

f)       Your old man (sinful human spirit) is DEAD!

I. First fact – Believe That Your Old Spirit is Dead to Sin (1-3)

II.            Believe That You Can Live a New Life (4-5)

A.     Christ was raised to life by the glory of God

1.      The glorious power of almighty God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

2.      Jesus exercised this power when raising Lazarus.

John 11:40 Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

B.     You can now walk in newness of life by that power

1.      The same glorious power of almighty God that raised Jesus has raised your spirit to walk in a new life.

a)      Your old man was raised a new man by Christ.

b)      Plus, the Holy Spirit came to live in you to give you all the power necessary to live that new life.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

c)      Christ died to break sin’s bondage and your old spirit died with Him and rose to new life.

2.      Now you must choose to walk in that new life by yielding to the Lord in all things.

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

3.      If you are truly saved, you CAN have victory over sin. You CAN break sinful addictions. You CAN conquer lustful thoughts. You CAN control your temper. You CAN fulfil the marital role God gave you. YOU CAN!

1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

4.      When your new spirit is in union with the indwelling Holy Spirit, you CAN have victory over any sin.

C.     It gets even better (5)

1.      If you have truly been implanted in Christ’s death, you will partake in His physical resurrection.

a)      Christ raised your spirit to a new life at salvation.

b)      He also promised you a new immortal body and sinless nature in the future.

2.      Because Christ raised from the dead, all believers will raise from the dead as He did. On that day, the sin problem will be history.

1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

I. First fact – Believe That Your Old Spirit is Dead to Sin (1-3)

II. Believe That You Can Live a New Life (4-5)

III.           Believe That You are No Longer Sin’s Slave (6-7)

A.     Your old man has been crucified with Christ.

1.      Your old human spirit died with Christ. Its union with your sin nature was broken. God gave you a new man. He made you a new creature in Christ. God did this miracle when you trusted Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2.      Your old sinful spirit died with Christ in order that your body of sin (your body that enjoys sin) might be destroyed (lit. rendered idle or inoperable). Without your spirit being in union with your sin nature, your body cannot sin.

B.     The result is freedom from sin

1.      Now that you are saved, you are no longer to serve sin. Before your old man was united with your sin nature. It was in bondage and served as a slave. That union no longer exists. You are no longer a slave to sin.

2.      You are freed from sin. You may now serve Christ.

a)      You now have a genuine choice. If you obey the Lord and the indwelling Holy Spirit, you will not be able to yield to sin.

b)      If you disobey the Lord and the Holy Spirit, and yield to your old sin nature, you will sin.

c)      Your new man or new nature repels this. No Christian can be happy living in sin because the union no longer fits.

Conclusion: If you are a true Christian, believe that your old spirit is dead to sin. Believe that you can live a new life. Believe that you are no longer sin’s slave. If you do not believe these three facts, you will live a defeated life. Why then are some Christians addicted to sins like cigarettes, pornography, immoral thoughts, and anger? If truly saved, they are not enslaved to sin, but they are sinfully yielding to sin.

If you are in bondage to sin, either you are not saved or you are not yielding totally to God and depending fully on the Holy Spirit’s power for victory. If you will believe the facts we learned today and yield to the Holy Spirit each time you are tempted, you can enjoy victory in Jesus Christ.

If you are not saved, trust Christ today and begin a new life of victory.

If you have not been baptised after salvation, come and talk to me about it today.

Song: Victory in Jesus – 496