Romans 6
COMMENTARY:
: 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. (2538 “newness” [kainotes] means a state of being different, new life, new spirit, freshness, or life of new quality.)
DEVOTION: Change is what takes place once we make a commitment to Christ. Our old self is dead. Our new self has come alive through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
The illustration that is give is that of baptism. We believe that baptism is by emersion in water. Our whole body is put under the water to show the end of the old life and the beginning of the new life in Christ.
I had one lady who was afraid of the water who held her hand on the glass in front of a baptismal pool in a Baptist church. I was told after this happened that I had to baptize her again because the hand wasn’t buried with Christ. She is still living for the LORD so I didn’t put her into the pool again.
The symbolism of water baptism is used here to show that once we have made a commitment to Christ we have to take a second step of obedience to show the public that we mean business with God. It is not part of our salvation but it is an outward sign of an inward change.
We are given a new life in Christ to live for HIM the rest of our time here on this earth. This means giving of our time, talent and treasure to HIM to show that we are thankful for the gift of eternal life HE has given us. It doesn’t earn us more salvation. It doesn’t make us more spiritual than others. It is a step to honor the LORD.
Our thinking has to change in relationship to all the things we did before we became a believer. Our upbringing, even in a Christian home, might not be pleasing to the LORD. We have to check out our parents instructions from the Word of God to see if they were accurate. If they were than live them. If they were not, then change to agree with the Word of God. No parent is perfect in their instructions in the Word of God. The Bible is inerrant. What it says is truth!!!
CHALLENGE: Do you see a freshness in your life that wasn’t there before you became a believer? If not, ask the LORD for a gift of fresh oil from above. Let the Holy Spirit change you!!
: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (4957 “crucified with” [sustauroo] means together with, become crucified along with another or others, to impale in company with, or one who I snailed to the cross with one or more persons.)
DEVOTION: We don’t think that we are slaves to anything. Sometimes children think that they are slaves to their parents. The parents tell them to clean their room. They tell them to do their homework. They give them chores to do around the house. It seems like these things never end. The problem is that children are usually the ones who make the messes in their rooms and leave their things around the house that need to be picked up.
Remember that whether we are children or adults who have become followers of God we still have at least two traits that we bring into our new life in Christ. We bring in our laziness and our selfishness. It is hard to get rid of these two areas of our life.
However, we are no longer slaves to these things. We can overcome with the power of the Holy Spirit working in our life. We have to pray each time Satan tempts us to be selfish or lazy when it comes to helping our parents or others. God wants us to be servants that are pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Service starts at home and then goes to the church and then into the community. If believers are faithful in their service to the LORD people will notice and praise the God we serve.
: 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (3936 “yield” [paristemi] means to stand beside, assist, bring before, provide, or to place a person or thing at one’s disposal.)
DEVOTION: Choices!!! We make choices each day. We have to decide what time to get up each morning. We have to decide what to wear. We have to decide what to eat. We have to decide if we are going to follow the LORD each morning. We make thousands of decisions each day. Some of our decisions we consider physical and other spiritual. However, each decision deals with our spiritual life.
Paul is trying to get a point across to the Roman Christians. What is his point? He wants them to realize that every decision is a spiritual decision. Each decision affects their spiritual growth. He wants them to realize that they are dead to sin. They are no longer slaves to sin. They are no longer slaves to unrighteousness.
They are buried with Christ in baptism. They are raised to newness of life. This new life makes them slaves to righteousness. They have to ask the LORD for guidance for their decisions to be righteous decisions. Some of the decisions we make regard our service to the LORD. Too often we don’t think these thoughts. Are we using our gift to serve the LORD? Many use the excuse they don’t know their spiritual gift but they are not really trying to find it. They would rather sit, soak and sour in the pews of the church rather than serve the LORD. Some of these individuals are not saved. Many say they can’t witness or visit other in the name of Christ but that is another excuse. God has given them the Holy Spirit to help them in these areas. We are the only witnesses and servants that the LORD wants to use in our world. If we are not doing it, who will?????
Our first yielding was when we chose to follow the LORD. Now we make an hourly choice to be servants of righteousness. Each day is a new day to serve the LORD. The list is long regarding our salvation. We used to be servants of sin. We now are to be servants of righteousness. Each moment we make that choice. We are still tempted by three items: the world, the flesh and the devil. Our old nature is still in us until we die. The two natures are fighting for control.
The Holy Spirit within us gives us strength for this daily battle. It is great to know that when we fail, the LORD lifts us up again to fight another day until we die. Should we fail on purpose? Should we sin so that we can receive more grace? This chapter says NO!! We need to have the strength of the LORD through the disciplines of the faith each day. Are we practicing them?
CHALLENGE: Remember to thank God each morning for HIS new mercies. We need them. Then pray for the LORD to give you strength to make the right decisions throughout the day. HE will give you strength and wisdom, as long as, you ask HIM for them.
: 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace. (2961 “dominion” [kurieuo] means rule, be master of, to govern, be lord of, dictate, to exercise influence upon, or have power over.)
DEVOTION: Dominion is something that is important each day of our life. Each morning we have to make a decision regarding our relationship to obedience to the LORD. It is not an easy decision because we have to work at our relationship. The enemy is real. He wants us to yield to him and sin. God wants us to yield to HIM and with HIS power conquer sin in our life.
The Law of Moses was given to show all of us what sin really is in the eyes of the LORD. There are many laws that the Israelites had to follow that dealt with dietary laws and ceremonial laws that we are not required to obey.
However, the Ten Commandments are still in effect today to show us that we are sinners because we can’t keep them all. We break them even after we become believers. God wants us to know that we are sinners and that HE is one who forgives our sins. HE knows that we can’t live sinless lives while we are here on this earth. HE gives us grace each day. HE gives us mercies that are new every morning.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor. This is given to us because of the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross. We didn’t earn HIS unmerited favor, it was given as a free gift because of HIS love for us.
We are not allowed to let sin have dominion over us. If we start “living in sin” HE will send chastening into our life to correct this. If we don’t let chastening correct our sin then he will send weakness or sickness to get our attention. Then if we are still not listening to HIM and we are genuine believers HE can sent pre-mature death.
CHALLENGE: HE wants us to bring glory to HIS name.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Lawverses 14, 15
Doctrineverse 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Fatherverse 4
Glory of the Fatherverse 4
God verses 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 22, 23
Gift of Godverse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Jesusverse 3, 11, 23
Christverses 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 23
Jesus Christverses 3, 11, 23
HIS deathverses 3, 5, 8, 10
Resurrection verses 4, 5, 9
Death has no more domino over HIMverse 9
Lives unto Godverse 10
Lordverse 11
Jesus Christ our Lordverses 11, 23
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
God forbidverses 2, 15
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Mortal bodyverse 12
Menverse 19
Infirmity of fleshverse 19
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sinverses 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 12-18, 22, 23
Old manverse 6
Lustsverse 12
Instruments of unrighteousnessverse 13
Sin unto deathverse 16
Servants of sinverses 17, 20
Servants to uncleannessverse 19
Servants to iniquityverse 19
Free from righteousnessverse 20
Wages of sinverse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Graceverses 1, 14, 15
Dead to sinverses 2, 4, 7, 11, 12
Baptized into Jesus Christverse 3
Buried with Christ in baptismverses 3, 4
Walk in newness of lifeverse 4
Planted together with Christverse 5
Old man is crucifiedverse 6
Body of sin is destroyedverse 6
No longer serve sinverse 6
Freed from sinverses 7, 18, 22
Live with Christverse 8
Reckon dead to sinverse 11
Alive unto Godverses 11, 13
Instruments of righteousnessverse 13
Yield self to Godverse 13
Not under lawverse 14, 15
Obedience unto righteousnessverse 16
Thank Godverse 17
Obeyed from the heartverse 17
Doctrineverse 17
Free from sinverses 18, 22
Servants of righteousnessverse 18
Servants of righteousness unto holinessverse 19
Fruit unto holinessverse 22
Servants to Godverse 22
Everlasting lifeverses 22, 23
Gift of Godverse 23
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Baptizedverses 3, 4
Last Things (Future Events)
Deathverse 21
Everlasting lifeverse 22
Eternal lifeverse 23
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