Download HIGHLIGHT: Romans 6:4-11 Week of 7-2-17

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HIGHLIGHT: Romans 6:4-11
Week of 7-2-17
4Therefore
we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a
new way of life. 5For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death,
we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6For we know that our
old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be
abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7since a person who has
died is freed from sin’s claims. 8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will
also live with Him, 9because we know that Christ, having been raised from the
dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him. 10For in light of the fact
that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He
lives to God. 11So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in
Christ Jesus.
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EXPLAIN
Leaders: Feel free to use any of the “Explain” materials to guide discussion as it is needed
or to expound on a certain area of the text as it comes up during your Life Group time, but
the purpose of this section is to deepen your own personal understanding of the Word. Your
members have access to all of this material as well.
The art of rhetoric—or persuasion—is an ancient one which was, in many ways, formally
begun by Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. Many Christian and Secular scholars, alike,
consider Paul’s letter to the Romans to be one of the great masterworks of rhetorical
writing. In Romans, Paul expertly crafts argument after argument to prove that Jesus is the
only means to salvation. In today’s passage, Paul talks to believers, exhorting them to
consider themselves dead to sin so that they can experience the freedom Christ offers.
v.4
One of the most scandalous aspects of Christianity is referenced in this section,
namely that life in Christ comes only after death to self. Paul uses baptism as
an illustration. We are buried as Christ was: momentarily. Baptism expresses
the end of the old life which was governed by the sin we were born into under
Adam, and the new life into which we walk as slaves to righteousness rather
than to sin. The only way to break the bondage into which we were born is to
die; the only way to live unto Christ is to be born anew.
vv. 5-7
Being “joined with Christ” in His death refers to a union that is close-knit. The
phrase Paul uses “exactly expresses the process by which a graft becomes
unified with the life of a tree… The union is of the closest sort, and life from
Christ flows through to him” (Morris). It fits with the imagery Jesus used about
“abiding” in Him. For us to have been born again, we must have died—as
certainly as Jesus did.
Though one day we will be raised physically from a physical death, this refers to
a spiritual resurrection with physical results. Since we have spiritually put our
old selves to death, we are also released from the bondage that our old selves
were under. We’re born again “in the likeness of His resurrection,” meaning
that we no longer resemble our old selves, but the One who raised us. Sin’s
dominion over us is broken because Jesus shattered it.
v.6
“…in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished.” The “old self”
was crucified with Christ—an action that God did in us, not that we did under
our own power. Richard Lenski wrote of this event, “In us there was nothing
even to sicken and to weaken our old man, much less to murder him by
crucifixion; God had to do this.” Because it was not up to us to put this “old
self” to death, there is nothing we can do to bring him to life again.
So if this old, sin-ruled self is dead, why do we still sin? It is important to
distinguish the old self from the flesh. David Guzik attempts to distinguish
these two things this way: “The flesh is a problem in the battle against sin
because it has been expertly trained in sinful habits by three sources. First, the
old man, before he was crucified with Christ, trained and ‘imprinted’ himself on
the flesh. Second, the world system, in its spirit of rebellion against God, can
have a continuing influence on the flesh. Finally, the devil seeks to tempt and
influence the flesh towards sin.”
Perhaps Spurgeon put the distinction most eloquently: “Evil enters us now as
an interloper and a stranger, and works sad havoc, but it does not abide in us
upon the throne; it is an alien, and despised, and no more honored and
delighted in. We are dead to the reigning power of sin.” If, when a believer sins,
he is repulsed by it and seeks to confess it, it cannot be said that he is ruled by
it any longer.
v.11
The HCSB translates the Greek word logizomai as “consider.” This is not an
incorrect rendering, but it may lose some of its impact. To “consider” is to
reckon: adding up everything on one side of a ledger in order to see what it
equals. When someone “considers” themselves to be dead to sin but alive to
God, it means that they are constantly taking stock of the things that they have
“put off” to see if it matches with what they have “put on.” Verse 11 contains
the first imperative in the book of Romans, which was entirely intentional.
Believers must always consider what they are doing to ensure their actions line
up with a life that has been made new by the power of Jesus.
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APPLY
Your Leader Guide will have material that the member guides do not have. The bolded
material is what the people in your group will have, the other material is only for you to
help guide discussion.
This guide can be as strict a script or as general a resource as the leader needs it to
be.
1. What stuck out to you or challenged you in what you heard in the sermon or read
in the text?
2. How does baptism paint a picture of someone who has been born again? Why is
(or isn’t) baptism important?
Do not be mistaken: Baptism is not a requirement for salvation. Salvation comes by
grace through faith in Christ Jesus, alone. However, baptism is a precedent that was
modeled by Jesus, Himself. It is an image of a regenerated life. The old, dead self is
entirely covered by the new, alive self in the same way that the dry person is entirely
replaced by the soaking wet one. Someone who has passed from death to life by the
grace and power of Jesus will be excited to share and demonstrate that publicly! There
is nothing magic about the waters of baptism, but there is immeasurable power in the
Gospel—and great joy in sharing it.
3. Romans describes believers as having been crucified with Christ and joined in
the “likeness of His resurrection.” If you have experienced this—when you once
were dead, but are now alive—describe that moment for us. How does having a
new life affect how you live, think, and interact with people? How you interact
with God?
Take as much time as you need to discuss this. In the same way that seeing someone
publicly profess their faith in Christ through baptism rejuvenates and excites believers,
hearing their stories of life change do, too.
4. If we are no longer enslaved to sin, why do we still sin? What is the difference
between sinning and being a slave to it?
The HCSB Study Bible says this about sin’s claims: “Sin has no claim over a dead
person and can claim no loyalty from him.” Since Paul used imagery of slavery and
abolition, let’s see how that is an apt metaphor for this kind of transformation.
The moment that a slave is freed from his or her master, they are an entirely new
person. The old was in bondage; the new is free. Nothing that they do will change that
standing if they have been legally declared released from their chains. If that person
wakes up the next day and goes back to work for their old master, they are doing it not
as a slave, but as a free person—they have not yet “put off” the thinking that they
were a slave. They may have subconscious views of themselves that have been shaped
by years of slavery, but those thoughts are not harmonious with a completely free
person.
As the newly freed person comes to understand their new life of freedom, they would
need to change the way they think, act, and allow themselves to be treated. This requires
that they “put on” the behavior of a free person—something that would feel pretty
foreign at first.
5. How do you put the desires of your flesh to death? What are things you need to do
to entirely submit your new life to Christ?
Consider what Jesus said about those who would follow Him: "If anyone wants to come
with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). The
emphasis is on daily action. You are declared free by the blood of Christ; we must
acknowledge that, understand it to be true, and live out that faith every day.
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RESPOND
Challenge your group to respond either privately or corporately to this question:
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Take a moment to self-reflect. How do you think people see you? What are aspects
of your life that speak of a life that has been made new? What are actions of the
flesh that you need to put to death?
Encourage one another through email, text messages, or coffee dates throughout the week
to build up and encourage each other.