"THE STEPS OF THE NEW LIFE"
Romans 6:1-14
Many figures of speech are used to describe the Christian life. Sometimes it is called a fight, and we think of the soldier in his armor with a sword in his hand. Or the Christian is depicted as an athlete -- boxing or running. But perhaps the most frequent picture is that of a walker. Seven time over in the Epistle to the Ephesians the believer is told how to walk in Christ.
The walk suggests action, direction and destination. The important thing about a walk, however, is that it is the extension of a step. Every journey starts with the first step, and we must never forget that. Paul reminds us that "as we have...received Christ Jesus as the Lord, so we are to walk ... in Him"; and again, we are to: "walk in newness of life" (Col. 2:6, Rom. 6:4) From Romans 6 we learn about:
I. THE STEPS IN THE NEW LIFE OF LIBERATION
"He that is dead is freed from sin" (6:7)
This chapter opens with a question, "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?" (6:1) In other words, is the grace of God an excuse for sinning? Now, this is an important issue that we must face, if we are to understand the new life in Christ. There are those who believe that as long as they confess their sins to a priest, or a pastor, they can live as they please. Paul condemns this outright. He exclaims, "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (6:2) In other words, the pathway of liberation is not to continue in sin, but rather to live in victory. And so he declares, "He that is dead is freed from sin" (6:7)
1.) The Death of Christ Brings Liberty from the Penalty of Sin -- "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (6:3). To be united to Jesus Christ thru simple faith is to be free from the penalty of sin. Christ died for our sins in order that we might not die. He took the punishment we deserved in order that we might not be punished. To understand this is to be liberated from the wages of sin.
Behind the platform of Faneuil Hall, Boston, stands a large painting of Webster's debate with Hayne, inscribed "Union & Liberty, one & inseparable, now and forever." Preaching in this hall, General William Booth concluded his sermon with a dramatic summation. Turning to the painting, he cried: "Union & Liberty' -- unity with Christ and liberty from sin -- one and inseparable, now and forever." The one standard against sin's slavery is union with the living Christ. There is no spiritual liberty apart from this union.
2.) The Death of Christ Brings Liberty from the Cruelty of Sin -- "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death" (6:4). The Lord Jesus was not only put to death, He was also buried. This is why Paul spells out the gospel by saying, "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Cor. 15:3-4)
This matter of Christ's burial is often overlooked in our preaching, but in Paul's mind there was clearly a divine purpose in the burial of Christ. Not only did it certify His death, and therefore enhance the full significance of His resurrection, but it robbed sin of it cruelty. The grave is a cruel place. Solomon says that "jealousy is cruel as the grave" (Song of Solomon 8:6), but since the burial of Christ we can say with Paul, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor. 15:55). To be united with Christ by faith in His burial is to be liberated from the cruelty of sin.
3.) The Death of Christ Brings Liberty from the Slavery of Sin -- "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 . . . 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" (6:4, 6).
The secret of victory over sin in all of its subtle and multiple forms is that we can be united by faith to a Christ who rose from the dead to become our indwelling Savior and Deliverer. This is what Paul means when he says, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. 2:20). By His indwelling power Christ can save us, moment by moment, from the slavery of sin.
While taking a prisoner from a Guelph, Ontario, correctional center to be arraigned on charges of attempted armed robbery, police constable John Bolton noticed a cross around the neck of the convict. Knowing the man was not religious, he took a closer look. The prisoner attempted to conceal something protruding from the top of the cross. When questioned, he said it was a good luck charm designed to look like a spoon for sniffing cocaine. But Constable Bolton was sure it looked like a handcuff key. By experimentation he found that the protuberance would open most handcuffs. The discovery led to the exposure of an attempt by prisoners in the correctional center to make a number of these cross-keys.
There is a cross that sets men free, free from the bondage of the law, and that cross is the cross of Calvary. Unfortunately many are more concerned about freedom for the body than they are about freedom for the soul. Whether inside or outside prison, all men need the cross that sets us free.
II. THE STEPS IN THE NEW LIFE OF DEDICATION
"Yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God" (6:13). Paul is here using language that would be well understood by his readers in Rome, a city filled with wickedness, corruption and sin. He makes clear that the steps of the new life of dedication must involve 2 things:
1.) The Dethronement of Sin -- "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (6:12). Personifying sin as a king, the apostle says, "Don't let sin reign in your mortal body." In other words, set your mind heart and will against the attempt of sin to occupy the throne of your heart.
This does not mean that we lose our sinful nature while here upon earth. That will happen only when we get to heaven; but it does teach that sin must no longer have dominion over us (6:14). Sin may be dormant but it need not be dominant; sin may be the slave in our lives without being the master. But we must resolutely determine that sin will not rule and reign in our hearts and lives.
Another interesting letter from a reader of the U.S. News & World Report appeared in the March 29 issue. Dolores Enright of Middletown, NJ, wrote in response to an article, "As Drive to Ban Books Spreads in U.S." and had this to say:
"When Representative Norman Lent (R-NY) became aware of the textbook dispute in the Island Trees School District on Long Island, NY, he decided to print excerpts from the books in the Congressional Record, trusting that, if high-schoolers were expected to read them, mature, sophisticated congressmen would hardly find the passages embarrassing. Lent was informed by the Joint Committee on Printing that the material would not be printed because rules governing the Record prohibit inclusion of profanity, obscenity, or extreme vulgarity. Apparently, what is good enough for public- school children is not acceptable for lawmakers."
No further comment needed!
2.) The Enthronement of God -- "Yield yourselves unto God" (6:13) This is both an initial act and a continual attitude. It is the handing over of our total personalities to the sovereignty and authority of God in our lives.
These, then, are the important steps in the life of dedication -- the dethronement of self and the enthronement of God.
III. THE STEPS IN THE NEW LIFE OF OCCUPATION
"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" (6:22).
Having declared that the Christian is a liberated and dedicated person, Paul proceeds to show that the Christian is someone who occupies his time in the service of the kingdom. So he points out further steps in the new life of occupation:
1.) A Loyal Servant Must Own His Master-- "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (6:16)
Quite clearly, 2 masters are personified in the words "sin" and "obedience". As servants, we must choose our master and then serve Him. If we choose Christ, then we must serve Him and no other. Jesus laid down this principle when He declared, "No man can serve 2 masters" (Matt. 6:24). The tragedy is that so many Christians have this double loyalty. Instead of accepting their union with Christ in death, burial and resurrection, and therefore rejoicing in their liberty in Christ for service and fruitfulness, they become spurners of the grace of God and shirkers in the church of God. The true servant of Jesus Christ is the person who has declared, before witnesses, that he is committed to his master forever.
In Exodus 21:1-6 we find these words; "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them. {2} If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. {3} If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. {4} If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. {5} And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free: {6} Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever."
2.) A Loyal Servant Must Obey his Master -- "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto you" (6:17).
In the Greek New Testament, there are 6 words which are translated "servant", and it is significant that the one Paul selects to describe the believer in this passage is the term translated "slave" or "bondslave". Without doubt, Paul had in mind the thousands of slaves who were in the city of Rome.
To such, the very word would stir up a sense of horror, if used without some qualification. But in these verses Paul takes up this word and associates it with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Savior called Himself the bondslave of God. So the Apostle loved to call himself a bondslave of Jesus Christ. In this sense, Paul not only retrieved the word, but redeemed it.
He took all the bitterness out of it, not only for the slaves of Rome, but for every Christian throughout succeeding centuries. When he speaks of obedience to the Master he means an obedience of love.
Obedience must be rendered in terms of doctrine (6:17) "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." and duty (6:22) "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."
CONCLUSION:
So we see what it means to walk in newness of life. It involves steps in the life of Liberation, dedication and occupation. Have you started this walk? Remember, it begins with the first step -- stepping out of yourself and into Christ. This means repentance, faith and obedience -- turning from yourself, trusting in Christ and then taking this new life of Christian liberation, dedication and occupation. Will you take this step right now? If you wills, new life will truly begin.
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