Sermon Tone Analysis

One of the sayings I hated the most when I was in school, was when my high school teacher would ask me to do some school assignment and I would answer “I can’t,” to which she would reply, “Can’t never did anything.”

I did not fully understand that response until I had kids of my own.

Until I was in the position of teacher (home school) and I asked my child to do some particularly hard assignment or problem.

They get that look of despair in their eyes and yell out, “Dad, I can’t.”

Guess what my response is? “Can’t never did anything.”

What am I really saying?

“That is not true!”

Your biggest problem son is that you are believing a lie.

I know you can do it, and that is why I am pushing you so hard.

Sometimes, as believers we have this same problem when it comes to sin.

Pastor, I have a sin problem in my life, and I can’t stop.

I can’t stop living in sin.

This was the problem that Paul wanted to deal with in Romans 6.

Paul introduced this problem in v. 1

Then Paul pointed out the absurdity of a true believer even asking the question, “are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” by reminding us of our identity.

Paul vividly reminded us of our identity by calling our attention to our water baptism.

Our water baptism identified us with Jesus Christ, that we are untied to Christ through our salvation, and that we share in the benefits of his death, burial, and resurrection.

How can such a person, who identifies as one who is untied to Christ and all of the benefits of such a union, even consider the idea of continuing in sin?

The very idea is ludicrous!

Now Paul, continuing to address the issue of believers continuing in sin that grace may abound, explains to us how our identification with Christ and all its glorious truths works itself out practically in our lives to kill sin.

Paul wanted the Roman Christians to stop living under the domination of sin.

We must stop living in sin because sin no longer dominates our lives.

How do we stop living under the domination of sin?

I want us to look at three steps that will enable us to stop living under sin’s domination.

Step #1

I.

We must KNOW the full implications of our death with Christ (vv.

6-10)

The first step to killing sin, to stop sins domination over us- is to KNOW something.

This is an often repeated theological pattern in Paul’s teaching.

Paul never jumps to imperatives in his teaching.

Paul never simply says, “Well, just stop living in sin.”

Paul first teaches the theological foundation for why we can kill sin, why we can break the domination of sin in our lives.

And the first step is to KNOW theology.

This is why you find so many defeated Christians.

Because, we are by our nature lazy.

We want the quick fix.

We want to just swallow a pill and go on our way.

So many Christians are not willing to really KNOW theology.

But, the first step to stop living under the domination of sin is to deeply and thoroughly COMPREHEND doctrine.

We must really know truth, it must abide in us, it must dwell in us richly with all wisdom.

This takes sweat, this takes mental fortitude, this takes concentrated study and meditation.

And what is it that Paul wants us to know?

A. Our old man was crucified with Christ (vv.

6-7)

6τοῦτο γινώσκοντες

We know

ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη,

that our old man was crucified together with Him,

ἵνα καταργηθῇ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἁμαρτίας,

in order that the body (my whole person) of sin (sin corrupted faculties) might be rendered powerless (impotent)

τοῦ μηκέτι δουλεύειν ἡμᾶς τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ·

with the purpose that we would no longer serve sin;

We KNOW

v. 3- You ought to know because of what your baptism identified you with!

V. 6- We know (pres, act, part)- restating the truths he introduced in v. 3-5 and expounding on them.

This is what we need to know presently, and continue to know into the future.

The doctrine that Paul wants us to know is the doctrine of our death with Christ.

Understanding deeply this theology is essential to breaking the domination of sin in your life.

What specifically do you need to know about your death with Christ?

6τοῦτο γινώσκοντες

We know

ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη,

that our old man was crucified together with Him

You must know that because of your union with Christ, you share in the benefits of the death of Christ.

And here Paul gives us further details of this benefit.

Because we of our death together with Christ- our old man was crucified together with Christ.

What does it mean that our old self/man was crucified together with Christ?

Firstly, it means that positionally God sees our old self/man as crucified with Christ.

So, in the eyes of God, our position is that when Christ was crucified on the cross, our old self/man was crucified right along with Him.

In Rom 6 6 Paul does not say WE have been crucified with Christ, but our old man has been crucified with Christ.

Much confusion surrounds the identity of our old man.

The doctrine of the “old man” and the “new man” does NOT refer to two natures

Incorrect Doctrine

Why?

Romans 6:6 (ESV)