Lesson 80

The Christ-Centered Life

The Foundation is our Position in Christ - Rom 6

We were reviewing the purposes for the death of the old man, all that we were in Adam.

1. The First Purpose of the Death of the Old Man/Self; being crucified with Christ is "that our body of sin might be done away with."

2. The second purpose for the old man's crucifixion with Christ is "that we should no longer be slaves to sin."

3. The Third Purpose of the Death "in order that...we too might walk in newness of life."

"in order that...we too might walk in newness of life."

- Verse 5 explains why this walk in newness of life is possible.

- We're new creatures/creations, having a new nature [regen], having the Holy Spirit indwelling;

- Thus, the third purpose of our death with Christ states that when we die with Christ our sin nature loses its position of master over us, and we loose our position of slave to that nature.

4. Rom. 6:7 Gives us the Result of our Death with Him

Here Paul states that one of the results of our death with Christ: the person who has died, that is with Christ, "is freed from sin."

This statement of Paul prompts an important question.

In what sense is the person who has died with Christ freed from his sinful nature?

At least four different answers to this question have been proposed.

#1 some say that, when the person dies with Christ, he is freed from the presence of his sin nature.

#2 Others claim that the person who has died with Christ is freed from the power or influence of "sin."

#3 Thirdly, a number of scholars believe that Romans 6:7 is teaching that, when a person dies with Christ, God judicially declares him to be free from the guilt, penalty, and judgment of sin.

- In spite of this more normal usage, however, we must reject this third view for several reasons.

- There is a fourth view, maintained by a number of scholars, which asserts that we who have died with Christ have been freed from the sinful nature itself, in the sense that we have lost it as our master.

Basis for this being the correct interpretation;

- 1st This view fits best with the master--slave analogy which Paul uses in this context.

By analogy Paul is teaching that the sin nature holds the legal position of master over the unregenerate man, and the unregenerate man holds the position of slave under his sin nature.

This master-slave relationship is terminated by our identification with the death of Christ.

At that point we died with Christ and are freed from our sin nature in the sense that it loses its legal position of master over us.

- Secondly, this view gives Rom. 6:7 the meaning which most logically explains the last clause of Romans 6:6: "that we should no longer be slaves to sin."

The very fact that Paul's readers have a new master implies that their sin natures have ceased being their master.

Ø 6:8-10 Result/expectation from having died with Christ

The emphasis here is on Current Positional Truth, CPT.

6:8 Now if [since, 1^cc] we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him;

- What's the key here?? We believe! For any of these truths to have the impact in your life that God intends, YOU must believe them, YOU must have faith in what God has said!

The emphasis here is on the provision for our life now as believers.

We now have the capacity because of this identification to walk in newness of life with Him.

That is, our new life imparted to us at the moment we believe is Christ's; we live therefore by means of Him! How is that? Through the Word in us, or as James put it the engrafted word Gal 2:20

Recap what Paul is saying here:

6:8 Because it is true that we died with Christ, we shall also live with Him! Our spiritual life is derived from Christ, totally.

Ø 6:9 Our Confidence in time is related to what we know about Christ's death, cross!

"Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.

- He reminds us of the fact of His resurrection here because his focus for each of us is to know and believe that we also died and were raised with Him; so that we can walk in newness of life.

- We need to remember that we share His resurrection life, its eternal life;

Ø 6:10. For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. [set pattern]

He not only paid the penalty for our sins but that He has broken the power of sin [i.e. sin nature]!

- What's the kind of life that He lives? in fact will always live!