Romans 6: Walking in the newness of life in CHRIST
- LifewithJesus
- Jul 19, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Jul 21, 2024
Romans 6:4 NKJV
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6 is a blessed and interesting Bible scripture to be read; as a new convert or not, actually the whole book of Romans is. Romans 6 was addressing the Christian’s in Rome. And it’s also an address to us to enlighten us to really understand the newness of life in CHRIST JESUS we are born again into to live and walk.
So let’s go ahead and break down Romans 6 into parts and points:
Dead to Sin and Alive in and for CHRIST
Paul had established by the help of the HOLY SPIRIT in the previous chapters that as Christian’s, we are no longer under law but grace and that the grace of God covers all our sins.
And then he starts chapter 6 by saying, since we are saying we are dead to sin and are freed from the penalty of sin, should we then continuing sinning just because we are covered by grace?
Romans 6:1-2 NKJV
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
Absolutely not, it’s not a call to live a careless unholy unrighteousness life; no; Paul’s goal was trying to emphasize that sin no longer have power over us; meaning that before we came to Christ we had no power to stop sinning; even if we said we won’t sin, we always found ourselves sinning; but now we have power of the HOLY SPIRIT at work in us through JESUS CHRIST to stand over and have dominion over sin. Now we aren’t just dead to sin and sin no longer have dominion over us but we have be saved and alive in JESUS, to and for JESUS CHRIST.
And this is the life GOD has called and empowered us to live; a sin-free life, holy and righteous life.
Romans 6:1-11 answer the question of why we can no longer sin since we became a Christian and he answer it by giving two points:
Because we are:
Dead, dead to what? to sin
And alive, alive for what? to live and walk in the newness of Life we have in CHRIST JESUS
So lets look at two points because they go hand in hand.
What does the Bible mean when it says we were immersed into union with JESUS death and we were also raised with him?
Romans 6:3-4 TPT
“Or have you forgotten that all of us who were immersed into union with Jesus, the Anointed One, were immersed into union with his death? Sharing in his death by our baptism means that we were co-buried with him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with him. We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life.”
What does it mean to be dead to sin?
Paul establishes a fact that as Christian’s when we become born again; we died to Sin, so we can’t continuing sinning. We experienced a spiritual death to sin, we took part in the death of JESUS CHRIST; that our old man, old self, sinful unrighteous self died with JESUS CHRIST. He said we took part and were immersed into the death of JESUS CHRIST.
We became free from the captivity/bondage of sin and further down it says that we are no longer slaves of sin because we became dead and dead men are free from their old masters.
Romans 6:5-6 TPT
“For since we are permanently grafted into him to experience a death like his, then we are permanently grafted into him to experience a resurrection like his and the new life that it imparts. Could it be any clearer that our former identity is now and forever deprived of its power? For we were co-crucified with him to dismantle the stronghold of sin within us, so that we would not continue to live one moment longer submitted to sin’s power.”
Our old life, old man literally died.
Now Paul further explained that if we died with Christ, we also took part in HIS resurrection.
JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS, when we become born again; we take part in the death of JESUS CHRIST to our old man, sin; yes but also JESUS CHRIST was also resurrected on the third day after HE died HE came back to life; we also took part not only in the death but resurrection of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. When we also became born again, rebirth, a new man.
Romans 6:8-9 NKJV
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.”
Romans 6:10-11 NKJV
“For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So not only am I immersed into death to sin but also immerse into union of being alive resurrected into the fullness of life with JESUS. So we aren’t just dead to sin and the law; we have become alive in CHRIST and to CHRIST.
Romans 7 amplifies this thought all together; when we were sinners our old man/life
Romans 7:4 NKJV
“Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”
Romans 7:5 NKJV
“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.”
Romans 7:6 NKJV
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”
II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV also speaks about the fact that we are literally new creatures when we became born again; our old man has been crucified with Christ, dead and we are alive in the holiness and righteousness of God. So how can we continue to live in sin?
II Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Colossians 1:21-22 NIV
“Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—”
Okay so I’ve been made whole, new; this new life of authority, dominon, righteousness in CHRIST JESUS is for what purpose then?
After Paul establishes the truth that we are dead to sin and have been freed from the penalty of sin; we still have a daily choice to make to not sin which is possible because we have the dominion and power over sin. That’s why Paul went ahead to still tell us to not conform over to the lust of sin because the desire to sin is something we haven’t fully lost.
Romans 6:12-13 NKJV
“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Romans 6:12-13 TPT
“Sin is a dethroned monarch; so you must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life, controlling how you live and compelling you to obey its desires and cravings. So then, refuse to answer its call to surrender your body as a tool for wickedness. Instead, passionately answer God’s call to keep yielding your body to him as one who has now experienced resurrection life! You live now for his pleasure, ready to be used for his noble purpose.”
We have dominion over sin; we have the power to say no to sin, we are no longer governed by law but by the grace of God.
Romans 6:14 TPT
“Remember this: sin will not conquer you, for God already has! You are not governed by law but governed by the reign of the grace of God.”
So this new life we have been resurrected into has a purpose, and this is the most important part, we became free from the power of sin and alive for a purpose; to Answer Gods call to a Holy life:
Answer Gods call to a Holy life:
Romans 6 15-23 establishes that we have been set free from sin to live a life of holiness, presenting our members to live righteously.
Romans 6:18-19 NKJV
“And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.”
He went ahead to even say when we were in the world and living in sin, the kind of fruits we were producing are things to be ashamed of which is true, sin leads to more sin which eventually leads to death. But now having been freed from that, we should serve and live a life of righteousness in JESUS CHRIST to become more like HIM and experience life eternal.
Romans 6:20-21 NKJV
“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.”
Romans 6:22-23 NKJV
“But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
So here the summary of the whole matter; there is more to just being born again.
We as Christians no longer sin because that's not our new life, Sin no longer have dominion over us, we have been given the power over sin and not to sin to live a holy and righteous life, To serve in the newness of the Spirit and bear fruit to God. The flesh has lost against the battle of the spirit so don’t work in flesh anymore.
Romans 7:4-6 NKJV
“Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”“For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death.”
“But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”
Prayer
LORD JESUS thank you for dying on the cross of Calvary for me; thank you for your blood that shed as remission for my sins. Thank you for saving me from a life of sin and the penalty of sin which is death; thank you because I am alive in you to bring glory to your name, so now I say YOU LORD, YOU have every part of me; you have my whole life, not part Lord but absolutely all.
LORD JESUS, I present my members all my life as instrument to live a holy life pleasing and acceptable unto you; LORD JESUS I also recognise that I can’t do this on my own, so continue to help me, strengthen me and enable me to not conform to this world or the pattern of this world, but walk and live in the dominion you have given me over sin.
Thank you JESUS, because now I LIVE WHOLY FOR THE ONE, JESUS who died for me.
I love YOU LORD, forever and eternity more. Amen.
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