ROMANS, CHAPTER 6

[Verses 1-11]

(8-3-11)

 

Review:

Romans 5: 19-21) [NIV] For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

QUESTION: What about the “all men” of verse 18?

ANSWER: Note the following comment:

“The two alls in this verse do not refer to the same people. The first all means all who are in Adam. The second all means all who are in Christ. This is clear from the words in the preceding verse ‘those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.’” [BBC].

QUESTION: What is verse 19 telling us?

ANSWER: Note my following comments:

1.        I am not a sinner because I sinned; I’m a sinner because Adam sinned.

2.        I am not righteous because I did something righteous; I’m righteous because Jesus did something righteous.

3.        I didn’t become a sinner because I sinned; I sinned because I was a sinner.

4.        I didn’t become righteous because I did something right; I did something right because I’m righteous.

5.        All who are born into Adam [the human race] are born sinners.

6.        All who are born again into Jesus [the believers] are born into righteousness.

20) [NIV] The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

21) [NIV] so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

On To This Week’s Lesson:

Romans 6:1-23) [NIV] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?

QUESTION: Why would Paul even ask such a question?

ANSWER: Chapter 5, verse 20, [above] stated, “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” Paul didn’t want his readers to misunderstand his point and conclude that they should sin all the more so that grace would increase all the more.

2) [NIV] By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

(ALT) Absolutely not! (BBE) In no way. (CEV) No, we should not! (GNB; AMP) Certainly not!

(GW) That’s unthinkable! (MSG) I should hope not! (Murdock) Far be it:

(WEB; NASB) May it never be! (NLT) Of course not! (RSV) By no means!

QUESTION: How did Paul answer his own question?

ANSWER: He emphatically said, “No!” Then he gave this reason, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

NOTE: If we died to sin when Jesus died at Calvary, then common sense determines that we can’t live in the very thing we died to. He will now go on to explain this premise.

3) [NIV] Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

QUESTION: What is baptism, and what’s it for?

ANSWER: Water baptism is an outward sign of an inward work. In other words, it’s a testimony to all that you have been saved, and that you are proud to be known as a Christian.

QUESTION: Is water baptism the only kind of baptism?

ANSWER: I read “The Red Badge of Courage” in high school. It was originally published in 1895, and it is a novel that depicts a Union soldier’s terrifying baptism of fire and his ensuing transformation.

QUESTION: What was this baptism of fire the novel spoke of?

ANSWER: It was this young soldier’s first experience with a real battle. People were being shot around him. It wasn’t training anymore, it was the real thing; it was his baptism of fire.

QUESTION: What other baptisms does the Scripture speak about?

ANSWER: Notice the following verses:

Matthew 3:10-12) [NIV] The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Acts 19:1-7) [NIV] While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples

2) [NIV] and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

3) [NIV] So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.

4) [NIV] Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

5) [NIV] On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

6) [NIV] When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

7) [NIV] There were about twelve men in all.

I Corinthians 12:13) [NIV] For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

QUESTION: What other baptisms does the Scripture speak about besides water baptism?

ANSWER: In the above passages of Matthew 3 & Acts 19 the Scripture speaks about a baptism of the Spirit. In I Corinthians the Scripture speaks about a baptism into Christ. Also, Matthew’s account speaks about a baptism of fire.

QUESTION: Is the baptism spoken of in I Corinthians water baptism?

ANSWER: Notice the following thoughts:

1.        Baptism of water             preacher baptizes you         into water

2.        Baptism with the Spirit        Jesus baptizes you         into the Holy Spirit

3.        Baptism into One Body        the Spirit baptizes you         into One Body/Jesus

4.        Baptism with fire          Jesus baptizes you         into fiery trials

 NOTE: Numbers 2 & 4 seem to be one baptism. When you are baptized with the Holy Spirit trials will follow.

QUESTION: Again, are numbers 1 & 3 the same?

ANSWER: In water baptism I baptize you into water. Would that be the same as the water baptizing you into me? No! Neither is Jesus baptizing you into the Holy Spirit the same thing as the Holy Spirit baptizing you into Jesus. In the above chart, baptism number 3 is salvation.

NOTE: The normal order of baptisms would be:

1.        Baptism into One Body [salvation]

2.        Baptism of water [water baptism]

3.        Baptism with the Spirit [being filled with the Spirit]

Numbers 2 & 3 could be reversed.

QUESTION: Which baptism is Romans 6:3 referring to?

ANSWER: It’s referring to the baptism into One Body/salvation. It’s not referring to water baptism.

3) [NIV] Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4) [NIV] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5) [NIV] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

QUESTION: What are verses 3-5 telling us in reference to our not sinning more so that grace abounds more?

ANSWER: When the Holy Spirit baptized us into Jesus at the new birth we were baptized into the total package of Jesus. First, we were baptized into His death; second, we were baptized into His resurrection.

NOTE: The following verses will tell us what this TRUTH means to us. 

5) [NIV] If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

6) [NIV] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- 

7) [NIV] because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

QUESTION: What does our being baptized into His death mean?

ANSWER: When Adam sinned he represented us all. So, when he sinned we were in him [in his loins] sinning with him. Therefore, when Jesus died He represented us all. So, when he died were in him [in His spiritual loins] dying with Him.

NOTE: The fact that we were in Adam when he sinned was proven when we were born into the human family, of which he is the father. The fact that we were in Jesus when He died was proven when we were born into His family [the Spirit baptized us into One body]. WE WERE BORN INTO ADAM VIA THE NATURAL BIRTH! WE WERE BORN INTO JESUS VIA THE NEW BIRTH!

QUESTION: What is the benefit of our being baptized into His death?

ANSWER: Verse 6 tells us, “that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.” Verse 8 tells us that, “anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

NOTE: When we were baptized into Christ/born again we were FREED FROM SIN! 

QUESTION: Why don’t we live like we are free from sin?

ANSWER: The answer is because we don’t believe we are free from sin. 

8) [NIV] Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

9) [NIV] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

QUESTION: What is the benefit of our having died with Christ, and now also living with Him?

ANSWER: Christ rose from the dead and cannot die again. That does not yet apply to us physically. We can, and we will, if the Lord tarries, die a physical death. Then how does this passage apply to us? Let’s look at the next two verses.

10) [NIV] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11) [NIV] In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

QUESTION: In what way, besides physical death, has Jesus died “once for all”?

ANSWER: He died to sin “once for all.”

QUESTION: What does that have to do with you and me?

ANSWER: This is the part of His death that we have been baptized into. Jesus died to sin “once for all.” We were in Him when He died to sin “once for all.” Consequently, we are told in verse 11 to “In what way,” count ourselves “dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

QUESTION: What does “in the same way” mean?

ANSWER: Verse 10 tells us that Jesus died to sin “once for all.” We are to count ourselves dead to sin “once for all” time.

NOTE: Our problem is that we keep trying to die to sin, when God is telling us that we have died to sin through our union with Christ. Not only have we died to sin, WE HAVE DIED TO SIN “ONCE FOR ALL.” “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Matthew 3:23-24) [KJV] Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

24) [KJV] And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

(BBE) I have faith; make my feeble faith stronger.

(CEV) “I do have faith! Please help me to have even more.”

(GNB) “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!”

(GW) “I believe! Help my lack of faith.”

(MSG) “Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”