SESSION 3 VICTORY OVER SIN The Point Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. The Passage Romans 6:4-14 The Bible Meets Life As Americans, we pride ourselves on being free people. We parade our rights and freedoms and applaud the one who stands as an individual free from others. But are we really free? True freedom is only an illusion without Christ. Without Him, we experience the worst form of slavery: being mastered by sin that leads to death. Victory over such a master is only possible because Christ has stepped in and set us free. The Setting In Romans 6 Paul related what Christ has done for us in His atoning death and glorious resurrection with what believers are then to do not to allow sin to reign over them, but rather to live their lives for God. What believers are in position, they are to become in practice. Through union with Christ, we no longer are dominated by sin. We now share in the resurrected life of Christ. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 39
What does the Bible say? Romans 6:4-14 (CSB) Baptism into death (v. 4) This phrase describes the believer s total identification with Christ s death for our sin. Consider (v. 11) The Greek word for count is a bookkeeping metaphor; it invites reasoning and refers to making a calculation. It is to count on something as a fact. Reign (v. 12) Reign means to rule or to have dominion. Paul used the term metaphorically of the reign of sin (v. 12), grace (5:21), and righteousness (v. 17). 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace. 40 Session 3
THE POINT Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. GET INTO THE STUDY 10 minutes DISCUSS: Invite your group members to discuss Question #1 on page 29 of the PSG (Personal Study Guide): What habits have you been happy to leave behind? Allow time for each person to respond. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 30): I ve been married for over 35 years, and that s been plenty of time for me to mess up. When I do mess up, I apologize and ask my wife to forgive me. Of course she forgives me, but there s more to it than that. She wants my assurance that I m not going to repeat the stupid thing I did in the first place. She wants repentance. TIP: When someone speaks, be sure to listen well. While they re speaking, focus on what they re communicating and not on what you re planning to say afterward. Notes Repentance is that U-turn in life when you realize you re headed in the wrong direction and turn around to head back the way you should be going. The Christian life is a life of repentance, but that repentance is so much more than just being sorry for what we ve done. Christ has more in store for us than a repeating cycle of failure and apology. ACTIVITY (OPTIONAL): In advance, secure a backpack and several books. Write the following words in large print on sticky notes and place one onto each book: addictions, anxiety, anger, pride, selfishness, an unforgiving spirit, gossip, and greed. Show the backpack and books to your group. As you load the books into the backpack, explain that our unconfessed sin is like a heavy backpack we seem to wear everywhere: it prevents us from moving in tight quarters, can injure others if we re not careful when turning around, and becomes a burden to bear. Today, we re going to look at how we can find freedom from sin s weight. GUIDE: Call attention to The Point on page 30 of the PSG: Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. PRAY: Transition into the discussion with prayer. Thank God for the kind of freedom only He can provide freedom from sin and its power. Display Pack Item #3 to use with your discussion of Romans 6:12-14 on page 46. PLAYLIST PICK: There s a Light By Todd Smith BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 41
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 6:4-7 (CSB) 4 Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 6:4-7. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 31): Baptism by immersion is important. We value it, not because it is necessary for salvation, but because it symbolically expresses the deepest meaning of our salvation. In baptism, we are symbolically buried with Christ. Just as Christ died and was buried, we also die and are buried in at least two ways: First, we die because we recognize the penalty of our sinfulness. As Paul will point out later in this chapter, The wages of sin is death (v. 23). Second, we die because we give ourselves totally to Christ. We place all our dreams, our hopes, and our plans on the altar before Christ (Luke 9:23). SAY: Paul took this truth and made an insightful application in verse 7: A person who has died is freed from sin s claims. In other words, the wages of sin is death, but we have died with Christ; therefore, we are free from sin s debt. ALTERNATE QUESTION: How would you paraphrase Paul s teaching in these verses? DISCUSS: Question #2 on page 31 of the PSG: Which statements in this passage do you find most encouraging? Why TRANSITION: In the next verses, Paul explains what lies ahead for those who have been set free from sin s power. 42 Session 3
THE POINT Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. Romans 6:4-7 Commentary Jesus frees us from slavery to sin. Verse 4: Paul asserted that believers had died to sin because of their identification in their baptism into Christ s death (Romans 6:1-3). Such a baptism burial marked both the end of the old life and the start of a new way of life in which believers are to walk or conduct themselves. Burial certifies the reality of death. Baptism is the ritual act that portrays this burial... [Paul] was using the ritual act of baptism as a symbol of the complete redemptive event that finds its effectual cause in the death of Christ and its completion in the faith of those who believe. 1 Walk refers to the way of life the believer was expected to live. This newness of life is a life no longer dominated by sin, but rather a life lived empowered by God s Spirit (7:6), based on the spiritual power derived from Christ s resurrection. Believers are both summoned to a new way of life and empowered to live such lives because we have participated in Christ s death, burial, and resurrection. Both Christ s past resurrection and believers future resurrection are the result of God s power (the glory of the Father). Verse 5: Being united with Christ indicates that the believer s new life is derived from Christ. That we have been united further emphasizes that such was not our original condition but what we have become. The Greek perfect tense of the verb indicates such union is permanent. While the believers death is not the same as Christ s, it is the likeness of his death, or similar to it. Christ s death was real and so is our death. Our union with Christ involves a real death to our former manner of life and a real resurrection to a new way of life. Verses 6-7: All the old self stood for (what we were before our conversion) and over which sin ruled has been defeated. The past tense of the term in the Greek emphasizes the decisive end of the old self. It was not just a part of our old nature that was crucified with Christ it was our complete old self the whole of it! This death of the old self was so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless and so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin. Human bodies are not in themselves sinful, but sin so dominated our fallen beings that our bodies belonged to sin. We were enslaved to sin. In dying with Christ, the believer is freed from sin. Being crucified with Christ has disabled our sinful self and resulted in our rescue from sin s slavery. When Paul wrote that such a person is freed from sin, he literally wrote, has been justified [or acquitted] from sin. Christ s death was atoning and justifies all who believe in Him. It is this justification that frees us from slavery to sin. The believer is now free to live for God. He or she can still choose to sin, but the believer is no longer a slave to sin. 1. Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1995), 149. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 43
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 6:8-11 (CSB) 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. 10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 6:8-11. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 32): Christ calls us not only to die to our old lives, but also to live fully for Him in our new ones. In Christ, we are dead to sin, but sin doesn t always seem dead to us. Paul has called us to rest on the truth of our death and life in Christ. In verse 11, Paul wrote: consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. To consider is to count on something as a fact. Paul exhorted them to remember; to let those truths register; and then to act on them. Sin no longer has authority over our lives. We no longer have to be trapped in an endless cycle of guilt and shame, promising to do better only to fail again. ALTERNATE QUESTION: What does it mean to be dead to sin? DISCUSS: Question #3 on page 32 of the PSG: Christ-followers are dead to sin. Why, then, do we still struggle with sin? (Note: Believers have access to the Holy Spirit who guides, convicts, and empowers us to choose not to sin. We re still human, though, and will be tempted to sin.) DO: Instruct group members to complete the activity on page 33 on their own. If time allows, invite volunteers to share their responses aloud. SET FREE: What sins do you currently need freedom from? Circle all that apply. Addictions (alcohol, porn, etc.) Gossip Anxiety An unforgiving spirit Anger Lack of compassion Pride Greed Selfishness Other: What are three practical ways you can die to these sins this week (or at least begin the process)? 44 Session 3
THE POINT Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. Romans 6:8-11 Commentary Jesus makes us spiritually alive. Verses 8-9: That we died with Christ, a decisive act in the past, is not an end in itself. We are to live with him. Being joined or united with Christ in His death (vv. 5 7) means believers also have been joined or united with Him in life. Christ died once (1 Peter 3:18). He was raised once (Romans 4:25). This will never happen again. The reason is that death, which once ruled over Him, no longer does. Christ defeated death. (Acts 2:24; 2 Timothy 1:10) That Christ will not die again reminds us that Christ s resurrection from the dead was not a mere resuscitation, like Lazarus s, who died again. Christ was not brought back to this mortal life but to a type of life of which He declared, I am the Living One. I was dead, but look I am alive forever and ever (Revelation 1:17 18). Verse 10: In contrast to Christ s once for all death to sin is His ongoing life to God. That Christ died to sin does not mean He was a sinner or that He was subject to sin s power because of His humanity. He died with respect to sin, or for sin. His death was related to sin ours (2 Corinthians 5:21). He took upon Himself the consequences of our sin. His death put away sin (Hebrews 9:26). Now the life Christ lives, he lives to God His resurrected life is solely for the glory of God. The words do not imply that Christ formerly did not seek to live for God s glory. But they do imply the example or pattern that all those who have died to sin, been buried with Him into death, and been raised to new life in Him are to follow. Verse 11: So, you too shows that all of what Christ did has implications for believers. Paul told believers to consider ( count or reckon ) a term that invites reasoning and refers to making a calculation. The term does not refer to make-believe or simple wishing to pretending. It is to count on something as a fact. Paul was exhorting them to reflect, to recollect, to remember; to let those truths register; and then to act on them. Paul told his fellow believers to consider yourselves in two new ways. The verb is a present imperative, indicating both that this is a continuing process throughout the Christian life and that believers continually need to remember and remind themselves of these two facts. First, believers need to consider themselves dead to sin. It does not mean we will no longer commit sins but that we are no longer enslaved to sin or dominated by it. Second, believers are to consider themselves alive to God. The believer s life is now redirected, focused on God in service and in a desire to please Him. All of this is possible because believers are in Christ Jesus, an expression that again recalls the union believers have with Christ (see Romans 6:5). It reminds us our new life is not due to ourselves but because of Christ. Jesus not only frees us from sin, He makes us spiritually alive. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 45
10 minutes STUDY THE BIBLE Notes Romans 6:12-14 (CSB) 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace. READ: Ask a group member to read aloud Romans 6:12-14. SUMMARIZE THE PSG (PAGE 34): In verses 12-13, Paul instructed us on how to act on the knowledge that we are dead to sin. Paul said, Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires (v. 12). Paul was essentially saying, Quit choosing to sin! We are not to let any part of ourselves our bodies, our minds, or our hearts harbor desires for things that are not of God. Instead, Paul instructed us to offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness (v. 13). As we surrender ourselves daily to Christ, He not only gives us the power to overcome temptation, He also continually works in us to heal our desires. As we grow in Him, we simply no longer want what sin has to offer. ALTERNATE QUESTION: Where have you seen the dangers of incremental sin in today s culture? DISCUSS: Question #4 on page 34 of the PSG: As Christ-followers, what help can we expect to receive when fighting sin? (Note: Stress that God gives us guidance from the Holy Spirit, promises in His Word, access to Him through prayer, Christian friends, and so on.) DISCUSS: Question #5 on page 35 of the PSG: How can we help one another live out the freedom Jesus has made available to us? LEADER PACK: Display Pack Item #3, Christ Gives Us More poster, and provide each group member with a sticky note and a pen. Invite group members to write out one sin they currently need freedom from and to place the note on the poster to signify leaving it at the cross. For anonymity, ask them to write on the sticky sides of the note so that the responses aren t visible. 46 Session 3
THE POINT Sin is no longer my master Jesus is. Romans 6:12-14 Commentary Our lives are to reflect that we are in Christ. Verse 12: Therefore ties Paul s words that follow with those that preceded and introduces the conclusion of his argument. Paul exhorted his readers, do not let sin reign in your mortal body. That sin can reign over believers may seem strange in light of the fact that Paul had just stated that believers were set free from sin s power (v. 7) and that believers could now live a new life (v. 4). But sin as a power can still reign in the lives of believers if they allow it to. That believers are joined to or united with Christ, that believers are buried and raised with Christ, does not mean they are freed from either the temptations of sin, their own spiritual limitations, or their own fallen desires. By speaking of the body as mortal, Paul subtly hinted that, in contrast to the life lived for God, this body that responds to sin is passing away. It also reminds us that as long as we are in these mortal bodies we are susceptible to desires. The word is neutral, being used of good desires as well as evil desires. Obviously, Paul here had evil desires in mind. Verse 13: Paul also commanded believers not to offer any parts of their bodies to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. Offer was used of sacrificial offerings. Weapons could be translated as instruments or tools. Unrighteousness refers to wickedness. Instead, believers were to offer themselves and all the parts of their bodies to God as weapons for righteousness because they were alive from the dead spiritually. The Greek verb tense in Paul s exhortation for believers to offer themselves to God indicates a decisive act, a deliberate commitment. Verse 14: Sin will not rule over you is not a command; it is an assurance based on all Paul had stated to this point. Sin will not rule over believers because they are not under law, trying in their own power to do right and be righteous before God. Rather, believers are under grace. The two are mutually exclusive. Grace is God s free gift, unmerited and undeserved. It is not earned. Grace enables the believer to live a life devoted to God and His ways. Grace includes all the believer has experienced through Christ justification, baptism into Christ and His death, and new life. In Romans 6:1, the question was asked if being under grace encouraged sin. Now Paul came full circle. He wrote that, to the contrary, grace opposes, discourages, and overcomes sin. Those born of God, those who have experienced the death of their old sinful self, are new creations who live new lives seeking to glorify God and not themselves. This is what grace does in the lives of believers. It allows us to live lives that reflect who we are in Christ. As believers, we are to live as Christ-followers freed from sin, spiritually alive, denying our old sinful self, and obeying God. In Christ, we have victory over sin. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 47
5 minutes LIVE IT OUT Notes SAY: Through Christ, we have victory over sin. How will that be evident in your life this week? GUIDE: Lead group members to consider the responses to the Bible study listed on page 36 of the PSG. Confess. Do you live as if you re truly forgiven? Carve out time this week to ask God for forgiveness for the little sins as well as the big ones. Get specific, confess, and move forward in the freedom He gives. Remove. Evaluate your life for things or relationships that pull you into sin. Create a plan for removing them or their power over you. Act. As a group, determine to help others who need to know the freedom Christ offers. Go to OneLifeMatters.org, click on Get Involved. From there, you ll find information on One Freedom House ministry. Pray for the needs listed there and how your group can help. Wrap It Up SAY: In Christ, we re not just offered forgiveness of sin; we re offered a life of freedom. No longer do we have to fall prey to sin and its power. Christ frees us to forgive, love, and serve others as He did. We are free. Grow with other group leaders at the Groups Ministry blog. LifeWay.com/GroupMinistry 48 Session 3