“Death and Life”

(Romans 6:1-14)

Series: Romans – United in the Gospel [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

April 10, 2021

Introductory Comments:

We are continuing our series in the book of Romans and we coming today to one of the most powerful sections of the entire Bible, Romans 6:1-14. 

Today’s sermon is entitled, “Death and Life.” [on screen]

This section of Romans is a response to questions that may have been raised regarding what Paul has previously said regarding grace, particularly this verse: Romans 5:20, which says, “ . . . where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more.” [on screen]

Some questions may arise from this statement, so let’s see what Paul has to say. Before we do, let’s pray together and ask God to speak to us. 

(prayer)

So, in light of Paul’s statement that where there is a lot of sin, there is more grace, some questions may develop. Paul addresses the main question in verse 1 of chapter 6. Look at your Bibles. Paul says in verse 1, “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply?”

More than likely this question would have come from two different types of people. 

The first group would have been those who were skeptical of Paul’s claim that grace covers sin. These people would not have believed what Paul said and would have tried to poke holes in Paul’s argument by taking what Paul said to the extreme.

This would be like the sarcastic person who is told to be quiet for just a moment and they respond, “Well I guess that I can never speak again for the rest of my life.”

So, Paul is addressing this first group who are trying to cripple Paul’s claim that grace covers sin. 

The second group would be those who would take the truth that Paul shared in a direction that Paul never meant by actually believing that the grace of God means we have a license to sin freely. 

This error would come to be known as antinomianism, which means “against the law.” [on screen]

They would say, “Yes, Paul; let us sin more and more; let us live it up because Jesus’ blood covers all of our sin!” The idea here is that the more we sin, the better Jesus looks. 

Paul certainly does not hold to that view and he will address that in just a moment.  

So, let us see these distinctions that Paul gives us so that we can better understand the grace of God and its relationship to sin. 

First, Paul would want you to . . .

I. Consider yourself dead (1-11) [on screen]

As we read Paul’s words here, listen to how many times he says death or died or something along those lines. Look at verses 1-11:

1 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 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.

Here’s the answer to the question: “Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not!”

Paul offers an emphatic response to this question: No way; by no means; God for