Dead to Sin, Alive to Christ

Passage: Romans 6:1-7

Last week I outlined and summarized the first five chapters of this great letter to the church in Rome.  I said Paul has been hammering home the righteousness of God and our unrighteousness, how God in His abounding grace, mercy and love has made a way for us sinners to be justly reconciled to a righteous God.  The righteous Savior laid down His life for us unrighteous sinners.  The godly for the ungodly.

Up to now Paul has been preaching grace, grace, grace.  The Gentiles are saved by grace, the Jews are saved by grace, Abraham was saved by grace through faith.  We all sin, and the free gift of God is justification by grace.

Paul had just finished saying in Romans 5:20-21.

Romans 5:20-21 Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I emphasize this one more time so I can make clear the problem the Apostle Paul addresses in chapter six, which it turns out is a very pivotal chapter in this letter.

It is said among pastors and preachers that the Gospel has not been faithfully preached if at some point someone doesn’t ask, so can I sin that grace may abound?

Every pastor who preaches that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone and not by works knows some people will start thinking we can sin all we want.

Every time grace, mercy, forgiveness, faith and justification are preached our sinful minds and hearts are tempted to misunderstand or worse yet, abuse these precious gifts from God.