Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• A very involved chapter
• Concentrating on v1-14
• We will look at earlier chapters that connect in
• Paul is writing a letter to believers living in Rome
• He has much to teach them about salvation
• Example of personal text message - being "free from sin"
• Do you struggle with sin?
• All real believers are troubled by sin
• All believers want to know victory over sin
• What does Paul mean when he talks about being "free from sin"?
• v6,7 and 18
• We are no longer slaves to sin
• What does it mean if we still know sin remaining?
• v22
• 1 John 3:5-6
• What does this mean?
• It can't mean that the Christian never sins
• 1 John 3:9
• What does it mean he "cannot sin"
• Freedom from sin
• Better defined as Freedom from the power of sin
• Overview:
• Look at Paul's arguments
• What is your attitude to this?
• Great encouragement (v1-14)

Paul's Arguments

• Rom 3:21 - 5: Justification by Faith
• Justification is a legal term
• God is condemning sinners as a Righteous Judge
• Justification is acquitting sinners
• Clearing the guilt and debt
• Declaring them innocent and righteous in the sight of God
• Human beings who are sinners can be acquitted of all their guilt and justified before God through faith in Jesus Christ
• No longer under condemnation but having peace with God
• Rom 3:27 - No room for boasting or merit in salvation
• It is not about works and us trying to obey God's law (e.g. the Ten Commandments)
• It is about the law of faith
• We cannot boast about faith since this is a gift of God
• Rom 4 - Two great foundational individuals of the Old Testament: Abraham and David
• Abraham was justified by faith
• David was a great king but was sinful
• He committed adultery
• He had Uriah killed
• Yet he received the blessing of God
• David was justified by faith
• The foundational truth of Christianity: You are saved through faith alone
• It is all of God's favour
• Not of works
• No one can boast
• Rom 5:12- 6:1 - A comparison between the first man Adam and the last man Jesus
• Through Adam's fall death and sin came into the world
• The Second Adam was a perfect man
• Through the one act of obedience of Jesus Christ
  righteousness, forgiveness and justification came
• v18-20
• Rom 6:1 - Some have the attitude 'It doesn't really matter if you sin'
• Many try to slander Paul's teaching
• 'It is too easy'
• He never taught let us do evil that God's grace may abound
• People can misunderstand the free grace of God
• It is nothing to do with you but faith alone in Jesus
• Paul has taught about justification (3:21-5:1), now sanctification
• The person cleared of sin will lead a holy life
• The legal exchange has been made - an external change
• You have been given a new heart making you holy- an internal change
• v12-13
• If your debt has been cleared then offer your mind and body to God as instruments of righteousness
• The legalistic and libertarian doesn't want to hear about justification and sanctification
• The true believer delights in them both

What is your attitude to this?

• Do you feel the same as Paul?
• What would you say if somebody said to you - should we continue to sin that grace may abound?
• A very strong word in the Greek - certainly not (v1, 15)
• Do you see sin as detestable, that which pollutes as defiles
• Do you see sin as your worst enemy
• Examples of sin:
• Unconverted pastor
• Wars, separation of families, relationship breakup, government corruption, lying, perversions, lack of love
• The Cross is a most tremendous thought
• The Cross is a place of victory
• Died in the old nature but raised in newness of life
• Not just a place of forgiveness but victory over sin

Great Encouragements for the Believer

Sin is no longer our master

• Imagine yourself as a slave being rescued by a king
• This is what has happened to the believer
• We are no longer a slave to sin
• Example
• Paul uses the analogy of baptism (v3-6)
• Not talking about water baptism - baptised in Christ
• 1 Cor 10:1-2
• Baptised into Moses
• Come under his authority
• Led to a place of freedom in the promised land
• We identify with Jesus' death
• All the benefits of His death are for us
• We died with Christ
• We are united to Christ
• We were buried and raised with Christ also (v4)
• All this applied to us when we were saved
• The old man was crucified with Christ
• We have been given a new heart (v5-6)
• Example of the garden
• It will still need tending
• Weeds will come and grow
• We are new creatures but sin still remains
• Sin's power no longer remains but the weeds will come
• Our job as Christians is to put to death the weeds/sinful nature as it comes
• Example of a computer
• How do we think about yourself?
• Two natures struggling against each other - we are not meant to think in this way
• We are to think ourselves dead to sin
• We have power over sin [in Jesus]
• v7-10
• Christ died to sin
• At the moment He died to sin, so did we
• v11
• Reckon yourself to be dead to sin
• This should revolutionize our thinking!
• 1 John 3:5-6,9
• What does this mean?
• A person who continually, willfully and practices sin is not a Christian
• A converted person has the principle of life within them
• They cannot sin in the way the sinned before
• There is a progression in holiness
• v12
• Offer yourself to God
• A 'window' of temptation
• The best response is to flee from sin
• We have power over sin - there is always a way of escape (1 Cor 10:13)
• v14
• You are on the victory side and the work is the Lord's
• God's favour is towards us
• Be diligent in the means of grace
• Come to church
• Pray
• Don't neglect the fellowship or the Lord's supper
• Sin will not have dominion over us
• Many times we will not feel free of sin - Paul cried and thanked God out to Jesus