Romans 6:5-10 - Wretchedness Redeemed
- Chad Werkhoven
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
Amazing grace saved a wretch like you, so stop thinking of yourself as wretched.
Romans 6:1–4 (NIV)
This week we'll be working our way through this entire chapter. We read vss. 1-4 yesterday.
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
Canons of Dordt
Point 5 - Perseverance of the Saints
Article 13 - Assurance No Inducement to Carelessness
The renewed confidence of perseverance
does not produce immorality or lack of concern for godliness in those put back on their feet after a fall,
but it produces a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance.
They observe these ways in order that
by walking in them they may maintain the assurance of their perseverance,
lest, by their abuse of his fatherly goodness,
the face of the gracious God
(for the godly, looking upon his face is sweeter than life,
but its withdrawal is more bitter than death)
turn away from them again,
with the result that they fall into greater anguish of spirit.
Summary
One of the most dangerous phenomenons in western civilization is a lifestyle often referred to as cultural Christianity. Cultural Christians believe in God, that Jesus came into a world that ultimately crucified Him, and that three days later He arose from the grave. These people do their best to live a moral and godly life... or at least a life that seems better to them than the lives their pagan neighbors are leading.
One of the principle problems with this sort of shallow world view is that it flattens the character of our triune God. To them, God the Father is a benevolent old man who gives good things to most, amazing things to a few that earn it, and who does His best to fend off bad things (in addition to the fact that He always agrees with their political persuasions). The Holy Spirit is always near, ready and willing to lift them up when they're down if they just ask nicely. And Jesus is our good buddy up in the sky, looking out for us and cheering us on from afar.
But such a limited theology is wholly incompatible with today's passage. Jesus isn't just a cheerleader, role model, or even a detached savior whose suffering two millennia ago paid for your sin. Rather, you've been inseparably united with Him in a death like His!
In other words, Jesus is so much more than just the man upstairs. Your relationship with Christ is deeper and more involved than any other relationship you have. You're not just an ordinary person; you belong in body and soul, in life and in death, to your faithful Savior. 'Belong' is hardly a strong enough word - to translate the word Paul used literally, you've been congenitally joined to Him!
Dig Deeper
Daniel Doriani explains well the contemporary cultural significance of today's passage:
We live in a culture of resentment and complaint. When we privilege victims and scorn the privileged, people are reluctant to “admit” that they have a great family, received a fine education, or enjoy economic resources that let them live without anxiety. No, in the “oppression Olympics,” people trumpet their suffering and compete to see who can claim more pain or betrayal. Somehow, Western society has determined that the poor, the downcast, the sufferer, the oppressed have the stamp of authenticity and must be heard, while the successful must be silenced. Since people long to be heard, they learn to maximize their sorrows and minimize their advantages.
Again, such a mindset is incompatible for Christians who've been united to Christ. Paul explains that since we've been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. This means that in Christ, you've been set free from slavery to sin and suffering. It means that your life is no longer defined by mistakes you've made or pain you've experienced. It means that your life must be marked by continual sanctification - looking more and more like Christ - and that these achievements must be celebrated and encouraged.
Doriani continues, "This body of sin is annulled or undone by the death of Christ, so that the dominance of sin has ended. Sin no longer controls believers. For the redeemed, to cite Augustine, it is possible not to sin." You will certainly stumble - often - but when you do, you can, as the Canons put it, cling to the confidence of perseverance with a much greater concern to observe carefully the ways of the Lord which he prepared in advance.
We know the song well: amazing grace... that saved a wretch like me. But what Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit wants you to know is that you are no longer a wretch. You've been united with Christ in death to sin and have been raised with Him so that you too may live a new life.
Doriani concludes, "So yes, we struggle, but let us also humbly say: Because of our union with Christ, because of the transforming presence of the Spirit, our lives can be beautiful and can point, however imperfectly, to Christ."
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father who sovereignly controls all things and united us to Christ;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that having been united to Christ, that you will live to God;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 12
