UNITED WITH CHRIST

Background Passage: ROMANS 6:1-14

Lesson Passage:ROMANS 6:1-14

BIBLICAL TRUTH: BECAUSE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST JESUS, BELIEVERS ARE TO SERVE GOD AND ARE NOT TO SERVE SIN..

KEY BIBLE VERSE: ROMANS 6:13

Before Curtis and Nicole got married, their pastor counseled them about their new life together as husband and wife. In one of the counseling sessions, he described their marriage as a union. By using that description, he helped them to understand some of the important components of the new relationship they would have as a married couple.

Talking about a marriage in terms of a union is a good idea. It's also a helpful way to describe other relationships in our lives. In fact, it's an excellent way to think about our relationship with Christ as believers. The description opens our minds to some critical components in our walk with the Lord.

Paul described the union that Christians have with the Lord once we place our faith in Christ. In the portion of his letter to the Roman Christians that you will study in this session, Paul elaborated on some of the dimensions of our union with Christ in ways that you will do well to explore. Examining them will help you to appreciate even more the eternal change that took place in you when you gave your life to Jesus. And you will see, your union with Christ compels you to devote yourself to the Lord instead of allowing sin to control you.

BACKGROUND PASSAGE OVERVIEW

For people who have been saved by faith in Christ, some important questions need to be answered. Should Christians continue to live in sin? Is it all right to think that the more we sin, the more god's grace is extended to us? Actually, we shouldn't think that way at all. When we became Christians, we died to sin. That's what baptism teaches us. Christ died, and so did our former selves. Are we as believers aware of that life-changing reality? .

We experienced resurrection in Christ as well, Jesus arose from the grave by God's glory. In a similar way, we were raised up from spiritual death to begin a new way of living in Christ. When we died, so did our old way of living for sin. That way of life was crucified with Christ, so it cannot dominate us any longer. Because we died to sin, we have been set free from its mastery over us.

We know for certain that because we died in Christ, He will give us new life. Because Jesus could only die once, He will never experience death again. He died because of our sin, so his death for us will never have to be repeated. Now He is alive forever. We can think about ourselves in the same way. Because we put our trust in Christ, we have to consider ourselves to be dead to a lifestyle controlled by sin. Now we enjoy a new life devoted only to God..

The new life we have in Christ must not be ruled by sin. That's why we should work diligently to make sure that sin no longer has any control over us. Our bodies have to be used to serve the Lord, so we cannot offer our bodies to serve sin. Rather, our lives and our bodies must demonstrate that we have been made right with Him. We don't serve God out of fear that we will do something wrong but our of an awareness that He will be gracious to us as we live for Him.

With three questions, Paul made a critical transition in his letter to the Roman Christians. Previously he had written about what God did through Christ to save people from their sins. In this section of his letter, he began to write about the impact of salvation on the people who had received God's gift of salvation.

STUDY QUESTIONS 1.Which two verbs did Paul use to portray our union with Christ?(Romans 6:2)
2.Why does sin no longer have control over a Christian's life?(6:7)
3.What is the practical expression of living with Christ?(6:8)
4. What did Paul mean when he said that Christians were under grace?(6:14)

NEW RELATIONSHIPS ( ROMANS 6:1-3)

Romans 5
Romans 6 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

VERSE 1 ~ What happened to us when we were saved should correspond to the way we live now. In particular, the fact that we have aligned ourselves with Christ should say something about the place of sin in our lives after Jesus saved us. Some Christians may wonder if we should continue to give in to sin now that we belong to Christ. After all, some of us may think to ourselves, God's grace covers our sin.

VERSE 2 ~ Two contrasting verbs underscore an important dimension of our union with Christ once He saved us. We died to an old way of living. In other words, we renounced an old way of life that was ruled by sin. Now we live according to a new way, one in which Christ rules over us. (See study question 1).

VERSE 3 ~ Our new relationship is portrayed in baptism. In most contemporary churches, when a new believer makes a profession of faith, he or she is baptized later. In Paul's day, a new Christian's profession of faith and his or her baptism took place at the same time. No matter when baptism takes place, the act portrays a new Christian's allegiance to and death with Christ Jesus.

NEW LIFE (ROMANS 6:4-7)

Romans 5
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. .

VERSES 4 – 5 ~ This passage helps us to comprehend the rich meaning of baptism. The verse portrays in a simple but eloquent way the two dimensions of our union with Christ. First, baptism pictures our death and burial with Him. Jesus died and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Similarly, to willingly place oneself under the waters of baptism means to be symbolically buried after dying to an old way of life that was dominated by sin.

Second, baptism portrays that we have been raised with Christ. His resurrection reflected God's glory in His life after death. Likewise, being raised up from the baptismal waters signifies the beginning of a new way of life in god's presence. Being joined with Christ in these two ways challenges us to dedicate ourselves to the new life He has given us.

VERSES 6 -7 ~ Our new life in Christ means that our slavery to sin has come to an end. Before we received Christ, sin dominated and controlled us, dictating our thoughts and actions. Because we died to sin when we were saved, we no longer have to live in slavery to it. Our change of allegiance abolished the reign of sin over us.

Consider a captured criminal who dies before his trial is conducted. Because he is dead, he cannot b e held responsible for the crime any longer. In the same way, a Christian has died to sin. Consequently, the claimsof sin have been erased, and the believer can begin a new way of life in Christ. (See study question 2).

NEW MASTER (ROMANS 6:8-11

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

VERSE 8 ~ Paul repeated the basic principle about a believer's union with Christ. But notice another important component of our relationship with the Lord that emerges in this verse. Now that we have died with Christ, we look forward to living with Him. With this simple reference, Paul opened the door for us to explore the new life we enjoy as we walk with Christ. We refer to our walk with Him as sanctification. Expressed practically, sanctification is the ongoing daily journey with our Lord that changes our lives every step of the way. (See study question 3).

VERSES 9-10 ~ How did the privilege of walking with Him come our way? The answer involves His death. When He died, so did death itself. Accordingly, He will never face death again. That fact has a huge impact on us. He died because of our sin. Now He lives, and sin and death have been put behind Him for good. Now Christ lives in a seamless fellowship with God that will never be broken.

VERSE 11 ~ Then Paul turned his attention to believers to apply Christ's death to Christian living. His reference to you includes all of us who have been saved. Because we live with Christ Jesus, the rule of sin and death has come to an end for us as well. Now god alone becomes the object of our devotion. Living for Him requires us to think about ourselves in a different way. Every day we must take the initiative to consider ourselves to be alive in Him and devoted to God. Thinking of ourselves in this way enables us to live for the Lord.

NEW LIFESTYLE (ROMANS 6:12-14)

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

VERSE 12 ~ Growing in sanctification begins with learning how to think about the new life we have in Christ. But it also includes what a Christian will do with his or her mortal body . If we remind ourselves that we live for the Lord alone, we will not allow sin to reign in our bodies. Sin can be a powerful dictator, and the person who gives in to its desires will obey its commands.

VERSE 13 ~ One of two masters will rule a person. We will either offer our bodies to serve sin or to serve the Lord. For Christians, the choice should be easy and straightforward. We offer our bodies to God as weapons in his hands. He can use them as He desires to accomplish the purposes of His righteousness. We would never want to give our bodies to serve sin. In the hands of such a treacherous master, our bodies would be used as weapons in sin's contrast quest to promote unrighteousness.

VERSE 14 ~ Paul offered Christians a powerful assurance as we offer ourselves to the Lord. Sin's rule over us has ended. Because of Christ, we have an altogether new way of living. Once we lived under law . Then we had no power to overcome sin in our lives. Now, under grace, we are empowered to live for the Lord. His grace enables us to do what He wants. We can give ourselves to doing whatever is good in His sight.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Paul's insights about our union with Christ provide us with plenty of food for though. How can you tell that you are serving the Lord and not serving sin? Perhaps the following realities will help you to answer that question.

* Christians forsake old ways of living altogether.

* Christians embrace a new way of living that centers in Jesus Christ.
* Christians live for the Lord alone.
* Christians do what the Lord wants

The realities present us with the challenging task of thinking seriously about how we express our union with Christ. We must also give attention to taking actions based on what we know about our relationship with the Lord. Consider the following ways you can live out your union with Christ.

Give up habits and practices that don't honor the Lord.
Tell yourself daily that you belong to the Lord, not to sin.
Ask God to empower you to live out your relationship with Christ.
Make sure that you do something good every day out of your desire to serve the Lord with you life.