Sermon 21st June 2026 – 4th Sunday after Pentecost
Text:
Romans 6:1-11 – Dead to sin, alive to Christ
The
beginning verses of Romans 6 has Paul addressing the power of grace and the
believer's new identity through our Baptism into Christ. He presents a powerful argument that
challenges our understanding of sin, grace, and the new life we are called to
live. He begins by tackling a misconception that might arise from his teachings
on grace. He poses a rhetorical question: “Shall we continue to sin so that
God’s grace may increase?”
Basically
what he is asking is a logical question: If God gives his grace to us when we
sin – does that mean we should sin more so that God will send more grace? With
this understanding some might interpret grace as a free pass to sin— a license
to live however we please because God’s grace is always going to come each time
we sin. But Paul emphatically answers, “By no means!” And that’s because every
sin causes spiritual harm to us even though God forgives us.
Grace
is not an excuse for sin but a divine intervention of God to protect us from
the harm that sin can do. We must
recognize that the essence of grace is not about freedom to sin but freedom
from sin and its damaging effect to our faith.
When
we understand the depths of God’s grace, we can also realize it empowers us to
say no to the very sin that once held us captive. Paul reminds us of an
extraordinary truth: in baptism, we are united with Christ. When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we
were baptized into His death. This means
that our old selves—the sinful nature—were crucified with Him.
Just
as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too have the
promise of new life.
What
does this mean for us? It means that our
identity is no longer defined by our past sins but by our relationship with
Christ. We are not merely forgiven; we are made new. So Paul’s argument is not
giving us permission to sin but rather – why would you want to sin when sin is
what damages our relationship with God.This is a radical transformation, moving
from death to life. It’s like a person
who has recovered from an addiction who feels they can now control that
addiction.
But
one relapse sends them back and probably worse than what they escaped from.
Jesus
once told a parable about this in Matthew’s Gospel : When the unclean spirit
has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but
finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And
when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes
and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter
and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So
also will it be with this evil generation.”
As
Baptised children of God we are called to no longer walk in the ways of the
world; our lives are now a reflection of Christ’s resurrection power. As
believers, we must grasp the reality that our old self is crucified with
Christ. We must grasp the reality of how
harmful sin is. There is no small sin. All sin leads us away from God. But
through Christ, the power of sin has been broken. Sin's dominion over us has been shattered, and
we no longer have to submit to its authority. That’s why Paul makes a
distinction between being “slaves to righteousness” rather than “slaves to
sin”. Paul emphasizes that Christ, having died, no longer dies. The power of sin is defeated, and death has
lost its hold over Him.
This
truth calls us to a new way of living. We
are to consider ourselves “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (v.
11). So, what does it look like to live
as those who are alive in Christ? It
means we consciously choose to reflect His goodness in our decisions, actions,
and attitudes. It means actively
rejecting sin and pursuing righteousness. I know it sounds simplistic at times but to
Jesus there is nothing simple about sin. Not at all.
Jesus
earlier in Matthew chapter 5 in his sermon on the mount says: If your right eye
causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you
lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is
better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into
hell.
We
don’t like the topic of hell. We try to avoid talking about it. But Jesus makes
us fully aware in our Gospel reading about it. He says: Do not fear those who
kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both
soul and body in hell. But thankfully,
through Jesus, we don’t have to worry about that as he says: Everyone therefore
who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in
heaven; As he reminds us just how precious we are to God:
Are
not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do
not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Paul’s
call to action is to “consider” ourselves dead to sin and alive to God through
our Baptism. Our Baptism invites us into
a daily practice of recognizing our identity in Christ and living accordingly. Luther also explains that in his explanation
of Baptism in the Small Catechism: He says: that the Old Adam in us should by
daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil
desires, and that a new self should daily emerge and arise to live before God
in righteousness and purity forever. And he then goes on to quote todays
reading from Romans. And God helps us through prayer, worship, and the study of
His Word—by allowing God’s truth and the waters of our Baptism to saturate our
lives. As we immerse ourselves in His presence, we find transformative power to
live out our new identity.
In
conclusion, Romans 6:1-11 presents us with a powerful reality: we are dead to
sin and alive to God. As we reflect on
this incredible truth, let us allow the grace of God to lead us away from sin
and toward deeper fellowship with Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment