Book of Romans -6

THE POWER OF GOD’S GRACE

MEMORY VERSE: “For sin shall not have dominion over you; for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Roman 6:14).

TEXT: Romans 6:1-23

In the previous chapter, Paul the apostle finally concluded his relentless and logical argument in defense of the doctrine of justification by faith. In the opening verses (1-5), he sets forth the fruits of justification as peace with God, access by faith into God’s grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation. In the rest of the chapter, he described the fountain and foundation of justification as laid in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the passage under consideration, Paul the apostle with the same fervor and cogency advanced righteousness and holy living as the unmistakable evidence of justification. Therefore to tolerate sin under any guise is unscriptural and unacceptable. This is because the grace of God has immense power embedded in it, so much that sin will  completely lose its influence. Paul advocated two theological concepts that unveiled the true nature of holiness. The first entails dying to sin and living in righteousness. Consequently, the believer is dead to sin, free from the reign of sin and does not yield his members as instruments of unrighteousness. The second implies the elements of walking in newness of life (verse 4); being alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ (verse 11); yielding ourselves to God as those alive from the dead (verse 13) and our members as instruments of righteousness to God (verse 13).

QUESTION 1: What is the meaning of grace?

Grace is favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it. Grace is God’s riches at Christ expense. The Scripture reveals God as being “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Grace is therefore associated with mercy, love, compassion and patience.

PROVISION AND PURPOSE OF GOD’S MATCHLESS GRACE

(Romans 6:1-10; 3:24-28; Ephesians 2:1-9; Titus 2:11,12; Deuteronomy 9:5,6; John 1:14-17; Acts 15:11) In the Old Testament, the supreme example of grace was the redemption of the children of Israel from Egypt and their establishment in the Promised Land. This did not happen because of any merit on Israel’s part but because of God’s faithfulness and mercy (Deuteronomy 9:5,6).

QUESTION 2: Give one example each of God’s grace from the Old and New Testaments.

God had always related with His people on the basis of grace. However, Jesus Christ is the supreme revelation of His grace to mankind. Jesus was the embodiment and manifestation of God’s grace that brought salvation to mankind (Luke 2:40; John 1:14; Titus 2:11). By His death and resurrection, Jesus restored the broken fellowship between God and His people, both Jews and Gentiles. The only way for any person to attain salvation is “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:11).

QUESTION 3: In the light of the scriptures, highlight the primary purpose of divine provision of grace.

The grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ is applied to all men for their salvation by the Holy Spirit, who is called “the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). He reveals Christ to the world and helps repentant sinners to receive forgiveness, adoption to Sonship, newness of life and  spiritual gift (Ephesians 4:7). The theme of grace is especially prominent in the letters of Apostle Paul. He exalts grace above the works of the law (Romans 3:24-28). Paul makes it abundantly clear that salvation is not something that can be earned or merited: it can only be received as a gift of grace. Grace, however, must be accompanied by faith; a person must trust in the mercy and favor of God, even while it is undeserved (Romans 4:16). Mighty as sin is, the grace of God is mightier still. The grace of God is like the tide of the ocean, which enters a vast harbor and overflows and sweeps away accumulated pollutions. Victory over sin is a possibility for every sinner; more so because God is the Giver of grace, Jesus Christ the Minister of grace, and the Holy Spirit the Agent of grace.

PRECEPTS FOR PARTAKERS OF GOD’S MARVELLOUS GRACE

(Romans 6:11-13; 14-22; Hebrews 12:15; Titus 2:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:1; Colossians 3:10; Galatians 2:21; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 6:1; Acts 20:24; Zechariah 12:10; Genesis 6:8; 19:19; Esther 2:17; Proverbs 3:34). In the above passages, we find timeless precepts for the partakers of God’s grace. Notice how often Paul uses the word “know” in this chapter (verses 3,6,9,16). Satan wants to perpetually keep us in the dark when it comes to the spiritual truths we should know. This is the reason many Christians are living beneath their privileged position. By his exposition, Paul, however, shows that it is impossible for a true Christian to live in sin any longer since he is dead to sin. This is the evidence of our identification with Christ. Not only did Christ die for us, but we died with Him. When the Spirit baptized us into the body of Christ, we were buried with Him and raised to newness of life. Romans 6:3,4 do not refer to water baptism but the operation of the Spirit in putting us “into Christ” as members of His body (this operation is illustrated by water baptism). When Christ died, we died with Him; when He was raised, we were raised to newness of life with Him. This is our new position in Christ. Christ did not only die for sin, He also died unto sin (Romans 6:10). He, therefore, broke the power of sin and destroyed the old nature (Romans 6:6). Sin and the old nature are hard masters. The unsaved person is a slave to sin (John 8:34; Romans 6:16,20). He is dead in his sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:13). He is a servant of sin because he has failed to wholeheartedly believe God’s provision for salvation and righteousness through Christ (Romans 10:9,10). Every professing Christian in the church who still lives in sin is in the same spiritual situation with the unsaved person. However, through the grace of God in Christ, believers are “dead to sin” (Romans 6:2). They are crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20). The old, sinful nature in them has been destroyed; as a result, sin has no dominion over them (Romans 6:14). It is not enough to know our new position in Christ; we must, by faith, reckon it to be true in our individual lives. Reckoning is faith in action. It is resting on the Word of God in spite of circumstances or feelings. We must, by faith, believe that we have been crucified with Christ and that “the old man” has been put to death. This is the beginning of walking in newness of life. As believers who have truly reckoned ourselves dead to sin, we must prove our faith by yielding ourselves to God. This is an important step in the process of getting victory over the old nature, the flesh. We must completely yield the members of our bodies to Christ. Prior to our salvation, we yielded ourselves to sin, and were the servants of sin. Consequently, we received the “wages” of sin – death (verse 23). But now that we have received Christ as Savior, we have been made free from sin; that is, our new position in Christ gives us a new Master as well as a new nature. We are now the servants of righteousness instead of the servants of sin! As we yield our members to Christ as “instruments” (verse 13), He comes to control our lives, and we bear fruit unto holiness (verse 22).

QUESTION 4: List and explain the scriptural steps that ensure the believers’ total victory over sin.

It is important that we keep these three steps in order. We cannot yield to God and get victory over the flesh unless we first reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin and alive in Christ. But we cannot reckon ourselves dead unless we know our position in Christ. Satan does not want us to live up to our high position in Jesus Christ, so he tries to confuse us about our victory in the Son of God. It is not enough to know that Christ died for us, we must also know that we died in Christ. It is not enough to know that we have a new nature within; we must also know that the old nature was dealt with on the Cross. Know, reckon,  yield: these three steps lead to daily victory over the flesh. Our knowledge and practical application of these steps in our lives will lead us to the throne where Christ is exalted on high, where (with Him) we “reign in life” as servants of righteousness, not slaves of sin. Believers should know that these three – know, reckon and yield, are spiritual factors, that needs to be constantly observed. They are not emergency measures that are to be employed in times of special temptations. Believers who spend quality time with the Word of God daily will know their position in Christ. They will have the faith to reckon themselves dead to sin and be able to yield themselves to the indwelling Spirit. The answer to the problem of sin is not simply determination, discipline, reformation, legislation, or any other human endeavour. It is through crucifixion and resurrection with Christ that we have the needed victory.

PERILS AND PENALTY OF GRACELESS LIVING

(Romans 6:23; Genesis 3:8-12,23; Romans 1:24-32; Ecclesiastes 7:26; 8:12; Ezekiel 18:4; Revelation 20:1115) It is a sad reality that God’s grace, in all its overwhelming power and influence to overcome sin and stem the tide of evil, thus affording the believer the sublime and the enviable privilege of being partaker of God’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) can be:

(1) resisted (Hebrews 12:15),

(2) received in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1),

(3) quenched (I Thessalonians 5:19),

(4) frustrated (Galatians 2:21), and

(5) abandoned (Galatians 5:4) by the believer.

The ultimate result is gracelessness in the life of such a believer. A graceless life is invariably one that is steeped in the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). Except by the grace of God, a believer has no power to resist sin or yield his members as instruments of righteousness (John 15:5). This is a sobering truth that calls for humility, prayer and self-examination (Romans 12:3; Philippians 2:5; Matthew 26:41; 2 Corinthians 13:5). QUESTION 5: Mention three consequences of sin. The frightening prospect of graceless living is aptly captured in many parts of the Scripture. Firstly, sin brings guilt. A soul burdened with guilt cannot approach God with boldness and faith (Genesis 3:8-12). Secondly, sin is contagious in nature. When introduced, sin in the life of a single individual has the potential to spread within the body of believers in a local assembly (Song of Solomon 2:15; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Galatians 5:9). Another peril of graceless living is the possibility of falling away (apostasy). If allowed, sin in a believer’s life could take him through a sequence of moral degradation that culminates in a state whereby it becomes impossible to renew him unto repentance. “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame” (Hebrew 6:4-6). Again, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27). Apostle Peter described it thus: “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” (2 Peter 2:20-21). Additionally, sin brings shame, fear, illusion, mean fulfillment and cynicism. We can find hell even in our greatest achievements. We can set out with the noblest aims and finish in the vilest gutter. Judgment for sin is plain throughout the Scripture. Sin brings death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23; James 1:15). Sin is ultimately self-destructive. Finally, sin leads to eternal death or perdition which is “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

QUESTION 6: Explain how a sinner or a backslider can escape the judgment of God. However, when a sinner or backslider turns to God from sin in genuine repentance, God pardons all his sins. The power embedded in the grace of God miraculously transforms and empowers such an individual. It is only then that he will experience true freedom from sin thereby averting divine wrath.


Kay Alli