Last Sunday's Bible Study: Romans 8:15-19

Last Sunday was 4th of July weekend, so there was an unusual number of people at my Bible study due to a cookout. Well, I'm glad they got to enjoy eating together, and what a blessing it was for me to teach from this passage on being adopted by the Father with the Holy Spirit, and of suffering and glory with Christ. [Note: I retaught on these verses again, as you can see if you scroll down to the previous posts.]

Romans 8:15-19

Verse 15. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Paul says that believers have received Him as the Spirit of adoption. The reason there cannot be any condemnation for a true Christian, is because Christians have received the very Spirit of the Son of God. He is not a spirit of fear that brings us under slavery, but of adoption as the very children of God the Father. Christians do not need to fear judgment, since God has not only taken away their judgment through Jesus Christ, but has by His Spirit sealed us as His very own children, for whom He has provided an eternal inheritance. It is by His Spirit that we cry like little children, calling Him "Abba", "Father!" God is the Father of those who are saved, and therefore He will never abandon any of His children to condemnation. He loves Christians as His own.

[Lit. No therefore received spirit slavery again to fear, rather received spirit adoption by whom cry Abba the Father.]

Verse 16. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

1. What does the Spirit do if we are God's children?

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit by guiding how we think and live (v.5), and also by leading us to put to death the sins of our flesh, and by moving us to pray to God, calling Him "Abba! Father!" That is, my Father, the One who has made me His own by giving me new life by His Spirit and by the resurrection of His Son, and by the Word preached. (Eph. 1:3-5; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3).

Verse 17. and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

1. What are children of God?
2. What is an heir?
3. What is also necessary for this to be proven true, or for us to be glorified with Christ?

Children of God are heirs. An heir is somone (usually a child) who inherits or is entitled to inherit property, one who inherits or is entitled to succedd to a hereditary rank, title, or office , one who receives or is entitiled to receive some endowment or quality from a parent or predecessor" (Mirriam-Webster online dictionary).

This is true of us, the text says, provided we suffer with Christ so that we may also be glorified together with him. Jesus said that if the world hated him, it will hate us also. All the apostles took what Jesus taught seriously and taught carefully how Christians ought to suffer in the name of Jesus. All of 1 Peter is written to help suffering Christians. Romans chapter 8 is also an encouragment for Christians when they suffer.

Suffering is like the guarantee that proves us to be heirs with Christ, when we suffer together with Him, not apart from Him. We join Him in His sufferings. As Hebrews 12:3-5 says, we suffer with Him in our struggle against sin and are disciplined by our Heavenly Father. In Hebrews 13:3, we suffer with believers who are mistreated (like those in prison for their faith) by remembering their needs. But Hebrews 13:12-13 really explains well how Christians suffer with Jesus. "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured." (Hebrews 13:12-13).

Verse 18. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

1. What do we learn about suffering in this verse?
2. What do we learn about glory?

Paul reasons here, that you cannot even compare the present sufferings that Christians experience in this life with the glory that is to be revealed to us, or in us.

Remember that in verse 17, he just said that we are truly fellow heirs with Christ, as long as we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

So our suffering with Christ, you could say, guarantees that we will be glorified with him. This is why, though it is hard, Christians prize their sufferings, because we know that "this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17).

Verse 19. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Q: What is it that this verse says is waiting? How is it waiting? What is it waiting for?

This verse begins with the word "For" which leads us to consider what was stated just before verse 19. In verse 18, Paul says that he doesn't consider the sufferings of this present life worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. With that said, he now states that the creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.

To understand this, we can look at some other passages that will help us.
1. Psalm 132:11-12
2. Isaiah 43:6-7
3. 1 John 3:1-2
4. Revelation 19:6-8
5. Revelation 21:7

We learn from these passages, that the sons and daughters of God are those who have a covenant (an agreement) with God. This is that if they keep the requirements of God's covenant with them and the testimonies that God would teach them, then they would sit forever on the throne with Christ. This means they will reign in the kingdom of God as God's sons and as co-rulers of the creation of God with Christ.
We also see that those whom God has chosen by grace to be His very own sons are called from all over the earth to be made for the glory of God.
We see that they are not known by the world, but are going to appear in the very same image of Christ when He appears.
We see glimpses of this being fulfilled in Revelation 19, and Rev. 21:7 gives this very promise of being God's son to all who conquer (who overcome the world and its evil by faith in Christ).

So Paul says in Romans 8:19 that the creation itself is waiting eargly and longing for the day when this will happen. In the verses that follow, Paul will explain how this is being worked out.

For now, consider some things:
1. What does it mean to be a son of God?
2. How is it important to me to know whether I am truly a son of God?
3. How can I become a son of God?
4. What hope do they have who are the sons of God, and what hope do they have who are not His children?
5. The only begotten Son of God came into the world to redeem God's chosen children, is this what I base my life on? Do I seek to know God's only begotten Son and to serve Him in humble fear and worship all the days of my life? Do I love Him so that I can say that my life belongs totally to Him and His service?

Remember who it was that God sent to die. Who it was who rose to conquer death and sin and hell.. and who it is who is coming again to bring God's children home.
See 1 Thessalonians 1:10

Present yourselves to God

While I am battling a hard issue and struggling, I need to remember that there is one thing needed, that I present myself to God as one raised from death to life, and my members to Him as instruments for righteousness.

Why?

Because I'm free from the burden of the law and am now under grace. Oh thanks be to God through His precious Son and my Lord Jesus! Please help me Lord!

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:12-14 ESV).

Considering Truth and the Bible

“Intelligent people interpret data differently, largely based on presuppositions and training. Currently, those espousing the undirected natural processes scenarios are in control of the vast majority of scientific clout... Studies have repeatedly shown that the public holds views that are more compatible with ID [Intelligent Design], yet undirected naturalism is taught as ‘truth’ in public school systems, despite its lack of scientific evidence. Since Atheism and Secular Humanism have been confirmed as religions by US courts, and Evolution has been declared a religion by evolutionists, this teaching is actually against the First Amendment religious establishment clause and may be addressed in court.”
—Dr. Don Johnson of ScientificIntegrity.net, in his new book Probability’s Nature and Nature’s Probability, p. 101.

It is true that much of what people believe today is based more on personal preferences, rather than on what they have discovered to be actually true by careful study.

Just ask anyone, if they base their beliefs on what they “feel to be right”, and the response you get generally will be the same (with a few exceptions of course). The general idea is that feelings are more accurate than facts when it comes to determining reality.

Are feelings an accurate way to test truth or reality?

Some tell us there is no such thing as truth, and that whatever is true for you may not be true for someone else. But that idea confuses the very definition of truth.

Truth is that which agrees with reality or facts. Often we contrast it with fiction. To say there are no absolutes, or no absolute truth, is to say that the postmodern idea of relativism is in fact the truth. It’s like saying, “It is true that there exists no objective truth.”

Such a statement contradicts itself and is absurd, yet many people in our day (perhaps even you dear friend) have blindly accepted such a belief without question.

Let’s consider: if our president affirms something to be true, does that therefore make it to be true? Of course not! We all know that is often not the case, yet when it comes to so many matters of opinion, we blindly let people tell us how and even what to think without any examination of the reliability of their claims, simply because we feel it must be right.

As much as we love to point fingers and shift the blame on others, yet we also need to admit our own laziness in learning how to think critically.

We clearly love to base our beliefs and values on what we want, rather than on what is right. Personal preference has become the rule. Tolerance is virtually intolerant when it comes to those who reject liberal views. Just witness the many episodes of outrage broadcast over the news recently, showing advocates of sexual tolerance who themselves behave with intolerance toward their opponents. Such a scene shows no desire to act reasonably, only to beat down the opponent with aggressive verbal abuse. The very attitude of those who advocate tolerance is glowing with hypocritical intolerance. This is the result of a cultural denial of absolute standards whenever it feels like the right thing. Hypocrisy becomes inevitable.

If we carefully examine ourselves, our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our speech and our conduct, we will certainly find many inconsistencies and areas of hypocrisy. Does this mean we should never make any judgments about anyone morally?

It is ironic that some say that all forms of judging are wrong, even while they act out the very process of judging the same people they accuse of being judgmental. Such conduct is laughably sad, yet far too common in everyday life.

Nevertheless, there are forms of judgment based on facts and reality. Such judgments are necessary, while judgments based on personal preferences and hypocrisy need to be avoided. Therefore, we can judge truth, reality, right vs. wrong, as long as it is based on factual evidence.

Therefore, when it comes to the Bible, we can judge it to be true on many matters of life, simply by reading and comparing what it teaches to the world around us.

Although critics of the Bible like to say it contradicts itself in many places, or that it speaks about killing and many other horrible things, they often avoid context and ignore the main message.

So when we examine the truth of the Bible, we do so by understanding rationally what is being said and by comparing that with reality. This is not hard to understand, yet very difficult to do for someone who has already rejected (with bias) their own idea of what the Bible teaches. Such a person is right in their own mind and cannot think critically or accurately. Yet these are they who seek to impose their own biased rejection of the Bible on others, sometimes forcefully, thus turning the table on themselves. Learning to recognize these kinds of inconsistencies will greatly help us when examining the truth claims of the Bible, or of any other book.

With that said, I will leave my reader to go do his own research with some things in mind:

First is that faith in God is not unreasonable, no matter what some big-shot atheist says about it. We know that we are creatures, which means we have been made by a Creator, One who is more skilled than we are, more wise than we are, more true than we are, greater and more powerful than we are. To ignore this great Being would be to ignore reality itself.

Second, we only know as much about this great Creator as it is given to us to know. Our intelligence has an intelligent Designer. One who has determined our capacities for us. The Bible is the only book that explains how this Creator has chosen to reveal Himself to His creatures by choosing a family and a nation of people (the Jews), making them distinct from every other nation, giving them His divine Law, revealing to them prophecies about the future which come to pass with alarming accuracy, choosing a virgin woman from among them by whom He sent His very Son into the world, showing Himself to a world filled with wicked and hateful people. It admits to the absurdity this message has to the faithless mind, yet reveals the greatest love and glory in the One who would identify with His own people by becoming one of them, living a perfect life for them, dying for their sins and rebellion, rising back to life and calling them to repentance and faith unto reconciliation, then sending them to spread His message in the world until He returns in final judgment.

Based on what I’ve discovered in my own research, I can say to you that no other religious book compares to the Bible and no other person compares to Jesus of Nazareth, and I dare you to test it for yourself with a clear mind.

God bless!

Romans 8, part 5

Continuing the study in Romans chapter 8.

Romans 8, part 5: The Revelation of the Sons of God

Romans 8:19

Verse 19: For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

Q: What is it that this verse says is waiting? How is it waiting? What is it waiting for?

This verse begins with the word "For" which leads us to consider what was just stated before verse 19. In verse 18, Paul says that he doesn't consider the sufferings of this present life worthy to be compared with the glory that is going to be revealed to us (meaning God's children).

Next, he now states that the creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.

Q: What do you think it means to wait with “eager longing”? What do you think it means by saying that God's sons are going to be revealed?

In Romans

To understand this, we can look at some other passages that will help us.
1. Psalm 132:11-12
2. Isaiah 43:6-7
3. 1 John 3:1-2 (see 2:29 as a preliminary verse to this).
4. Revelation 19:6-8
5. Revelation 21:7


We learn from these passages, that the sons and daughters of God are those who have a covenant (an agreement) with God. This covenant is that if they keep God's covenant with them and the testimonies that God would teach them, that they would sit forever on the throne with Christ. This means they will reign in the kingdom of God as God's sons and as co-rulers of the creation of God with Christ.

We also see that those whom God has chosen by grace to be His very own sons and daughters are called from all over the earth to be made for the glory of God.

We see that they are not known by the world, but are going to appear in the very same image of Christ when He appears. In an amazing way by the grace of God, they will be like Christ, the Son of God. In Luke 20:36, Jesus said they will be equal to the angels and are sons of God in the resurrection.

We see glimpses of this being fulfilled in Revelation 19, where the people of God are called the Bride of the Lamb and are clothed in beautiful garments of righteous deeds.

Revelation 21:7 gives the promise to all who conquer, that they will be God's very own Sons. This victory or conquest is also referred to as overcoming the world by faith that Jesus is indeed the very Son of God (1 John 5:4-5).

So Paul says in Romans 8:19 that the creation itself is waiting eagerly, longing for the day when this will happen.

In the verses that follow, Paul will explain how this hope of the revealing of God's true children is being worked out.

For now, consider some things:
1. What does it mean to be a son of God?

2. How is it important to me to know whether I am truly a son of God?

3. How can I become a son of God?

4. What hope do they have who are the sons of God, and what hope do they have who are not His children?

5. The only begotten Son of God came into the world to redeem God's chosen children, is this what I base my life on? Do I seek to know God's only begotten Son and to serve Him in humble fear and worship all the days of my life? Do I love Him so that I can say that my life belongs totally to Him and His service?

Remember who it was that God sent to die for us. Who it was who rose to conquer death and sin and hell.. and who it is who is coming again to bring God's children home.

See 1 Thessalonians 1:10
1Th 1:8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.
1Th 1:9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
1Th 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Romans 8, parts 4

SO IT HAS BEEN so long since I published my Romans Bible studies. I have not stopped studying and teaching from Romans (we are in chapter 8 now), but I have taken a lot of time off from publishing them in an organized way here on my AS IT IS WRITTEN blog.

To anyone interested in looking closely at Romans, please read this study and the ones listed on my sidebar. Grace be with you.

Romans Chapter 8, part 4

Text: Romans 8:15-18

Study Notes:

Verse 15: For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Q & A: What spirit have Christians not received? What spirit have Christians received? What is your concept of the Christian? Do you view the Christian life as one of fear and slavery, or as one of adoption and being the very children of God?

Speaking of the Holy Spirit, Paul says that believers have received Him as the Spirit of adoption. The reason there cannot be any condemnation for a true Christian, is because Christians have received the very Spirit of the Son of God. He is not a spirit of fear that brings us under slavery, but of adoption as the very children of God the Father. Christians do not need to fear judgment, since God has not only taken away their judgment through Jesus Christ, but by His Spirit has sealed them as His very own children, for whom He has provided an eternal inheritance. It is by His Spirit that we cry out as children, calling Him "Abba", "Father!" God is the Father of those who are saved, and therefore He will never abandon any of His children to condemnation. He loves Christians as His own.


Verse 16-17: The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Q & A: What does the Spirit himself do with the spirit of those who are adopted? What does He witness to them about? What does it mean to be a child of God? What must happen in order for Christians to be glorified with Christ?


Verse 18: For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Q & A: What does Paul consider is not worthy to be compared with the future glory? What sufferings do you think is he referring to? What do you think the glory he refers to is all about?

Concluding now that Christians are called to suffer with Christ, Paul considers with reason that these present sufferings can't be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. That glory is the glory of God in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. My friends whom I love dearly, do you believe this? Do you really believe it??

Meditating on a Miracle

I wrote down these thoughts a few days ago, after reading the amazing miracles of Christ in Mark chapter 7, when he healed a man who was deaf and dumb:

"And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." (Mark 7:36,37 KJV).

This is one of my favorite stories in the gospel of Mark. In the midst of a multitude, a man who could neither hear nor speak was brought to Jesus. Perhaps because of the noise of the people, Jesus removed this man away from the crowd. He then put his fingers in his ears, spit and touched his tongue, looked up to heaven with a sigh and said, "Eph'pha-tha," which meant, "Be opened!" Immediately the man's ears were opened and his tongue was freed so that he spoke plainly. All the people were extremely astonished when they were told what happened, despite the Lord's command not to tell anyone.

Whenever I read this story, I feel astounded and surprised with joy every time. Why do the miracles that Jesus performed never cease to amaze me? I believe it is because they are unlike anything ever done for people in history. Jesus did not perform miracles to show off his own greatness or to exalt himself or the miracles themselves. He did them because he loved people. He saw them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He also did them to glorify His Father, and to fulfill prophecy about himself. He did them to reveal the kingdom of God and to promote faith in the Word of God, because what was written about the Messiah had come to pass. God sent His Son to be the Savior of the world, and through these miracles we see little glimpses of His salvation. We see Jesus saving people from demonic power and control, from sickness and death, from blindness and leprosy, from hunger and from pain. In the miracle of our text, Jesus saved a man from his inability to hear and from his speechlessness.

Let's consider a few things about this man. First, he was hearless. You could speak in his ear, yet he would not listen to you, for he could not hear your words. This man was deaf. No amount of cleaning his ears could cause his hearing to return. Nothing could make his ears clean enough, clear enough, or open enough to hear a sound. Yet, Jesus put his fingers in the man's ears, and after he spoke, they were opened so that the man heard everything clearly. This is the power of God's Son! He makes one who cannot hear, cannot listen, cannot understand, to hear, listen and understand everything very well. That is a miracle that must be performed upon every closed hearted sinner, including you and I, before we will humbly listen to and understand Jesus. Do you see the glory in the ear-opening power of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Next, the man was speechless. No doubt if this man was born deaf, he would have also been dumb as well. The man could not talk, at least not like everyone else. Perhaps he had learned to move his mouth like others around him, yet he would have had trouble making the proper sounds, since his ears could not discern their distinctions. So we can see an area of helplessness as a result of his infirmity. However, the Scripture tells us that Jesus spit, then touched the man's tongue. I have often thought this was a strange act on the part of Jesus, but the more I think upon it, the more I am in awe of the Lord's grace. Jesus took saliva from his own mouth, touched this man's tongue, and miraculously made the man able to speak clearly on his own. A man who before had nothing to say, because he could say nothing, now was enabled by Jesus Christ to proclaim the glorious praises of God! What a miracle! My friends, if Jesus has healed the ears of our hearts, then he will also enable us to speak as well. If we think we have nothing to say to others concerning our Lord, then let us look to Jesus, and receive his help that our tongues may be set free.

This story has a spiritual reference to it, just as all the miracles of Christ do. Death is the result of sin, and all infirmities are a byproduct of the curse that God pronounced on mankind because of Adam's sin. So when Jesus healed this man, it has a connection to our need to be saved form our sins, and not only from our sicknesses.

I know that for myself, I was once unable to hear the truth of God's Word. I could not understand it, because my spiritual ears were closed to spiritual truth. "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:13,14 KJV). But when the grace and mercy of God toward me appeared, I was able to both hear God's Word and understand it by the Spirit of God, so that by His grace I was saved. And even though I used to have nothing to say, suddenly I could not keep the words within me, but I had to open my mouth and talk about the gracious King of kings and Lord of lords.

Let us learn from this miracle, how Jesus has the power to make us hear His truth and speak of it to others by His grace. Give thanks to the Lord if he has done the same for you, and if not, then go to Jesus and receive a heart of understanding. Jesus died for sinners, so that by His crucifixion and resurrected life, we also might be free from our sins and have power to know and serve Him. Are you living in the freedom of hearing, knowing and serving Jesus Christ? He is still the Savior, yet how much time is left for you to seek Him before you stand before the throne of judgment?

Romans 6, part 1

Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Introduction:

We are now at a very important part of Romans, and it is a chapter that we really must understand carefully.

Do you remember how the book of Romans started out? What was it teaching us?
It started by introducing the reason for the book, which Paul began by telling us that he was “a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord...” (Paul's intro to Romans goes on even more in verses 1-17 of chapter 1, as he wrote to the saints in Rome). So we see that this book is really written about Christ. It is concerning the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord. Paul's mission and purpose was to serve Christ by preaching this gospel to everyone, including the people in Rome through his letter.

Do you remember what else we learned from chapters 1-5? What were some important things and words we read about?
We learned that God's wrath is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress His truth by their unrighteousness (Rom 1:18). We also learned that it is hypocrisy to think one is safe from God's wrath because he is religious or prays, or trusts the Bible when in fact he is disobeying it in his heart. Rather, God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, and we cannot harden our hearts to our sin and God's justice thinking we will be forgiven because of our good works. No, as we learned in chapter 3, “there is none good not even one.” We also learned that the law was given to show us our sin so we would seek to be justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. And we learned that God showed His justice in giving His Son to be the propitiation for believers. Then we learned in chapter four how we are justified by faith alone, just like Abraham was, and we are counted righteous by faith because of what Jesus Christ did when He died and rose again. This has nothing to do with our works or deeds or obedience. Rather, it is all about one thing – faith.

Do you remember what faith is about?
Faith is trust in God that He will save you by the finished work of Christ. It is entrusting all to Him and turning away from every other trust. Faith is to trust in Jesus Christ alone and not in any works of our own.

Now, you tell me, what was chapter 5 about?

Study notes:

Verse 1
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?

This is a question that people often bring up after hearing about all the grace spoken of in chapter 5. People still ask this question today when they are told about grace. There are two types of people who ask this: 1. the religious people, who think that grace makes it too easy to be saved. They respond in distrust, denying salvation by grace alone through faith, because they think people will sin even more. 2. The other group are what we call antinomians. That means they live without any law. They think grace is wonderful because it gives them an excuse to keep on sinning even more. The argument is that the more you sin, the more grace abounds, so why not?

So what do you think? What is the answer to this question?

Verse 2
By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

So what's the answer?
The answer to the question in verse 1 is a strong, resounding NO! No way! May it never be!!

Why does he give this answer? What does Paul ask in response to this question (what is the question in verse 2 that Paul gives)? Paul answers the question with another question: How can we be dead and still be alive at the same time? In other words, we died to sin, so how can we be alive to it anymore?

Is it possible for someone to be dead and be alive at the same time? What does it mean to be dead? Those who are dead are no longer living, and those who have died to sin can no longer live in it anymore. It is an impossibility, a contradiction for a Christian to continue to live a sinful life, because he has died to sin.

A Death Poem:
What happens when someone dies?
First, they lose their ability to do anything. No more breathing, heart-beating, feeling, tasting, hearing, smelling, seeing. No more thinking, speaking, reading, writing, praying, being. No more learning, loving, laughing, smiling, teaching, giving, getting, keeping, growing. No more moving. Death takes everything away. No more wearing, buying, selling, enjoying. No more money, friends, family, health, house, city, town, pets, spouse, children, country. All gain is lost. All hopes quenched. All plans ended. The past is gone, the future lost, the present restricted. Death ends it all.

Verse 3
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

Again, Paul asked another question. And this time it begins with, “Do you not know...?” Don't you know this?

What were the Christians supposed to know? What were they baptized into? In other words, these Christians had learned these things before, and they had also learned about baptism. What is baptism? Baptism is the Greek word for “immersion” - to be immersed into, to be submerged, to go under water. That is the meaning of the word “baptize.”

However, Paul didn't speak about water at all in this verse. What kind of baptism was he talking about? This question about baptism is to show why a Christian can no longer continue in sin. Paul says that all of us who were baptized (i.e. immersed, submerged) into Christ Jesus, were immersed into his death. The Christian has been put into Christ and has been immersed into the death of Christ when He died on the cross.

Paul explains this in more detail with the following verses.

Verse 4
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

What does it say happened to the believers when they were baptized into Christ? What happened to Christ after He died? How was He raised? How does this affect us who believe? The reason is explained that, we were therefore buried with Christ through immersion into death (that is the death of Christ on the cross, Rom. 6:3). We were buried with Christ by being immersed into His death. This was so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so in this way, we walk in a completely new life. The old life is dead and buried with our Lord Jesus Christ (who is our representative Head, Rom. 5:14), now, through His resurrection we walk in a brand new life. Just as Christ died and lives completely new in His resurrected life, so also we live completely new in our new Christian life. All this was accomplished for us by Christ when He died, was buried and was raised on the third day. This displays the glory of the Father who gives life to the dead, making a completely new life through Christ's resurrection.

Conclusion:

All this has nothing to do with our works. We do nothing to be saved from God's wrath. Rather, it was Christ Jesus who the Father gave to die in our place. Jesus died, and so everyone who believes the gospel is counted to be dead through faith in Him. Faith unites us to Christ, and when we are united to Christ, we are united to His death (as we will see more next week in Romans 6:5). And just as Christ was raised from the dead, Christians are also given a completely new life through His resurrection. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” God causes believers to be born into a new life through the resurrection of Christ. This is why a Christian cannot live any longer in his old ways. If you are saved, you are a new person completely. If you think you are saved, but you still live as you did before, without any change in your heart's desires, and without any change in how you live your life, and what you do with your time, then you are deceived, because you are not a Christian. And many people today live this way, thinking they are saved when they have never been given a new life in Christ. I was the worst of them all, and it was after reading this chapter that my eyes were opened to see how I could not go back to my sin anymore, but Christ gave me a new life.