Romans 5.12-6.23: Gospel Freedom

Let’s take a few moments and study Romans chapter 6. Let’s remind ourselves that Paul spent chapters 1-4 explaining the gospel; God saves all people by grace through faith in Jesus who died for our sins, just like he always said he would. And now in chapters 5-8 Paul is digging deeper into this gospel by exploring the salvation that it brings.

We’re going to focus on 6, but let’s say a few things about 5.12-21. Romans 5 is a profound part of Scripture that repays whatever meditation we give to it. On the surface the meaning is clear:

• Paul is comparing Jesus and Adam, showing that while Adam messed everything up, Jesus more than cleaned up the mess. “What was lost in Adam is more than regained in Christ.”

• Paul is talking specifically about death and life. Adam was given the beginnings of life and told to grow it, but instead he brought death to all. Jesus came into a world ruled by death but restored life to the full.

• And Paul is once again especially clear that all this comes by grace. This brings us to 6, where Paul starts with a question. 6.1: What then… He answers with an emphatic no, and then unpacks the freedom that comprises our salvation.

6.1-14: Because baptism, sin no more.

• You have been freed from sin.

  • Penalty yes, but also power: you don’t have to sin any more.

• Through baptism (or “baptismal union with Christ”)

• Old habits die hard.

6.15-23: Choose your master.

• You will serve someone, Paul says (old Bob Dylan song); you will be someone’s or something’s slave, he goes so far as to say. And most of the next section basically lays out these two paths – slavery to sin leading to death, or slavery to grace leading to life. It’s pretty clear. Choose your path. Choose your master. But let’s try to be practical. How?

• Listen to your master’s voice (and ignore the others)

• Consecrate, or offer the parts of your body to God. Again, and again, and again.

In the past, “Is Christianity true?” More so now… “Does Christianity work?”