Part 4 - A ‘Positional’ Prohibition Against Sinning (Rom. 6:3-14)

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Necessity of Sanctification .

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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 (should deport one’s self) in newness of life.” (Romans 6:3-4 (KJV)

Yes, verse 3 speaks of a baptism here, but if you have come looking for water in the Romans 6:3-4 baptism, you’ll be disappointed. Paul begins, … so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His Death(Rom. 6:3). Here Paul speaks of our real ‘position’ that was achieved by Spirit baptizing us into His (dead) body.”by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...” (1 Cor. 12:13a). Here we see the reason why genuine Christians cannot live in Sin as they formerly did... they’re “dead to Sin;” and he that is dead is freed from sin (from Sin’s dominion).” (Rom. 6:7)  

We shouldn’t expect to find water every time the word baptism occurs, for there are numerous examples of ‘waterless baptisms.’ John the Baptist mentioned two ‘dry’ baptisms. “… He (Jesus) Himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt. 3:11). In secular Greek, the verb ‘baptizo’ meant not only ‘to immerse’ or ‘to dip’ but also to “cause to perish (as by drowning a man or sinking a ship).” Pharaoh’s army was baptized (drowned) in the Red Sea. The baptizing work in Romans 6 is the Spirit placing us INTO Christ’s Dead body, joining us to the Person and work of Christ in such a way that we participate in His Crosswork in His death and in His resurrection. We’ve died and risen With Him in “newness of life” (Room. 6:4).

So far as our justification is concerned Christ died for our sins. He died once and for all in our place as our substitute. But with reference to our sanctification, Christ died to Sin AS US… rendering Sin powerless! Sin cannot reign over a dead person. We enjoy Christ’s work of justification at the moment of our salvation… in that moment He delivered us from the ‘penalty’ of sin; but also by the death of Christ, He also accomplished our sanctification, whereby He has delivered us from ‘the power of sin.’ This is the point of Rom. 6:3-11. Below Paul tells us how we were freed from ‘the power of sin.’

Knowing this, that our old man (our soul-self)IScrucified with him, (so) that the body of sin might be destroyed (Gk., kartargeo,made of no effect,” as in Gal 4:5), (so) that henceforth we should not serve sin (the nature in our flesh).

7 For he that “ISdead is Freed from Sin (freed from Sin’s dominion). (Rom. 6:6-7)

The word “is” in vs 6-7 (above) speaks of the continuing accomplished fact of our co-crucifixion with Christ, applying to us the moment we believed and were baptized into (His) one (crucified) body” (Rom. 12:13). This is not John’s water “baptism of repentance,” which was exclusively a Jewish ordinance that called out Jesus’ “little flock” of Israelites from Apostate Israel of that day. Those Israelites were thereby separated or sanctified unto Jesus of Nazareth by their water baptism. Jesus was then “baptized” into death for us. (Luke 12:50) Water baptism has nothing to do with us as the members of “the body of Christ.” Water will not secure the cross’ justification and sanctification for us… only the cross does that.

Romans 6:6 tells us our “old man,” our old soul-self (what we were as sons of Adam), has died and IS continually dead to sin.” The Sin-nature no longer has any claim, power or authority over us (cf. v7). Just as “the Law” has no authority over a dead man. Just as money collection agencies don’t harass the corpse of dead people, so sin no longer has a claim on anyone who has died “with Him.” (Christ) Who hath (already) delivered us from ‘the power’ of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Col. 1:13)

Sin had a claim on us and thus on our sin-bearer… Jesus; Sin then had a just claim laid upon on Jesus. When our Lord Jesus was crucified, He, As Us, “died to sin.” Sin no longer has a claim on Christ due to our sins, and Sin no longer has no claim on us since we have “died to sin”… “with Christ” (Rom. 6:1-4). Our participation in Christ’s death “to Sin” has abolished all claim that Sin once had in tyrannically ruling over us.

But, our identification with Christ does not end in our death to sin; it extends to our participation in His resurrection to “newness of life.” Sin no longer has dominion over us and we now have a new kind of life, Christ’s life in us is capable of spontaneously manifesting the righteousness of Christ in our daily living. Being ‘positionally,’ in Christ” we are now “dead to Sin,” but also we are now alive unto God.” Now we dare not fall back under the needless and baseless dominion of Sin, rather, we are free and ought to manifest “newness of life” in Christ (cf. Col. 3:1-13).

So, on this basis of our ‘position in Christ’ at the cross, Paul not only cast aside any talk of continuing in Sin, and he exhorts us to demonstrate our position by the practice of personal righteousness.

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 (body) members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Romans 6:12-13)

The word “yield” in v13 is very informative. You can’t “yield” to something that is not active. E.g., We only yield to the moving traffic as we enter the interstate in our vehicles. Sin is still active in our flesh. Paul refers to the “motions of sin... in the flesh” (Rom. 7:5)… but we know that because of the cross and our co-death with Christ, Sin no longer has power over us. Christ’s “Spirit of lifeindwells our spirit, always alive and moving, speaking, empowering, and guiding us. So, we are not free from the presence of “Sin in the flesh” (Rom 8:3) but we are free from the power of Sin.

Thus, Paul’s emphasis in vs12-13 (above) is not for us to fight or resist the motions of “Sin in the flesh,” but rather to turn your heart toward God, to yield yourselves unto God.” If you try to fight Sin your attention is poised toward Sin and away from the Lord. In this case the best defense against Sin is the proper offense of yielding to Christ who is alive in your Spirit.