Paul asks the question, 'Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?' The answer he gives is, 'God forbid', and beginning in verse 2 he shares with us why not. He says, 'How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?' In verse 3 he begins with the words, 'know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ,' And that is the secret!

He is talking about those of us who were baptized by Jesus. This is a spirit baptism. 'For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.' 1 Corinthians 12: 13

'For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For the body is not one member, but many.' 1 Corinthians 12: 12,14

Verse 3-4: When we were baptized into Jesus, we were baptized to walk in newness of life. Baptism here does not mean water. The term baptism is dealing with the process by which we share the life of Jesus Christ. Water baptism shadows the real baptism of spirit. Titus 3:5 'Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.' Water baptism helps us to understand what the spirit does.

The baptism of the spirit happened historically when Christ appeared to his disciples in John 20:22, then on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. What happened to them happens to you. Union with Christ is the proof from which everything in scripture flows. If you are in Christ, there is a change in behavior. There must be a change in you, or the baptism of Spirit did not occur, and your Christianity is false.

Verses 5-10 reveal a deeper revelation of what happens. We are now in Christ. He is our life. Verse 6-7 explains what it means to die in Christ. The old man is crucified, sin is destroyed, and we are freed from sin. 1) The tie with Adam is broken. 2) In the cross you are united with him in crucifixion. Verses 8-10 explains what it means to be risen with Christ. The bond of death and sin has been broken and in Christ your spirit is free from sin. It is united with Jesus and risen with him. See 1st John: That which is born of God cannot sin because God's nature abides in it. It is proper to say of those baptized into Christ, we cannot sin. Sin still remains as an alien power trying to dominate our bodies, but our spirits were freed from sin, linked with Christ to control the sin. From then on, we don't have to sin. We are no longer slaves to sin. If we do, it's because we allowed it. ''Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' 1 John 3: 9

Verses 6,7,8; There remains in our body an alien power, that tempts us, but we are not slaves to it. We can control it. We can exercise control over the body of sin; the mind over evil thoughts; the appetite over indulgence, the tongue from cursing God. We have been set free not to choose sin, but we also have a new power to enforce or resist sin. This is given to us in verses 8-10. If we died with Christ, we will live with him; for we know since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again. Death has no mastery over him. He died to sin once, but he lives to God.

Romans 6:8-10: Once we reckon ourselves dead to sin in Christ there is nothing left to do but go onto life. Sin and death are over. It is true for us because it is true of him. Jesus lives under the will and power of God. The same thing is true of us. We need to recognize that we died to sin with Christ 2) His life is in us now, meaning when we decide not to sin, we have the power to refuse it because Christ is living in us. It all comes down to 2 simple steps in verse 11; and this is the first time we are asked to do anything. It is the 1st exhortation in Romans 6:11.

1) Reckon yourselves dead to sin.

2) Reckon yourselves alive to Christ

When you feel temptation 1) you are free to refuse it. You can say, 'you don't have any right to use my body for sinful purposes. 2) offer that same part of your body to God for his purposes. We have God within us, we have the strength and right of refusal to sin. Repeat these two steps over and over again in life.

Romans 6:12-13 Offer the parts of your body to God (your tongue, mind, stomach, hands, feet, organs) as instrument of righteousness. Paul closes with verse 14. For sin shall not be your master because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14 Why does he bring up the law? Because the law condemns and under condemnation, we feel unworthy to approach God or we feel God is angry or doesn't care. We want to give up. But Paul says, we are not under the law of condemnation but under grace. Every time you fail, you know he forgives you. He has won the battle over sin and you are in Him.