True Spirituality | Through Death to Resurrection ~ Part 2

Good morning. Let us all stand as we study the Word of God. We will be in Romans chapter number 6, and we will read the whole chapter this morning. I will read verse 1, you will read verse 2, and we will conclude together at verse 23.

Verse 1 reads: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Verse 2: “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Verse 3: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” Verse 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 in newness of life.” Verse 5: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” Verse 6: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.” Verse 7: “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Verse 8: “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:” Verse 9: “Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” Verse 10: “For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.” Verse 11: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Verse 12: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” Verse 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 members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Verse 14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Verse 15: “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” Verse 16: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Verse 17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” Verse 18: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Verse 19: “I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” Verse 20: “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.” Verse 21: “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.” Verse 22: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Let us read verse 23 together: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Let us pray. Our heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity you have given all of us to study Your holy Word again. Help us, O God, to have focus this morning so that we can meditate upon and enjoy the study of Your holy Word. Lord, lift us up if we are drowning in the things of this world or in sin. Help us to understand this doctrine, this form of doctrine declared in chapter six of the book of Romans. Thank you, Lord, for these truths we can enjoy: that we are not under sin and we are not under the law; we are freed and have liberty in Christ. Help us to enjoy this liberty in Christ. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.

This morning, we continue our series, “Through Death to Resurrection.” In the following weeks, we will deal with more practical things, particularly as we go verse by verse into Romans 12 and discuss the practical service and life of a Christian. The doctrines we have been teaching for the past weeks—this “form of doctrine”—have a point. They are not taught merely for your mind, but they are doctrines we need to learn so that when a biblical standard is taught to us, we will not be shocked and say, “That’s too much.” We are taught to die to sin and to die to self. When we understand that this is God’s expectation and what He desires for us, then it is not far-fetched to comprehend and accept that our current actions may not be in accordance with the will of God. Because of that, we need to make changes in our lives that will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of a holy God.

The Gospel: The Center of Our Faith

We will discuss these things again using our chart. By the grace of God, I will explain each part and how they relate to one another. The cross is the center, the origin, and the very foundation of this doctrine. Remember what 1 Corinthians 15 says: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand.” Our faith must be founded upon this. The gospel was not given for you to believe and then simply forget; the gospel was given so that we could believe it and stand on those grounds, even until the end. Then you will be able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith,” which includes the faith of the gospel.

The gospel is central. So, as we study this, the question is: Are you saved? The basis for salvation today, wherein righteousness is contained, is the gospel. Romans 1:16-17 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” It is very important that we are all familiar with the gospel, even the children. They need to understand at a young age that the salvation God gives as a gift is through the gospel. There is no other channel for that salvation except through the gospel of Christ.

God is not a communist where everyone is equal, and you can believe anything you want and still go to heaven. God has set a way. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If you do not pass through the right way that God has declared—the gospel—you cannot be saved, no matter how good a person you are in your own estimation or how often you attend church. There is no salvation apart from the method God has provided. Today is the day of salvation, and there is no other way apart from the Gospel of Christ. If you do not know the gospel of Christ, there is a high probability that you are not saved.

Salvation is not merely about what you know, but you certainly must know something to be saved. It is not just head knowledge; God has given a specific message in His Word that you must believe if you want to be saved. That message is the gospel: how Christ died for our sins, how He was buried, and how He rose again on the third day. He died on that cross, shedding His blood for all of us. There is no other way. God is full of mercy and compassion, but He is not like a man who would bypass the proper way. We must go through the right way if we want to be saved, and that way is Christ and what He did on the cross of Calvary.

Our Position in Christ: A Secure Reality

After Christ’s resurrection, He ascended after 40 days, and He promised that one day, we who believe in Him and are in Him will be caught up to meet Him in the air. We will meet Him in the clouds, as the Bible says. The doctrine of the gospel is found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, and the doctrine of the Rapture is in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58. When you are saved, God also gives a promise to those who are saved that one day we will be with Him forever, and our destination is a heavenly place. We are headed to heaven. Truth is independent of who says it or believes it; it remains true because it is the truth. So, what must you do with the truth? You need to believe it and acknowledge it.

Let us place these events on a timeline. Christ died and was buried around 33 A.D. Now, in our time, a person hears the message of the gospel. Ephesians 1:13 says, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” What is man’s required response to the gospel? “in whom also after that ye believed.” The response God requires from man is to believe. And what happens when a man believes? We read it in Romans 6:3-4: “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 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 in newness of life.”

The moment we believe in what Jesus Christ did, we are identified with Him. What happened to Christ also happened to us. Our identity is found in no one else but Jesus Christ, because there is no salvation unless you are in Christ. “In Christ” is the place of our security. It is the location you truly want to be in to say you are saved. I can say with absolute certainty, not because of pride or boastfulness, that I am saved and going to heaven because I know I am in Christ. That place is so secure that no one can snatch you out of it.

Romans 8:35-39 describes how secure our position is: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Sadly, some people, because of these things, fall away from the Lord Jesus or from the church, but that does not mean they have fallen away from Christ. It does not mean your salvation is lost. If you are truly saved, you can never lose your salvation. Salvation is a permanent business; once saved, always saved. Many online contradict this teaching, claiming it is from the devil himself because they think it tolerates living any way you want since you are already saved. They do not understand the grace of God. The grace of God, as we will see in Titus 2, does not teach us to sin, but the contrary.

Continuing in Romans 8:36-39: “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

When you believe the gospel, you are placed “in Christ,” where the love of God is, and nothing can separate us from it. You can see with your own eyes that nothing and nobody can separate you. Even what you cannot see—angels, spirits—cannot separate you from the love of Christ.

This is what grace teaches, according to Titus 2:12: “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” And while you do that, you are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” The Rapture is that blessed hope. The truth is that one day we will meet Christ in the air, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

This event, the Rapture, has no date; you cannot know when it will happen. It is a mystery, a secret. But God has promised in His Word that it will happen. It could happen today, next week, or next year; only God knows. It is a secret event, but it is surely our blessed hope. One day, we will leave this world and everything in it. If you wish to remain in this world, you can, but you will have to go through the Tribulation. After our blessed hope, there is a time called the “wrath to come,” the Tribulation period that many fear. But for the Christian, we should not fear it. We who are saved are not appointed to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. We will not enter the Tribulation period. But if you are not saved, you must prepare. All the judgments promised in the Book of Revelation will happen at that time.

We need not worry about that. Instead, we should be concerned with this present time, where our sanctification is ongoing. This is the time God is changing us, and we have six points to consider.

A Framework for Understanding Our Christian Life

Let’s outline this on our chart with six points.

Christ Died in History.

Christ Rose in History.

When we believed the gospel of Jesus Christ, we died with Christ in history.

There is a future event promised to us who have believed in Christ: we will be raised in history. This is the blessed hope.

Looking from the present toward the cross: We are to die by faith now.

Looking from the present toward the future resurrection: We are to live now by faith.

Let’s add some explanation to each point. Numbers 1 and 2 are the Foundation. This is the foundation of the doctrine. Why do I keep repeating the word “doctrine”? Let's return to Romans 6:17: “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” This chart represents that form of doctrine which we must obey. When we obey this doctrine, we can also say, as in verse 17, “But God be thanked, that we were the servants of sin.” God’s method for us to not live in sin is this: you must reckon that what happened to you the moment you believed in Christ is the ground you stand on now. You live in the present, thinking, “I am already dead to sin in Christ and alive for Him.” Therefore, I should no longer live in my sin but for the Lord.

The middle section, points 3 and 4, is our Identification. The last section, points 5 and 6, is the Application.

The Foundation: The Work of Christ in History

The source, the origin of all these truths, is here. Christ died in history, and Christ rose in history. These are major doctrines for us. Without His death, burial, and resurrection, there would be no gospel and no salvation today. It is critical to understand that the gospel is our main doctrine.

Our Identification: The Believer's Union with Christ

When a person believes in Jesus Christ and the gospel, something happens to him instantly. When you believe, you die with Christ and you are raised with Christ. This is true. This is what we read in Romans 6. I hope it sinks in that a baptism has occurred in us: a baptism into Christ. Baptism signifies immersion and identification. If you are baptized into a church, you are identified with that church. Therefore, if Romans 6 says that when we believed, we were baptized into Christ, where is our identity? It is in Christ. We are “in Christ” because our identity is now with Him. We are baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection.

This is the foundation of the doctrine: Christ died, and Christ was raised from the dead. What happened to us when we believed? We died with Christ, and we were raised with Christ. Praise God that Christ did not remain dead but rose from the dead!

Let's look at the Scriptures for this. Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death.” When did that happen? No other time than the moment we believed. Verse 5: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death...” Verse 6: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him…” Verse 8: “Now if we be dead with Christ…” Notice the important term “with Christ.” That is identification. We died with Christ, we were crucified with Christ, we were buried with Christ.

Now, why is this the foundation? Why did Christ die in the first place? 1 Corinthians 15 says Christ died “for our sins.” So, if we died with Christ, to what should we also be dead? To sin. When the Bible says we are dead with Christ, the implication is clear. Look at Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” Verse 18: “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Verse 7 gives the reason why: “For he that is dead is freed from sin.” If we died with Christ, what is the implication? We have also been set free from sin.

If you have a debt and you die, what happens to the debt? It is gone. You are freed. Our lives would be miserable if the only applicable death was physical death. Imagine thinking, “I will only be free from sin when I physically die.” That would mean my entire life is under the power of sin. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Even now, we can be not under sin but under the righteousness of God. Look at verse 22: “But now being made free from sin…” When is “now”? Is it when the Lord takes us? No, it says “now.” What does faith do? It believes what God says. Do you believe that verse? Do you believe that we who are saved should no longer live in the flesh, in sin, but should live for Him who died and rose again?

Verse 22 continues: “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” But you might say, “Preacher, I observe myself, and it seems that hasn’t happened to me. My flesh always reigns; sin always reigns; the things of the world always reign.” This is a form of doctrine that we need to believe and stand upon because it is found in the Word of God. This is the key to living a better Christian life.

The Application: Living by Faith, Moment by Moment

This brings us to the application. All the events in the foundation and identification sections are historical; they happened at a specific time and place. Christ’s death and resurrection happened around 33 A.D. You were saved in a particular year—2008, 2010, whenever. That was the moment you were identified with Christ, died with Him, and were raised with Him. That moment has a date and a place. The future resurrection will also happen at a specific time and place.

But points 5 and 6—the application—are different. They are situated between your salvation and the Rapture. This is the period of our sanctification. During this time, God is at work in the believer. Colossians 1:28-29 says, “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.” Sanctification is His working in us. From the moment we are saved until He takes us, God is working in us. The purpose is to “present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” One day at the Judgment Seat of Christ, believers will be presented, and our work will be tested to see if it is gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble.

Our works will be made manifest, and if a man's work abides, he will receive a reward. If it is burned, he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved. Our salvation of the soul is secure, but our service will be judged. God is working in us now, individually and in the church, expecting us to build upon the foundation of Christ. The goal is that when we are presented, we will be mature, perfected, purified, and cleansed saints.

This part of the doctrine—the application—is not a one-time event. It is moment by moment. We sometimes grow weak in our faith, sometimes we grow cold, and other times we are excited and motivated. That is life; it has its ups and downs. But in each moment, we need to consciously apply this doctrine. You must hold it in your mind, believe it with all your heart, and obey it from your heart.

Perhaps tomorrow you are about to sin, about to shout at someone. Before you do, you should remember, "I am already dead to that. I died with Christ." Before you get angry, before smoke comes out of your nose like a bull, you remember, "I am dead to that, but alive for the Lord." It is difficult. It is much easier to just shout or do whatever your flesh desires. But the application of this truth is moment by moment. Could I not do it just once a week? No, in each moment of my life, I must reckon, acknowledge in my mind, that I have died with Christ. This is true not just when I was saved, but right now. I am dead to sin, dead to the flesh, crucified to this world, and now living unto God, moment by moment, day by day.

The key word here is faith. Do you still believe God even when it is hard? This form of doctrine requires faith in our walk. The Christian life is called a walk, not a run. Can you run every single day without stopping? You would get tired. But can you walk every day? Yes. A walk is slower than a run, but it is more consistent. In every step of our walk, we must apply these things. I am to die by faith now, as though I were already dead. I am to live now by faith, as though I have now already been raised from the dead.

Faith of Christ, Faith in Christ, and Living by Faith

To clarify, let's distinguish three concepts: the faith of Christ, faith in Christ, and living by faith. The faith of Christ refers to Christ’s own faithfulness. Philippians 3:9 says, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” Christ had faith, and that faith produced the righteousness of God. His work on the cross was His obedience to the will of the Father.

When we believe, we exercise faith in Christ. The righteousness of God, revealed in the gospel, is imputed to us. I can say I am going to heaven not because I carry my own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ. The Bible says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Only God is righteous. And what did God do with His righteousness? He gave it as a gift. Romans 5:17 says, “...they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” The moment we believe, we are placed in Christ and we receive the righteousness of God. You contributed nothing, yet you receive all the benefits.

Finally, living by faith is what we do now. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” As we hear God’s Word, believe it, and obey it, we are living by faith. This requires study. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” It is not easy to study God’s Word and piece together verses, but that is how we learn, line upon line, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The Fruit of a Life Lived by Faith

What is God's desire for us? Simply put, it is that we live a joyful and peaceful Christian life. Who doesn't want peace? If we obey this form of doctrine, what is the result? Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Notice, it is the fruit of the Spirit. It is not my fruit or your fruit. This means the Spirit must work in us for this fruit to grow. What is God’s agent for that work? The Scriptures. The Word of God is our source of growth.

Our approach to the holy Word of God must be faith. “Yes, Lord, I believe Your Word.” Has that happened to you for salvation? When was the time you trusted in Christ alone? I am not asking when you asked Jesus into your heart or when you cried because you didn't want to go to hell. I am asking, when did you trust that what Christ did on the cross of Calvary was the absolute and only basis for your salvation? If that has not yet happened for you, now is the best time. You do not hold the hours of your life in your hands.

For those of us who are saved, when did we start using the finished work of Christ as the basis for how we live, moment by moment? Before we act, we should ask, “Is this for me or for Christ? Have I died to myself, or is this just for myself?” As we yield to God moment by moment, the fruit of the Spirit will appear in our lives. There may be people in our hearts whom we find hard to forgive, to accommodate, or to talk to. But if the fruit of the Spirit is present in us, nothing is impossible. You will understand that it is not about you, but about Christ. If that person wronged me, was I not also wicked before God, yet I received mercy from Him? If so, then I can show him the love of Christ as well.

There should be no room for boasting before a holy God. Everything we enjoy is by God's grace and mercy. Who are we to boast in what we have, what we will achieve, or who we are? When we forget God, perhaps we are boasting, as if to say we no longer need Him. We had better search our hearts. This is the form of doctrine we should obey. This is true spirituality. This is Christ’s work in a believer. This is living by faith in the dispensation of the grace of God.

Let us pray. Lord, thank you for Your Word this morning. Thank you that these truths have been laid out in Your Word for thousands of years. Thank you that for salvation, there is nothing we could do to earn it. But after we are saved, Lord, help us as believers to continue to believe Your Word, that we do not stop at just being saved but continue as believers. That word is associated with obedience to Your Word, Your will, and the doctrine which has been delivered to us. Help us also to prepare our hearts for the coming weeks on how we can apply this practically in our lives. Prepare our hearts to accept truths that may go against what we are doing or our way of life. Help us to see that this is Your will, and help us to believe and have faith continually in You, O God. Thank you for what You have done today, for eternal life, and for the Word that will never pass away or change. All the praise and thanksgiving be to the name of the only Lord Jesus. Amen.

True Spirituality | Through Death to Resurrection ~ Part 2

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