Shall we continue to sin or can we change?

"Baptism of Christ", c 1568, by Juan Fernandez de Navarrete.

Jamie Rasmussen, senior pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church, is beginning a new series on Romans 6-8 entitled "Old made New".

The book of Romans was written by the apostle Paul around A.D. 57 to the Christians in Rome.  Scholars are unsure exactly how Christianity got to Rome.  Tradition holds that Peter was the first to preach in Rome, however, there is no biblical evidence to such. 

Some suggest that new Christians Jews from Pentecost took the new church to Rome.  The church was certainly present in A.D. 49 when Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city.  This was done because the Christians refused to worship the Emperor and because the Christians participated in Communion, where they "ate the body and drank the blood" and were thought to be cannibals.

Romans is called by many as "The Mount Everest of Christian Theology".  Its doctrines were those behind Martin Luther and the Reformation and have forever changed the landscape of those devoted as disciples of Christ.

I learned from Darryl DelHousaye, that the book or Romans is divided into 7 different sections:

1. Introduction - Chapter 1
2. Condemnation - Chapter 2 - 3:20
3. Justification - Chapter 3:21-5
4. Sanctification - Chapters 6 & 7
5. Preservation - Chapter 8
6. Vindication - Chapters 9 - 11
7. Exhortation - Chapters 12 - 16

Jamie Rasmussen is going to concentrate on the sections regarding Sanctification and Preservation.  Please read on to learn about how the "Old can be made New"!

In the early chapters of Romans, Paul has told us that we are all, in our fallen state, guilty of God's wrath and completely unable on our own, regardless of our good deeds, to obtain a relationship with God.  He then goes on to instruct us that through Christ we are "justified" before God.  This justification is a legal position, we are set apart.  We are no longer bound by the law (which was impossible to keep) but through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ we are declared "righteous" in the eyes of God.  It is a free gift to those who simply believe.

So then some began to say, "Cool, if I am covered by God's grace and can simply repent of my sins then why not sin even more so that God's grace might be even more evident?"  To this Paul emphatically says, "No way Hosea", "May it never be", "Absolutely NOT!"  "You don't get it", he is saying to them.

Romans 6:1-11

Paul asks the question, "How can we who died to sin still live in it?"  He then goes on to develop his point using the concept of baptism.  "Are you not aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"   The word baptism come from a Greek word that has to do with dying a fabric.  If you had a white fabric and you dipped it into a purple die, the purple die will completely penetrate the fabric so that the white is no longer there.  The fabric still remains (our earthy body) but the new die (the gift of salvation) has completely permeated the white color (sin in our lives) so that we are now able to stand in a justified relationship with God the Father.

So...if we are now purple....why on earth would we want to act like white?  Does this mean that we will never sin again?  No.  It means that Jesus Christ died for the believer so that his/her past, present and future sins might be blotted out and that he/she might come into a relationship with God.

Jamie Rasmussen compared it to a large tree with lush green vines growing up the trunk of the tree.  Our acceptance of Jesus Christ effectively cut the vines off at the root.  The vines are still there, but they are now shriveled, the leaves have fallen off and as long as we move forward in our relationship  with God we can keep the vines at bay.  It is however, possible that the vines could take root once again and cover the tree.  Sanctification is all about the journey, the process of moving towards holiness.  Sanctification is that thin slice of life between grace and glory.

The point that Paul wants to drive home and that Jamie wanted us to understand is in the 11th verse, "So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."  This is the first command in the book of Romans.  Paul isn't making a suggestion here.  With the Holy Spirit's prompting Paul is telling us to consider ourselves dead to sin.  Consider yourselves.  This takes action on our part.  We have to do the considering.  As Jamie said, "The key to change in our lives is to believe and claim your new position in Christ."

I liked that way Jamie ended his teaching on this subject.  He gave us five simple words to use whenever we are faced with sin in our lives.  Jamie instructed us to verbally say to ourselves and to the sin, "I am dead to that."

Here is a link to Jamie Rasmussen's message entitled:  Old Made New; Your New Position.