Romans - Freedom From the Grip of Sin

I have been reading Paul's letter to the Romans lately, and was struck by the sequence of words in Romans 6 - the entire chapter is very powerful...but look at these words Paul calls us to as we consider the grip of sin in our lives:

A. KNOW - there are 3 things Paul wants us to know - to grasp - so that we could have victory over sin

1. Verse 6 Know that your old man was crucified with Christ so that sin could be done away with, and we would no longer be enslaved by it

2. Verse 9 Know that Christ has been raised front he dead - He doesn't have to die any more  - death no longer has dominion over Him!

3. Verse 16 Know that whomever you present yourself to as an obedient servant - you will become a slave of that thing - if it is sin...you will become a slave to sin...if it is righteousness, then you will become a slave to righteousness.

B. RECKON - Once we know these things, we have to believe or consider ourselves to be dead to sin and alive in Christ. If we correctly know what Jesus has done...we can correctly give our lives to His victory.


C. YIELD or PRESENT - Once we know the truth and consider ourselves to be part of the truth, we then have to present ourselves to the truth and yield to the power of God's truth in our lives. Paul tells us not to present ourselves to unrighteousness, but to God so that He will have dominion over us.

Romans 6:1 (NLT) Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.