(From: ROMANS #8 - 6:1-23)
C. 6:1-23 FREED FROM LAW, SIN & SELF - BY LAW OF SPIRIT OF GRACE
1. 6:1-11 THE SECRET OF IDENTIFICATION
a. 6:1a What shall we say then? Ti oun eROUmen?
b. 6:1b Shall we continue in :sin, that :grace may abound?
e-piMEno-men [1961]te ha-marTIa, HIna he CHAris ple-oNAse[4121]?
c. 6:2a Be it not so. me GEnoi-to.
d. 6:2b Wewho died to :sin, how shall we anylonger live therein?
HOIti-nes a-peTHAno-men [599] te ha-marTIa, pos Eti ZEso-men [2198] en auTE?
e. 6:3 QUESTION
eag-noEIte [50]HOti HOsoi e-bapTISthe-men [907]
Or are you ignorant that all we who were baptized
eis ChrisTON IeSOUN eis ton THAna-ton auTOU e-bapTISthe-men?
into Christ Jesus were baptized into his :death?
f. 6:4 BAPTISM INTO DEATH: DESIGNEDTO GIVE A WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE
su-neTAphe-men [4916]oun auTOdiA tou bapTISma-tos eis ton THAna-ton:
We were buried therefore with him through :baptism into :death:
HIna HOSper eGERthe[1453]ChrisTOS ek neKRON diA tes DOxes tou paTROS,
that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
HOUtos kai heMEIS en kaiNOte-ti [2538]zo-ES pe-ri-paTEso-men [4043].
thus we also might walk in newness of life.
g. 6:5-7 THE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES OF IDENTIFICATION
ei gar SUMphu-toi [4854]geGOna-men toho-moiOma-ti [3667]tou thaNAtou auTOU,
For if we have become like-natured with himin the likeness of his :death,
alLA kai tes a-naSTAse-os [386]eSOme-tha;
we shall yet be also in the likenessof the resurrection;
TOUto giNOskon-tes [1097], HOti ho pa-laiOS [3820] heMON ANthro-pos su-ne-stauROthe[4957],
6knowing this, that our old :man was crucified with him,
HIna ka-tar-geTHE[2-673]to SOma tes ha-marTIas, tou meKEti douLEUein heMAS teha-marTIa;
that the body of :sin be done away, that we no longer be in bondage to :sin;
ho gar a-po-thaNON [599]de-diKAIo-tai [1344]aPO tes ha-marTIas.
7 for who has died is justified from :sin.
h. 6:8-9 IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST IN DEATH RELEASES US FROM DEATH
ei de a-peTHAno-men sun ChrisTO, piSTEUo-men hoTI kai sunZEso-men [4800]auTO;
But if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him;
eiDOtes HOti ChisTOS e-gerTHEIS ek neKRON ouKEti a-poTHNEskei;
9knowing that Christ raised from thedead dies no more;
THAna-tos auTOU ouKEti ku-riEUei [2961].
death no more lords itover him.
i. 6:10 For inthat he died, he died unto sin once for all: but inthat he lives, he lives to :God.
ho gar aPEtha-nen, teha-marTIa aPEtha-nen ePHApax: ho de ze, zetoTheo.
j. 6:11 OUR RECKONING IS BASED ON SOLID FACT
HOUtos kai huMEIS loGIzes-the [3049]he-auTOUS EInai neKROUS men teha-marTIa,
Thus you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin,
ZONtas [2198]de toTheOen ChrisTOIeSOU.
but alive to :God in Christ Jesus.
2. 6:12-14 THE APPLICATION OF PRESENTATION
a. 6:12-13 PRESENTING: THE STEP THAT FOLLOWS KNOWING AND RECKONING
Meoun ba-si-leuEto[936]heha-marTIa en tothneTO[2349]huMON SOma-ti,
Let not :sin therefore reign in your mortal :body,
eis to hu-paKOUein [4219] tais e-pe-thuMIais [1939] auTOU:
that you should obey the lusts thereof:
meDE pa-riSTAne-te [3936]ta MElehuMON HOpla [3696]a-diKIas [93]teha-marTIa;
13neither be presenting your :members to :sin asweapons of unrighteousness;
alLA pa-raSTEsa-te he-auTOUS toTheO, hoSEI ek neKRON ZONtas [2198],
but present yourselves to :God, as alive from thedead,
kai ta MElehuMON HOPla [3696]di-kai-oSUnes toTheO.
and your :members asweapons of righteosness to :God.
b. 6:14 For sin shall not lord itover you: for you are not under law, but under grace.
ha-marTIa gar huMON ou ku-riEUsei [2961]: ou GAR es-te huPO NOmon, alLA hu-PO CHArin.
3. 6:15-23 THE WAY OF FRUIT
a. 6:15a What then? shall we sin, because we are not under law, but under grace?
Ti oun? ha-marTEso-men [264], HOti ouk esMEN huPO NOmon, alLA huPO CHArin?
b. 15b Be it not so. meGEnoi-to.
c. 6:16 PRESENTING: DETERMINES WHAT WE OBEY
ouk OIda-te, HOti hopa-riSTAne-te [3936] he-auTOUS DOUlous [1401] eis hu-pa-koEN,
Know you not, that to whom you are presenting yourselves asbondmen unto obedience,
DOU-LOI es-te hohu-paKOUe-te [5219];
his bondmen you are whom you are obeying;
Etoi ha-marTIas eis THAna-ton ehu-pa-koES eis di-kai-oSUnen?
whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteosness?
d. 6:17-18 OBEDIENCE TRANSFERS US FROM SIN'S BONDAGE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS
CHAris de toTheO, HOti, Ete DOUloi tes ha-marTIas, hu-peKOUsa-te de ek karDIas
but thanksto :God, that, you were bondmen of :sin, but became obedient from theheart
eis hon pa-reDOthe-te [3860]TUpon [5179]di-daCHES [1322];
to what pattern of teaching you were delivered;
e-leu-the-roTHENtes [1659]de aPO tes ha-marTIas, e-douLOthe-te tedi-kai-oSUne.
18 and, freed from :sin, you came into bondage of :righteousness.
e. 6:19 EVEN MAN'S REASONING SHOWS THE SENSE OF THIS TRANSFER
anTHROpi-non LEgo diA ten asTHEnei-an [769] tes sarKOS huMON:
I speak after men's manner because of the infirmity of your :flesh:
HOsper gar pa-reSTEsa-te [3936] ta MEle huMON DOUla te a-ka-tharSIa, kai te a-noMIa eis ten a-noMIan,
for as you presented your :members enslaved to :uncleanness, and to :lawlessness unto :lawlessness,
HOUto nun pa-raSTEsa-te ta MEle huMON DOUla te di-kai-oSUne eis ha-gi-asMON [38].
thus now present your :members enslaved to :righteousness unto sanctification.
f. 6:20 For when you were bondmen of :sin, you were free asto:righteousness.
HOte gar DOUloi Ete tes ha-marTIas, eLEUthe-roi [1658] Ete te di-kai-oSUne.
g. 6:21 SIN GIVES ONLY THE FRUIT OF SHAME
TIna oun karPON [2590] EIche-te TOte eph' hois nun e-paisCHUnes-the [1870]?
What fruit therefore had you then in the things you are now ashamed of?
to gar TElos eKEInon THAna-tos.
for the end of those is death.
h. 6:22 GOOD FRUIT: COMES FROM EXCHANGING SIN FOR GOD!
nuNI de, e-leu-the-roTHENtes aPO tes ha-marTIas dou-loTHENtes de to TheO,
But now, freed from :sin and enslaved to :God,
Eche-te ton karPON huMON eis ha-gi-asMON, to de TElos zo-EN aiOni-on [2222].
you have your :fruit unto sanctification, and the end eternal life.
i. 6:23 CONTRAST: BETWEEN WAYS OF SIN AND WAYS OF GOD
ta gar oPSOni-a [3800]tes ha-marTIas THAna-tos;
For the wages of :sin isdeath;
to de CHAris-ma [5486]tou TheOU zo-EaiOni-os en ChrisTOIeSOU toKuRIoheMON.
but the free gift of :God iseternal life in Christ Jesus our :Lord.
NOTE: Romans 5-8 in a sense is the very heart of the book of Romans. The Finished Work of Christ in Redemption, is set forth by the Spirit through Paul in chapter 5. Chapter 6 sets forth the great necessity of our Identificationwith Christ through His death on our behalf. Baptism is a type or symbol of this truth. Chapter 7 through 8:11 gives us clear vision of the clear contrast between the law of Moses and the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:12-39 gives insight on the most unusual ministry of the Holy Spirit on our behalf. To soak in John 13-17 is to lay a wonderful foundation for this last portion of Romans 8:12-39.
Many of us have profited from the writings of Watchman Nee. After much searching of heart and Scripture, he finally reached a break-through when in Romans 6. He saw the truth of identification. He made the connection, and the Spirit enabled him to identify with Christ in His death. The mighty illumination that came to him through this revelation was so great and momentous, that he could scarce contain himself. He came rushing down the stairs from his upstairs bedroom - shouting - I am dead!I am dead!
The little booklet - “Identification”by E. W. Kenyon is one of the most helpful on this subject. It can be of great practical help to bring one into this experience.
Galatians 2:20 wonderfully expresses this as Paul experienced it. He expressed it this way - “I have been crucified with Christ; and no longer live, but Christ lives in me: and what I now live in theflesh I live by faith which is in the Son of :God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.”
Oswald Chambers finally came to this place of identification with Christ in death - while a tutor in a Bible College at Dunoon, Scotland. It was such a transforming experience for him, that in a sense his real ministry started at this time, and the 50 or so books he wrote all followed this experience. For him to agree to identify himself with Christ's death almost brought him to death through break-down. He found the full surrender very costly in the natural preceding that final act of identification - but afterwards - like Paul - such light afflictions were not worthy to be compared with the glory that was revealed! Rees Howells and Madam Guyon had similar deaths, and then identification with Christ in resurrection.
Apart from understanding, accepting and dying through identification with Christ in His death, we cannot enter into the glory of the Holy Spirit set forth in the latter part of Romans 8.
J. Hudson Taylor saw and embraced this truth while riding up the Yangtze River on a Chinese junk. His first 20 years of ministry were merely preparation for what followed - once he entered this experience through
John 15:1-16. J.A.W.