Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in the newness of life……(8) knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. (10) For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all: but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (11) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead, indeed to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord

The letter to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul. In today’s verses, Paul teaches the most common and yet unfounded objection to the doctrine of faith is it allows men to live in sin so that grace may more abound and this notion comes from ignorance of the doctrine of sanctification. Such is the nature of the believer’s union in Christ that this living in sin is not merely inconsistent but a contradiction in terms. Union with Christ as the only source of holiness cannot be the source of sin – this is unfounded and absurd. To share His benefits we must be conformed to His life. We are not delivered from sin in order to live in it.

Paul is teaching/ proving that our union, in Jesus Christ is completely opposed to a life of continuing sin. But he knows we are prone to forget our new position in Christ which is the foundation for holy living. In faith in Christ we would live in victory over sin – Christ paid the penalty for us but also provides the power we need to overcome sin on a daily basis. The faithful don’t live in sin as they used to do, now baptized in Christ, because they aren’t the same person. Before we were in Adam and now we are in Christ. In Adam we were dead in sin. In Faith we are dead TO sin and alive in Christ. Paul is talking about what God has revealed, not the knowledge that we gain by personal experiences. Some view salvation as a deliverance only from the consequences of sin and it’s penalty rather than deliverance from its power as well. When we trusted in Christ we were united with Him – a past action with ongoing results. We are not now dead physically but joined to Him in spiritual benefits of His death. Our unregenerate life is over so we do not need to obey our old nature. Knowing who we are in Christ is the foundation of how we are to live in Christ.

Some evidently think that to go on happily in sin – now saying in effect that once we have believed in Jesus Christ we may be rather loose in our Christian life – free from the moral law of God. Being a believer and living in sin is contrary to biblical teaching. If our new life is characterized by sin it’s not the life of salvation. The point is, in faith it is impossible to go on living in sin. But our nature might reason in a contrary way and tell the believer that as long as he/she is under grace and not the law, it matters little how we behave. That the believer is free to sin since his/her works have nothing to do with salvation. BUT as reborn the faithful do not want the liberty to sin. Sin is in one respect a faithful master. It’s payday is sure. It’s wages are death. Scripture clearly tells of divine judgment after sin’s wages have been paid. On the other hand eternal life is a free gift, the gift of God. None can earn it. It is given to all who believe the gospel.