“Reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (vs11).
I cannot say, “I died with Christ”, and then refuse the resurrection. This doctrine of freedom from sin to sin no more is God’s bible doctrine: we were PUNISHED by His death, and we partake in the resurrection also - “Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ”, that confess Christ in water baptism, “were baptized into his death”, and confess that we died with Him? “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: for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection”, so that we have both the death and life of Christ applied to us (Rom 6:3-5).
Christ didn’t die for sin and stay dead, but He rose victoriously, as you and I must reckon as being true with us (Rom 6:11). I cannot merely say, “I’m risen with Him”, without His DEATH answering my sin. Nor can I say, “I died with Him”, without His resurrection compelling faith that I’m to walk in newness of life also. What happened to Him has happened to me. He sits enthroned, free from sin to bear sin no more. We stand in Christ, free from sinfulness to serve God, under grace, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace“ (vs14).
It is because He died for us and we’re justified that grace is sure to us; it is because of what Christ did, and our union with Him, that we are favored by God, blessed, and helped. Thus, instead of viewing us as sinners to be rejected, He sees us JUSTIFIED for His help, so that sin won’t rule. As righteous people, we’re confident that He won’t forsake us. And, as we believe the truth of God, the life of godliness results.
As we believe that we died with Christ, sin’s guilt is removed, and believing that we’re raised together with Him in newness of life, we have the power to obey. “Reckoning“ that what happened to Christ has happened to us, enables us to live victoriously over sin, yielding our bodies to God for His will (vs11-13).
Obedience is mandatory - I can’t have Christ and be sin’s slave - so trust the Son’s gospel to make you live for God’s glory, as forgiven and given all that you need (vs1, 15). He saves us from sin by revealing that we have the blessing INDEPENDENT of human strength, simply by believing God. He forces us to choose this new life, because I can’t have sin master me - “Know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (vs16).
You were the servant of sin, but now you serve the Lord Jesus, because when He died, He rose, and when you confessed Him in baptism, you confessed His resurrection also.
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