Romans 6:1-13

One thing is common to every person in the congregation today. The common denominator is that we are all sinners. Because we are sinners, we all share a common need. We need deliverance from that sin.

For the person who has, of his own free will, received Jesus Christ as his Savior, he has found the answer to his basic problems.

We are not Christians for very long, however, before we become aware that while we have forgiveness of sins we still struggle with the presence of sin in our lives. Simply because we have yielded our life to the Lord, we have not solved all the problems of sin. Most of us have learned that we have to deal with the problems of sin day to day.

Scripture reveals a glorious fact to us. That fact is that every Christian can live a life of daily victory. By following Scripture, we discover that the key to this ability lies in the important relationships we share. This is the way of victory!

• Our relationship to Jesus
  • We are baptized with Jesus; we are sharing in the death that is necessary for sin
    • The wages of sin is and always will be death
    • Jesus’ death was substitutionary for us; thus, when we are buried in baptism, we are following the symbolism of death due to our sin
  • We are buried with Jesus
    • Our burial shows that we are willing to die to self and the practices of sin
    • Such a burial results in the resurrection of a new life
      • We are able to walk in newness of life
  • We are alive with Christ
    • Jesus’ death was to destroy the power of sin
    • His life is to give us power for living
    • Therefore, we are to consider ourselves alive through Him
  • We are united with Jesus
    • This union is based on His death
    • It is likewise based on His resurrection
      • If ye then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above
• Our relationship to sin
  • We are free from sin’s mastery
    • Jesus cut the cords of slavery that held us bound to sin
  • We are free from sin’s power
    • We are to consider ourselves dead to sin
      • When we give the mastery of our life to Jesus, there is no longer the power of sin over us
  • We are free from sin’s product
    • Sin produces death
    • Christ gives free eternal life

Therefore, we can see that the Christian can live a life marked by victory. When we follow Jesus, we have a new relationship to sin. He strengthens us so we do not have to live under sin’s dominance.

The degree of our victory will be directly proportional to the degree to which we yield to Christ.