Did you know that you cannot live in sin? Well that's exactly what Paul says in the first two verses of chapter six! He anticipates the objection that grace encourages people to sin in order to get more grace. Apparently, some had accused Paul of encouraging sin in just this way (Rom.3:8), and he replies with a claim that will knock your socks off! He asks, "How shall we who died to sin still live in it?"(6:2). Do not attempt to dilute this radical statement with theological qualifications. He said you can't live in sin. I know exactly what your response is (so did he), but hold on and let him finish this entire section of the letter (chapter 6-8). But before we move on to what Paul says next, let John reinforce this truth in his own incredible words.

First of all, John says of Christ, "in Him there is no sin" (1 John 3:5). But we are "in Him." Doesn't that mean there is no sin in us, either? Keep reading. "No one who lives in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him" (v.6). If this is not enough, read this one last arresting statement: "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed lives in him; indeed he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (v.9). How does that declaration strike you? First, let me warn you that our adversary has only one tactic that works . . . lying (John 8:44). His primary strategy is calling God's word into question. According to Genesis 3:1, the first words out of his mouth were: "Did God really say. . . ?" Probably those are the same words you are hearing right now. "Surely this cannot be true," you say, "because I sin all the time. Unless, of course I'm not really saved!" The deception continues. Paul sees it with crystal clarity and he will not quit until he has thoroughly exposed a deeply ingrained lie. This is God's word, and it will pierce into you like a two-edged sword in order to expose what is going on inside of you (Heb.4:12-13). A separation needs to take place, and God will be faithful to perform it.

In his book, Lifetime Guarantee, Bill Gillham points out that the word "sin" appears 41 times in Romans 5-8. Forty of those times the word appears as a noun, while only once does it appear in verb form (p.219), and that was speaking of those "in Adam"(5:12). So what does this mean for us? It means that sin is not something you do, it is something you are, or are not (in our case, we are not). Throughout his letters, Paul speaks most often of sin as a persona. For Paul, sin is a presence from which we are saved more than an activity which we can perform. Just as "righteousness" is merely the description of the activity of Christ, so "sin" is the description of the activity of Satan. The whole world lies in sin because this whole world lies in the wicked one (1 John 5:19). But Paul has something much better to say concerning us.

"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?"(6:3). Here begins the glorious truth that will set you free (John 8:32). The cross dealt with much more than justification. The cross not only did away with your sins; it did away with you. What we need to learn is that Christ not only died for us at Calvary, but that we also died there with Him. When Christ was buried, you went into the grave with him (v.4). When He arose again from the dead, so did you (v.4). Did you know that? Obviously, you can't tell that by looking at yourself. You seem to be alive and well. But since when do we judge by sight rather than by faith (2 Cor.5:7)? To what should we look for truth, outward appearances or God's word?

According to Him, you are not you anymore. "I have been crucified with Christ," Paul declares, "and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal.2:20). Elsewhere he says that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things passed away, the new have come" (2 Cor.5:17). Christ is now "your life" (Col.3:4). Just like Paul, for you to live is Christ (Phil.1:21). You have so joined with Christ in spirit that you and He are one (1 Cor.6:17). Do not back down from this truth and do not look to see if your circumstances appear to agree with God's word. First believe Him. We will handle objections later. For now, accept this declaration that "our old man was crucified with him . . . that we should no longer be slaves to sin, for he who has died is freed from sin" (Rom.6:6-7). Lest anyone tell you that this is a continual death you must repeat each day, Paul says this: Since we have died with Christ, we believe that we also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again . . . even so count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom.6:8-11)

"Count yourselves," Paul exhorts us using clerical terminology, as one who records facts in a log. He is saying, "Count on this as fact, that you have died and Christ is now living your life for you." He does not tell us to check and see if our actions are validating these claims, because that would be going back to the old way of viewing ourselves. Behavior flows from identity as fruit grows on a tree. If you want to change the fruit that is produced, you have to change trees (Matt.12:33). But Christ has promised that once you are in Him, you bear the good fruit that can only come from Him, the true Vine (John 15:5). In fact you now are in Him, and as He said before, a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, for that only can come from a bad tree (Matt. 7:18).