Romans 6:9-11 - More Life, Life, Life (Conciliation Series, Part XX)

Part IV: God’s Conciliation, Confirmed

Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to Sin once for all time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God.

I’ve been spending the last few essays really driving home that God perceives you as crucified the way Christ was literally crucified. Now, here, I’d like to clarify: perceives. Obviously, it’s not like you were at Golgotha 2,000 years ago (the only ones that could be there today are Jesus and Marty McFly, and you’re neither.) Here’s the thing: you were constituted a sinner. We already went over this. By being a part of the generations of Adam, you have “sinner” status (Rom. 5:19.) There’s no way around this. It’s in the fabric of “you.” Moreover, you were considered, in effect, an “enemy” to God (Rom. 5:10.) You were living in behaving your flesh (Eph. 2:3.) Your entire disposition was not toward God.

Christ, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. He is not a part of the generations of Adam. He is out of God, and descended out of heaven (John 6:33, 38, Eph. 4:9-10, 1 Cor. 15:47.) By not being born of man’s flesh, but changed into it (John 1:14,) it is clear that His bloodline is not rooted in man. Even when Matthew traces His lineage back to Abraham, you see that each generation is connected by a “begettal.” “Now Pharez begets Hesron; now Hesron begets Aram; now Aram begets Amminadab;” and so on and so forth. Eventually, “Jacob begets Joseph,” in Matt. 1:16, but it is at the end of this lineage that the pattern finally changes. “Jacob begets Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, Who is termed ‘Christ.’” This is because, before Joseph and Mary sleep together, Mary is found pregnant – not by Joseph, but by holy spirit, that is, the power of God.

It is with this in mind that we come to realize that Christ is not merely some dude in Adam’s lineage, but One having descended out of heaven. This separates Him from the notion of “sin,” or “doubt,” or “missing the mark” altogether. He is not once “constituted a sinner” in Scripture, which is why He is the only One capable of enduring such a suffering as being made sin on the cross. He is the only righteous One, in the Image of God, that has ever walked the earth. Sin was not in His fabric. He was not considered an “enemy” to God. Whereas we were always willingly submissive to the will of the flesh, Christ was always willingly submissive to the will of God.

As I’ve written about before, this is why His becoming sin is so critically necessary to the cross. It’s the first time that the Voice, Expression, Image of God was disconnected from God Himself. He did not deserve it, but He was the only One able to handle it. Only One divine could be the scapegoat for the divine punishment, see? A regular man could not take care of this punishment, because death was not a man-made penalty. God inflicted it, so only His righteous method can remove it. Through this we see that He is “God,” or “Elohim,” or “Subjector,” or “Supreme,” or “Placer” of all. Christ’s disposition, for the first time on earth, was obedience unto death, by the will of God, and becoming sin on the cross, by the will of God, to resurrect and reconcile all, by the will of God.

God operates through Christ. Thus Christ is not mortal. Death’s mastery over Him for that brief period of time proves the following from 2 Cor. 5:21:

For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be sin for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him.

Mortality itself is a dying condition which leads to death. Every use of “mortal” in Scripture will proclaim this. We are mortal by proxy with Adam. This was explained in Rom. 5:12. Our mortality is inherited. In contrast, Christ is not birthed by Adam’s lineage, thus not subjecting Him to this inherited sin. This is why Christ’s death is not merely a death that “defeats” Sin, but a death to Sin. No other death could die to Sin, because any other is already a victim of sin!

We, in contrast to Christ, are mortal. It’s why we are placed in a Propitiatory shelter, and He is the One by which this shelter is established. It’s why we are the vessels of mercy, and He is the One displaying His Father’s merciful qualities. Our death is proxy to Adam, yes. Our death to sin, however, is proxy to Christ.

I’m going to get technical here, so please, read carefully. All died in Christ. This is true. However, not all died to sin in Christ. Let the difference between the two sink in. Yes, all died. With death, you can be resurrected and return to the act of sinning. This is evident by the wicked portrayed in Revelation 21 and 22, who exist well after our relative expectation is fulfilled, and well into Christ’s reign, having been resurrected on the new earth. You can see those of the former resurrection, during the 1,000 year kingdom, being ruled with an iron club, as the sinful state can still be achieved by the Jews of that day. Indeed sin does not vanish just because all died in Christ.

However, if you died to sin, as we believers have, then the goalposts are shifted. You are partaking of the same blessings that Christ is. God views you now the same way He viewed His Christ. There’s an intimate bond displayed in the phrase “died to sin,” and when we read it in 6:10 there, it’s good if we consider it in relation to us as well, considering the facts presented in the previous verses.

Now, the question may arise, with everything we’ve been covering here: Why are we in Christ still dying, then? Like, literally dying? Good question, fake objector. The answer is that this flesh was not saved. Have you been catching that? This flesh has been crucified. Paul covered that earlier – the “old humanity was crucified.” Yyyyyyup, that’s the end, there. Thus this flesh, which was crucified, will inevitably die. It is you, the person, your spirit, that is saved. Your flesh was dying from the start and will thankfully be disposed of, weak as it is. Your spirit, however, is now renewed. It is living, having died to sin through baptism by holy spirit into Christ’s death. You, in Christ, cannot die again. With an understanding of this, you literally cannot fall out, because it’s logistically impossible. Your death cannot be repeated because His death cannot be repeated!

Unlike man, Christ, again, no longer has death mastering Him, and thus, in contrast, He is living to God. He is exclusively God’s. He has an unimpeded access to Him and can celebrate Him accordingly. And why shouldn’t He? God is the One that brought Him back from said death! God is the One that created Him to be His Image! God is the One that He used to communicate with the Israelites as His word! God is the One that gave Christ everything, Who in turn can live exclusively to God. It’s why this is such an intimate calling. Christ calls you into this exclusivity, and whether you attain to His level of faith or not (which you won’t, in this flesh,) you are considered as if you are living exclusively to God.

Now, this is not to say that you aren’t being trained, through your immediate experiences, into a full realization of this exclusivity with God (Rom. 5:1-5, Eph. 1:16-17.) You are being worked toward this goal, see. The lies you hold now work toward that expectation, in love. The truth you hold now works toward that expectation, in love. The difference is that the truth is effected through Christ’s faith manifested into you (Rom. 3:22.)

See how all of this stacks?? It’s beautiful, isn’t it?? Christ lives to God through the glory of the Father. What is the “glory of the Father” if not grace in its fullest extent?? This grace is the source which plants Christ’s faith into you (Rom. 3:24,) which is the platform in which you can apprehend what I write, and the platform by which I can write at all! God reverses the unjustness of Christ’s death, by grace, and then places that faith into you, reversing the initial condemnation of Adam – which was a just verdict – which displays His grace, not only in the infliction of Adam’s penalty, but in inflicting the penalty on the just as well, and using that infliction to reverse death on you, and inevitably reversing it on all, who will then understand His grace, thus understanding His glory, thus understanding Him (1 Cor. 15:20-28.)

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I don’t know exactly where else to talk about this, so I’m going to quote George Rogers here, before we move on to the next verse, because it’s something I hadn’t thought about, but it may help clarify the nature of God’s operation and even clarify the distinction between what Paul is talking about in this chapter and the rest of Scripture:

“Should it be asked if the second death is ‘death to sin,’ the reply must be, ‘No.’ All judgments and penalties deal with human acts of sin and not with inherited sin (Rom. 2:6; Un. 20:12). Only Christ’s death can adequately deal with sin. He has dealt with race sin, but individual men must be spiritually united with Him before they can be dead ‘to sin’ and alive to God. Those who will be judged are called “the dead,” though they are resurrected. They miss the former resurrection and “live not until the thousand years should be finished.” Though resurrected, they are not living to God and are liable to the second death for personal misdeeds.”

Thus you also, be reckoning to yourselves to be dead, indeed, to Sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Okay, okay. Now, let’s get one thing clear before we discuss this verse, as well as future verses. I am in full disagreement with George Rogers here (shocker, I know,) who proclaims that this verse stops speaking of “doctrine” and begins speaking of “exhortation,” or “conduct.” Where does this verse give you the indication that Paul is telling you to do something, all of a sudden? Why should we think this is the case?

When Paul asks something of you, he goes, “I entreat you,” or “I beseech you.” He asks, or requests, things of us. He does not say either of those phrases here (which in Greek are parakaleo and deomai,) so we need not presume he’s asking us to “do” something. See, to ask you to do something, as he will in the later chapters of Romans concerning conduct, Paul would be implying what the correct conduct is on how to sin less. See, that’s a good thought, but that’s not what’s happening, here. Paul isn’t saying “here’s how not to sin,” here. In fact, this verse explicitly concerns us with the opposite, which is, “here’s what you can think when you do sin.”

This, I believe, may be a stronger message for Paul to be sinning, because we’re reading the letter that points out that our flesh is damned and breaks the law in every way. So, for those who are disappointed in their inability to effect anything good… how do you cope? Yes, yes, of course, we dwell on “Christ and Him crucified,” but if you crash into another person’s car and cause an amputation, you’re not exactly going to be thinking “Christ and Him crucified” when you have to look the poor person in the face, are you? Undoubtedly a wave of guilt would wash over any sane individual.

It is in times like these, when you have screwed up (and, hopefully we’re talking about being late for a doctor’s appointment, or staying up too late, and not causing a car crash,) that we can dwell on the sentence above. When you have sinned, recognize the above sentence, as it’s not an “exhortation,” but the beginning of the conclusion of Paul’s statement concerning the objection in Romans 6:1. It’s still dealing with the resurrection side of the argument, yes, but it’s still doctrinal, not just a request.

With that said, what is Paul teaching? That we, the saints, can fully consider ourselves dead to sin. It’s over, now. The sin within you loses. We are “reckoning,” or “accounting,” ourselves to be dead to Sin. This is, simply: get on the same page as God. God accounts you this way, so why would you want to account yourself as anything different? If Christ is your Lord, as proclaimed numerous times throughout the first five chapters of Romans, and if we are baptized into His death, where He died to Sin, then we most assuredly should reckon ourselves the same way, as God reckons us.

It’s a beautiful conclusion, because, at the end of all of this, you realize… God, this sounds so weird, even to type. God doesn’t respect your person, that is, your flesh (Acts 10:34,) but He does respect your spirit, as it is life, and He gives you that as a blessing, period.

Seriously, this is important. So many in Christ are always belittling themselves, or down on themselves. I’m guilty of the same thing. And yet God directly and logically shows us how crucial we truly are, that we may learn to respect ourselves and the role that we are allotted in the eonian calendar. God created you. That is the respect. He didn’t have to make you, and He did. And not only did He make you, but He’s building you to recognize and admire Him for what He has done, which is give you life. At the end of the day, that’s what all of this comes down to. We have the blessings, and that should not be (and is not) understated. But He is crafting a personal, unique story with you specifically, and those not yet understanding Him at all! This is a beautiful revelation to reach, knowing that He does respect you, because He sent His Son to you!

In fact, look at how His Son, Who is His Image, treats people while on earth. Where does He disregard any?? He speaks of an eonian judgment with a relative punishment, yes, but He absolutely displays a peace and love toward even the lowest in stature! He respects Caesar (Matt. 22:21,) the authority of the era, and respects the weakest (John 8:7.) If this One respects you, and He is the Image of God, how does God perceive you? He is the One telling the story! Does He not respect the story?? He enjoys the journey miles more than you can even comprehend, because it ends with you recognizing Him, and willfully perceiving and wanting Him to be your All (1 Cor. 15:28.)

It is the flesh that He does not “respect,” or “regard.” Your external flesh is not valuable to Him, because the flesh is passing. I have an… admittedly basic analogy, here. Consider a water bottle. The water inside is the life-sustaining property. When the water is removed, the bottle is discarded. It was necessary to transport the water, but its use eventually ends, and it is no longer needed. At the end of the day, you can appreciate the bottle, but it is the water that matters.

So it is with your spirit. You can appreciate the flesh, and appreciate the weak position you are in, as God’s power is perfected through your weakness (2 Cor. 12:7-10,) but your spirit is what will remain, and thus it is the spirit that is so valuable to Him (Eph. 1:3.) Your fleshy desires are temporary, waxing and waning. But your spirit is permanent. Your spirit is what matters, both to God and to Christ. Thus: you also can care about your spirit!

Your spirit is dead to Sin. The irony is great, is it not? Sin’s reign is in death, and yet you are dead to Sin. Sin’s very power is turned against itself. Your connection to Christ through faith and baptism into His death has completely ruined Sin’s alpha dominance games. Instead, you are living to God. To be living to God is present tense, with an active voice. It is, again, happening now. So long as Christ lives to God, you also are living to God, being imbibed into His spirit.

You can reckon this. This is something you are able to do, because it is common sense, with all the facts, from Romans 1 onward, considered thus far. Notice that He did not say, “Reckon sin in you to be dead.” The word “Sin” in the sentence is capitalized, and thus we are not dealing with an individual’s acts of ‘sin,’ but Sin embodied and personified, as she has been for the chapter. The sin in your flesh is present, literally, but you are dead to it. This verse requires you to recognize Sin in you in order for you to then recognize and account it as not dominant over you.

The word “reckon” is vital because it’s not related to “conduct,” but realization. No fact that Paul has stated can be verified by your experience; again, this is by faith that you understand this (Rom. 5:1, Heb. 11:1.) You can account it because God said so, and He desires to be trusted. If I were to exhort you on conduct, I would say, “Do not bring sorrow to the holy spirit of God by denying Him what He rightfully claims and states.” (Eph. 4:30.) You are in Christ, and thus share of all the blessings, both in this epistle and the later ones, concerning Jesus. This is your standing with God, and you are asked to reckon it here because it is true, not by your conduct; nor would it cease to be true if you did not reckon it, here. It is, whether you like it or not (which, if you’re reading this, I would assume that you do like it, because you wouldn’t have come this far for shits and giggles.)  Notice also that the verse does not say you are living to God “through Jesus Christ,” here. It is “in Christ Jesus.” A contrast between Adam and Jesus, you could argue, is still very much present here. Christ is not merely the channel, here, but the connective tissue, spiritually speaking, that Paul explains that you are imbibed into. Through Christ you can act differently (Eph. 3:16.) But it is in Christ Jesus that you are holy and flawless in God’s sight (Eph. 1:4.) In Christ Jesus you cannot be condemned by Sin anymore, because your Master has said otherwise.

With this, the objection is dealt with. If you tell someone the great truth of Romans 5, and they ask you the annoying ass question at the beginning of Romans 6? Well, shit! Show them the next verses! Lay it on thick. Show them the intimacy of your spirit’s relation in your new Master. Show the objector how antinomianism makes no sense with the facts considered. Show them the love of God poured in your heart. You can reckon it, because it is the case.

- GerudoKing