Sunday School Notes: Romans 6:2

² May it not be! We who have died to sin, how shall we yet live in it?

We covered Romans 6:2 last time, but we stalled there this past Sunday, largely because we got into a very interesting discussion around the question of sin: What is sin? What does Paul mean by “we have died to sin”? What is our “sin nature”? Is it possible for a Christian not to sin (or to not sin)?

I will offer below some of the thoughts that came out of our discussion. But I want to emphasize that I don’t think we can give definitive answers at this point, at least to some of these questions. Mike (my co-teacher) and I believe these are questions that we should keep in the back of our minds as we continue to study Romans. One of the group made the important point that we are in the middle of an extended theological discussion. We can’t pluck a couple of verses out of context and expect to understand their full meaning. However we answer these questions, those answers need to be tested against the context of the passage, the chapter, the book, and the rest of Scripture.

Sin is separation from God, or doing those things God prohibits, or not doing things that we ought to do. Ultimately, the root of sin is not pleasing God, whether in thought, word, or deed (or not thinking, speaking, or doing those things that please God). If we have, therefore, “died to sin,” does this mean we no longer sin? I think the experience of all Christians (including Paul, as we shall see in chapter 7) is no–we will continue to sin. How can this be, if we have died to sin?

Is dying to sin something that has happened, or something that is ongoing (daily dying to sin) until we are glorified? Our experience would seem to indicate that, since we still sin, it must be a daily process. However, the verb Paul uses here, apethanomen, is aorist–it denotes a simple, completed past action: we died. And in the context, Paul is addressing the question, “Why don’t Christians continue in sin so grace may increase?” Paul’s response is to wonder how a Christian could continue in sin when he has died to sin.

Perhaps Paul is talking about a continual, habitual sin lifestyle here, and not the frequent transgressions that the believer recognizes as sin but falls into daily? We have died to habitual sin, to the sin lifestyle, but we still fall into sin. But we recognize our sin for what it is, repent, and move on.

I think we all agree that the Christian’s life is not one that is characterized by sin. But we know Christians still sin. Why? We often fall back onto phrases (that are not in themselves bad) such as “sin nature” or “remaining sin.” But what do these terms mean? I believe they are attempting to convey the idea that there is still something within the believer that draws him away from God, and what he knows is right and glorifying to Him. But is this a remaining propensity toward sin? When we speak of our “sin nature,” do we imagine it to be some part of our old self that clings for life within us, causing us to stray?

Let’s consider what we know so far from Romans. All have sinned, and there is none righteous before God, whether Jew or Gentile. However, Christ came and paid the penalty for sin, such that those who are in Christ have been reconciled to God. They have been saved from God’s wrath, and are no longer liable before God for their sin. This is totally the work of Christ; there is nothing we could have done to have bought or earned this salvation–it is freely given.

In Romans 6:2, Paul alludes to something that we learn elsewhere in Scripture: those who are in Christ have been re-born. They are new creations. Whereas formerly one’s desire was for self, the world, and anything but God, now one’s desire is to please God. The Christian heart has been turned from God-hating to God-loving. In the picture I suggested last week, the person formerly under the oppressive regime has a new citizenship in the new, free regime. He is no longer under the lordship of his former country; his is now under a new ruler. Paul will go on to talk about being enslaved to sin. And I see that in this picture: once we were under the bondage of the old regime, but our new citizenship frees us from those chains.

Is it right, therefore, to say we still have a propensity to sin? Apart from Christ, certainly–in fact we have a propensity for nothing but sin apart from Christ. However, in Christ, our heart’s direction has changed. Our propensity now is for Christ. So why do we sin?

Mike and I offered the suggestion that when Christians sin, it is totally an act of the will. The danger of appealing to a “propensity” to sin is that we might feel as if sin is something that we, as Christians, just can’t help doing. And this can lead to thinking that it’s really not anything we can control, and so we just have to live with it–“It’s not my fault, the devil made me do it” kind of thinking. And that’s dangerous. If anything, as Christians, we hold ourselves accountable for every sin, because we know better. We should be taking every thought captive, watching every word from our mouths, and submitting our bodies as living sacrifices for the Lord. When we don’t, it’s not because we can’t, it’s because, for whatever reason, we choose not to.

If, therefore, for the Christian, sin is an act of the will, it would make sense that theoretically, a Christian can not sin. In other words, the Christian, because of the work of regeneration Christ has done in him–and not because of his own efforts–can lead a life wherein he no longer sins. Now, we know that practially, that will never happen. When we are presented with sinful thoughts, at least some of the time (and probably most of the time) we will choose to let those thoughts lead to sin (either in thought, word, or deed).

An important aside here: the sinful thought itself is not sin. Sin occurs when we don’t dismiss that thought and we dwell on it, leading to sin in our hearts, and perhaps even in our words and actions. When Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Let this cup pass from me,” that thought was not sin. The idea that Jesus would refuse to continue the path to Calvary, as was the plan, would indeed be rebellion, and had he taken that thought to heart, he could well have been guilty of sin. The reason Jesus remained sinless, even in the garden, was the fact that he said, “but not my will but Yours be done.” Contrast this with the Garden of Eden. The serpent presented Eve with the thought that if she ate the forbidden fruit she would be like God. Eve did not sin when that thought passed into her mind. She sinned when she let that thought take hold in her heart, leading her to bite the fruit. She could have refused the serpent, and dismissed him. But she didn’t.

So, the Christian, because of what Christ has done in regenerating him, making him a God-lover, doesn’t have to sin. So what is it that makes the Christian go contrary to his desire (as Paul experienced–see chapter 7) and willfully sin? Someone suggested a psychological influence, having been so long under the former Christless rule we sometimes slip into those old ways of thinking. That’s certainly possible. Sometimes our faith is weak and we succumb to temptation. There is certainly something about being “in the flesh” and in the world that makes sin an attractive option. One of the things we look forward to in heaven is having a new body, and being free from all temptations to sin. Indeed, in heaven, it will not be possible for us to sin. Our minds will be free from those kinds of thoughts, and we will always without fail act to please God.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of our discussion. I’m sure I haven’t represented every viewpoint or idea that was expressed on Sunday. Please use the comments to contribute to the discussion–especially if you were there on Sunday–and/or to ask questions. Next week we hope to get through verses 3-16.