United to the Whole Christ (Rom. 6:5-7)

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One of the dangers to which the church has been exposed for a while now is the teaching that one can be a Christian or child of God without living a life that is different from the world and in conformity to God’s word.  People therefore talk about “carnal Christianity” or “disobedient children of God.”  The idea is that you can be saved by Christ without ever repenting of your sins or living a change life.  Others are even more radical and say that you never even have to come to faith in Christ at all.

Part of the problem here is a misunderstanding of the nature and role of faith in salvation.  First of all, there are those who misunderstand the nature of saving faith.  They argue that saving faith is just intellectual assent to the truths of the gospel and that you can have this faith without ever repenting of your sins.  In the 18th century, this was called Sandemanianism; today it is called “no-Lordship salvation.”  I say this is a misunderstanding of the nature of faith because true faith, Biblical faith, is a repenting faith.  Conversion in the NT is always both repentance and faith.  In fact, sometimes only repentance is mentioned and sometimes only faith, and this is fine because where you find one you will find the other.  Faith and repentance are like two sides of the same coin; they go together like texture and taste with food.  Paul puts them together in his summary of the gospel demands when he recalls to the Ephesian elders that he went about “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21).  

Secondly, there are those who misunderstand the role of saving faith.  These folks argue that to make faith a condition of salvation at all undermines the freeness of God’s grace.  Now no one believes in the freeness of God’s grace more than I do.  But saying that faith is necessary does not undermine the grace of God.  In fact, the NT says the exact opposite: it even says that the freeness of grace depends in some sense upon salvation being by faith.  Remember what the apostle Paul says in Rom. 4:16?  He says, “Therefore it [that it, the promise of salvation in Christ as promised to Abraham] is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all.”  God’s promise of salvation is by the way of faith, and why?  So “that it might be by grace.”  Or have we forgotten what the apostle Paul says in Eph. 2:8-9?  “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.”  Paul never even imagines that the way of faith could possibly give a person a reason of boasting before God; on the contrary, it removes every ground of boasting. After all, we are not saved by faith in our faith; we are saved by trusting in Christ alone.

Now some will say that to demand faith at all puts God at the mercy of human effort.  But again this is unbiblical as well as nonsensical.  God makes faith a condition, and he sovereignly guarantees that the condition will be met in those whom he has chosen for salvation.  There is no basis whatever for believing that God’s purpose of salvation in Christ is in danger of being unfulfilled because faith is required to be saved.  When it pleases God, he will reveal his Son to us, as he did to Saul the persecutor (Gal. 1:15).  

But it seems to me that the more fundamental problem here is a misunderstanding of how we are united to Christ in the benefits of his death and what that means.  Those who discount the necessity of faith simply haven’t come to terms with the argument of the apostle Paul in Romans 1-5 . The apostle’s sustained argument is that we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ as he is revealed in the gospel.  His righteousness is imputed to those who trust in him.  It’s not just that those who are justified believe, nor that those who believe are justified (though both statements are true).  Rather, the relation between faith and justification is stronger than that: it’s that we are justified by faith. And this is justification before God (Rom. 3:19-20).  In other words, it’s not just that faith and justification are somehow loosely related, but that they are inextricably connected as means and end.  We are united to Christ and his righteousness by faith.

And that means that the unbeliever will not be saved.  Look, I’m not saying this because I’m mean and unkind: it’s just what the Bible plainly says.  As our Lord put it: “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mk. 16:15-16).  Or as it is related in the gospel of John: “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (Jn. 3:18).  And: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (Jn.3:36).  Let me say it as plainly as I can: faith is necessary for justification.  And since you can’t be saved apart from justification, faith is necessary for salvation.  We are saved by grace through faith.

We are united to Christ by faith and that makes faith necessary.  But it also means that those who argue that you can have faith without being repentant also miss the point.  For the apostle is arguing here that we are united to Christ both with respect to justification and sanctification, or, with respect to forgiveness of sins and holiness of life.

And it matters that we know this.  “Knowing this” (6): we at least ought to know it.  I’m going to remind you of this truth that takes away all our excuses when it comes to the sin we are trying to hide or ignore, and it is the truth that takes aways our discouragement when it comes to the sin we are trying fight but with less success than we could wish.  So as we look at verses 5-7, this is what I want to argue for: that you are united to Christ not just in respect of this or that aspect of redemption, but in respect to the fulness of his redemptive work, that we are united to him so that we are both justified and sanctified and one day will be glorified.  There are fewer truths more thrilling and hope-giving and encouraging than this.  It is very worth our attention this morning.  Moreover, I believe that the emphasis in these verses is the inevitability of this.  Note the words “we shall be” in verse 5.  Not simply in terms of the future, but in terms of certainty and inevitability.  It will happen.  Why?  The apostle is going to tell us.  As we look at these verses, here is what I want you to see: first, the principle that we are inevitably united to the whole Christ (verse 5), and that Paul grounds this inevitability in two things: (1) in the consequences of sin’s death (verse 6), and (2) in the consequences of sin’s dismissal (verse 7).

The inevitability of rising to newness of life (verse 5)

“For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (5).  The word “for” at the beginning of verse 5 indicates that the apostle is continuing his argument that it’s unthinkable for the believer to go on living in sin (1).  Paul has appealed to the fact that the believer has died to sin (2), a reality that is testified to in our baptism (3-4).  He now continues the argument: in particular, the “for” at the beginning of verse 5 points back to Paul’s argument in verse 4 that we not only die to sin but also rise to walk in newness of life.  Paul is saying that in baptism we show our union with Christ not only in his death but also in his resurrection because (verse 5) if we are united to Christ in the one we will be united to him in the other.  You cannot die with Christ unless you also rise with him.  In fact, as we’ve pointed out, it’s inevitable.  One follows by necessity from the other.

An implication of the apostle’s teaching here is that if you are united to Christ in one aspect of his redemptive work, then you are united to him with respect to the rest of his redemptive work.  In other words, we are united to the whole Christ.  What do I mean by that?  I mean that you cannot have Christ as the one who saves you from the guilt of your sins without having him as the one who saves you from the grip of sin.  We cannot have his righteousness without also having his love, as well as his mercy and grace and power and faithfulness.  All his attributes are arrayed on behalf of those who belong to him.  This is what Paul is getting at when he says that if you are planted together with Christ – united to him like a branch that has been grafted onto a tree – in his death, you will be also united to Christ in his resurrection as well.   

We see that the apostle said something similar to the Corinthians.  He writes, “But of him [God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).  All that we need to be saved, we have in Christ (cf. Eph. 1:3).  We don’t get him piecemeal; we get him all.  He is not only Lord but Savior, and not only Savior but Lord.

What does Paul mean by “likeness of his death” and “likeness of his resurrection”?  I think he is referring to our spiritual death to sin and spiritual resurrection to newness of life.  Though Paul refers to the physical death and resurrection of our Lord, he is not referring to our physical death and resurrection here.  Our death to sin and resurrection to a life devoted to God are spiritual not physical realities.  So they are “like” in that sense.  But they are also “in the likeness of” what Christ did in dying and rising for us because what our Lord did in his redemptive work secured our death to sin and spiritual resurrection.  All that Christ did for us he applies to us.  Again, all who are united to him are united to all of him.

Though Paul is referring to spiritual death and life here, nevertheless that doesn’t mean that physical resurrection is far from the apostle’s mind.  The fact that we are united to Christ in all the benefits of his atoning work means that if we have been raised from a spiritual death we will also be raised from physical death.  Spiritual resurrection guarantees physical resurrection, a point the apostle will make in chapter 8: “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Rom. 8:10-11).

So brother and sister, be sure that you will be saved in all the fulness of God’s salvation.  Be sure that “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it to the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). Why can we be so confident?  Because the resources for perseverance to the end and preservation for eternal life are not found in us.  If they were, we would be in a lot of trouble.  But since we are connected to Christ in a spiritual and vital union, we can be sure that he will not suffer us to be lost.  The Lord is with us and in us by the Spirit.  

It is certain and inescapable that the saint will not only die with Christ be rise to newness of life in Christ.  There is no power in earth or hell that can frustrate the power of God, and no demon however mighty who can undermine the grace of Christ.  Believer, do you realized this?  Do you know this?  It is true for all who belong to Christ through faith.

But Paul doesn’t stop with the bare statement in verse 5 that one must of necessity lead to the other.  He goes on to show us, to prove to us, why this necessity exists.  And that brings us to our next point.

The inevitability rooted in the consequences of sin’s death (verse 6)

The apostle continues: “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”  How do we know that we shall be in the likeness of his resurrection?  “Knowing this…”.  Here the apostle works out that death to sin must lead to life in Christ because of what death to sin does.  Note that death with Christ leads to things.  It leads to the body of sin being destroyed and that leads to deliverance from the dominion of sin.

First of all, Paul says that “our old man is crucified with him,” that is, with Jesus.  As we look at this, one question we need to ask it, What does Paul mean by “old man” and how does this relate to “the body of sin”?  

There are two other passages in the NT where the apostle Paul uses similar language.  In Eph. 4:22-24, he writes, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”  There is a similar passage in Col. 3:9-10: “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”  In both these passages, the apostle simply seems to be referring to what we were before we were in Christ, before our conversion, when he talks about “the old man,” and to what we are in Christ when he talks about “the new man.”  And I think Lloyd-Jones is right when he argues that another way to think about this is to think in terms of the categories of Romans 5.  There you have two humanities: those who are in Adam, and those who are in Christ.  Our old man is what we are in Adam.  Our new man is what we are in Christ.  In Adam, we are condemned to spiritual, physical, and eternal death.  In Christ by grace we are saved for spiritual and resurrection life.  Our old man is crucified with Christ, meaning that we are only delivered from Adam’s sin and condemnation when we are united to Christ. 

But this leads to things.  First of all, it leads to the destruction, or the abolition, the setting aside of the effectiveness of the body of sin.  Though some identify the old man and the body of sin, the apostle clearly sees them as separate entities, though obviously related.  While the old man refers to the totality of what we are before conversion to Christ, the body of sin refers to our physical body as an instrument of sin.  “Body” here not only includes the parts of our physical body, like eyes, nose, ears, hands, but also the affections and appetites which are so tied to the body.  Sin rules through them.  Sin takes our appetites and turns them into forbidden avenues.  Sin causes us to take things that are good in themselves and to use them without any sense of self-control.  It is in this sense that Paul uses the term “body” in verses 12-13, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”  Our “mortal body” is our physical body which is dying.  And our “members” are the parts of our body, including its affections and lusts, through which sin reigns.  

Paul is saying that death to sin which happens through vital union with Christ in his death, results in the crucifixion of the old man, who we are in Adam, and this in turn, leads to the destruction, the nullifying, of the body as an instrument of sin.  Paul again is not saying that we no longer sin.  His meaning is captured in the next phrase, “that we should no longer serve sin.”  The body of sin is destroyed when we no longer serve sin, when we no longer yield the members of our body as weapons in the hand of sin, but submit ourselves, body and soul, to Christ, so that we become instruments in the Redeemer’s hands.  Before we are born again, sin reigns; after we are converted, Christ does.  This of course is just another way of saying that those who have died to sin have also risen to walk in newness of life.

The fact that Paul refers to our bodies as the instruments of sin makes this pretty concrete, doesn’t it?  How do we know that we are living sanctified lives?  How do we know that we are pursuing holiness?  Well, one question we need to put to ourselves is this: how am I using this body that God has given me?  Can I say to myself that the body of sin has been set aside so that I am not dominated by sin?  Can I say that my appetites and affections and desires are being channeled in ways that please God and show my love for him and others?  Because Paul is saying that if your old man has died with Christ, this is going to happen. This is what it means to die to sin!  Does sin rule in our mortal bodies or does Christ?

But this is not the only reason Paul gives as to why death to sin must lead to newness of life.  It is not only because of the nature of death to sin, but also because of the consequences of our justification in Christ.  This brings us to verse 7.

The inevitability rooted in consequences of sin’s dismissal(verse 7)

“For he that is dead is freed from sin.”  Here I must observe that the verb “is freed” is the same verb that is everywhere else translated in the book of Romans as “to justify.”  You could, and I think more correctly, translate this verse as, “For the one who died has been justified from sin.”  The apostle uses a similar phrase in his sermon recorded in Acts 13.  Notice how he puts it there: “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (38-39).  It’s the same idea, that all who believe are justified from all things, that is all sins, from which we can’t be justified by keeping the law of Moses.  

But the question is, how does this relate to the forgoing argument?  How is justification a reason why all who die to sin must of necessity rise to walk in newness of life?  

To see the answer to that question, consider first this question: Why does sin reign over us in the first place?  Paul says that it reigns over us in the first place because we are condemned in Adam.  Remember that the conclusion of Paul’s teaching on Adam and Christ is this: “as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Sin reigns unto death in Adam.  Grace reigns through righteousness in Christ.  

This means that in order for us to be released from the grip of sin and death, we must first be delivered from the condemnation coming from sin.  That is what Paul is getting at here.  He is saying that the one who has died to sin is precisely the one who is justified from sin, and that means that all the claims that sin has upon us, including its claim to rule over us, are gone, dismissed, much as a judge dismisses all the claims against a defendant in court who has been given a not-guilty verdict.

In other words, though we must not confuse sanctification and justification, neither must we separate them.  Those who are united to Christ and have died with him to sin are justified from sin.  They are “quit” of sin, as John Murray puts it in his commentary on this passage.  And this means that where we find someone who has been justified before God through faith alone in Christ on the basis of grace alone, we will also find someone who has died to sin to walk in newness of life.  

So you can see why it is silly to imagine a person who has believed on Christ and forgiven of their sins, but you goes on walking in sin.  Paul is saying that justification leads to sanctification.  Forgiveness is inseparable from fighting sin.  Deliverance from the penalty of sin in connected to deliverance from its power, because justification makes it inevitable.  Justification is not just about the declaration of righteousness; it is about the release of the sinner from all of sins claims both in terms of its penalty, pollution, and power.

Now the thing to keep in mind is that everyone who is a Chrisitan has died to sin, is justified from sin, because every Christian is united to Christ.  Every Christian is a person whose old man has been destroyed.  He or she is no longer in Adam.  The old has passed and the new has come.  This is not something you grow into; it is a fact from the beginning.  And that means, believer, that no matter where you are on the timeline of Christian growth, you have all the resources you need to fight the sin in your life, to keep under your body, to rule over sin instead of letting sin rule over you.  

So let this be a warning and an encouragement.  Let it be a warning for all who want to claim salvation in Christ, but who continue to live in sin.  No Christian is going to go on living in sin.  It is unthinkable, impossible.  For all who are united to Christ in a death like his will rise to walk in a life like his, in newness of life.  All who are justified have been released from all the claims of sin upon them.  You cannot therefore legitimately call yourself a Christian or claim the hope of eternal life, if you are still willingly wallowing in the pigpen of sin.  You shouldn’t claim salvation in Christ.  What you should do is to repent of your sins, embrace the Lord Jesus by faith, and find in him the grace of justification and the grace of sanctification.  

But let these verses also be an encouragement for all who belong to Jesus, but who have become discouraged along the way.  Perhaps there is some sin you have been fighting, and you just seem weary and worn.  It seems hard to conquer.  You have met with setbacks, and you are beginning to wonder if you can even get the victory you so desperately desire.  I think every true Chrisitan can identify with your struggle!  And what Paul is saying is that you can overcome.  Sin will not have dominion over you because you are not under the law but under grace.  If you are united to Christ in his death, you will certainly be in the power of his resurrection life.  And, dear believer, this is true whether you feel it or not!  For these are objective realities we are talking about here.  Union with Christ is not dependent upon your subjective feelings.  Your ability to fight sin does not rest in your willpower but in the boundless grace of God that is promised to you in Christ.  Stand, brother and sister.  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10).  How are we strong?  “In the Lord”!  Where do we obtain strength and power to resist the devil?  “In the power of his might”!  My friend, do not give up.  Do not let discouragement get the better of you.  Keep on keeping on for the Lord is with you.