Romans 6:7 says, “For he who has died has been freed from sin.” As we shall see, the subject before us in this chapter deals with a believer in Christ living a life of “freedom from sin.” The believer no longer has to be a “slave to sin” as he was before his conversion to Christ. All men are “born in sin” (Psalm 51:5) and “practice sin” (Romans 3:23), and thus they are “slaves of sin” as Jesus said in John 8:34, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” But Jesus went on to say, “Therefore if the Son MAKES YOU FREE, you shall be free indeed” (verse 36). How does Jesus, the Son of God, make a sinner free? We shall see that it is through His death on cross that He makes one free.

In Romans 6:1-2 we read, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall WE WHO HAVE DIED TO SIN live any longer in it.” The Apostle Paul is obviously speaking to believers in Christ, to those who have trusted in Him as their personal Savior. Believers have “believed on the Lord Jesus Christ” and have been SAVED (see Acts 16:31; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Ephesians 2:8-9). Saved from what? Saved from the PENALTY of sin, which is DEATH & JUDGMENT (see Romans 6:23 and Hebrews 9:27). Jesus took our place in death and judgment at the cross. He “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24) and thus “our SINS are all forgiven” (Acts 10:43; Ephesians 1:7). But even though we have been “saved from the PENALTY of our sins,” we still need to be “saved from the POWER OF SIN.” What do we mean by that? If you will read Romans chapter seven you will see that the believer still has “SIN in him” (verses 14-20). SIN is the “old nature” (principle of sin) that is still in our bodies. When Christ comes again to take us home to heaven, He will give us new bodies (Romans 8:22-23 with Philippians 3:20-21) and the old nature will then be gone.

Yet in Romans 6:1-8:4 we learn that even though the believer has “SIN dwelling in him” he can indeed be “set free from SIN.” How so? Ah, by having “died to SIN,” as we saw in Romans 6:2. Now the big question is: “In what way have we died to sin?” We have the answer in verses 6-7, “Knowing this, that OUR OLD SELF WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin” (NASB). What we learn here is that WHEN CHRIST DIED ON THE CROSS, WE DIED WITH HIM. You may be thinking, “Wait a minute, I’m still very much alive AND I know the body of sin in me is still very much alive.” That is true, but what God wants you to see is that when Christ died for you, He was your SUBSTITUTE; that is, He stood in your place and God saw “you dying with Him!” You deserved to die, not only for the “SINS you had committed,” but also for the “SIN nature that dwells in you.” When Christ died “He died for our SINS” (1st Corinthian 15:3) AND in His death “SIN (the “old nature”) was also judged by God.” Romans 8:3 teaches us that: “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His Son in the likeness of SINFUL FLESH, on account of SIN: He CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH.”

What we are learning must be accepted by simple faith. We can’t go by our feelings, for we are never told to “feel that Christ died for you.” We must simply believe He died for us. So, in Romans 6:6-7 God is telling us to simply believe that in Christ’s death WE HAVE DIED. The “old man/self” (what we WERE before trusting Christ) has been judged by God and He no longer looks upon us as a sinner, but as a “new creation in Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). This is our new POSITION before God. We are now “identified completely with Christ in His death” so we are no longer under the PENALTY of sin, and we no longer have to be under the POWER of sin in our lives. We saw in verse 6 that we were “crucified with Him, that the body of sin MIGHT BE DONE AWAY,” that means that the “SIN nature in us MIGHT BE MADE POWERLESS.” It is still in us, but it should no longer dominate us. We see this marvelous truth in verses 11-12, 14, “Likewise you also, reckon (count) yourselves to be DEAD INDEED TO SIN, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts…for SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU, for you are not under law but under grace.” Every time you are tempted to sin, remember that you “have died with Christ” and are now “alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Claim this wonderful truth and you will experience FREEDOM FROM SIN!  (DO)  (613.3)