According to Romans 6:1, if I am dead to sin, why do I sin often times?

According to Romans 6:1, if I am dead to sin, why do I sin often times?

To answer this question, let’s have a closer look at some key verses in Romans 6 to provide the necessary context. Read the following verses below taking note at what was put to death,

Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  5  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

Paul says, we were baptised into Christ’s death, we are buried with Him by that baptism into death, and we are planted in the likeness of His death. Now, as you read this, go ahead and pinch yourself on the arm. The pinch you felt is proof that you are still alive, right! Your body, the mortal man, is still alive and kicking, and as you rightly identified, is still sinning too. So, Paul’s statements are obviously not in reference to our mortal bodies. Well, what then was put to death? We’ll need to dig deeper.

What we need to understand is that for the most part, Paul’s writings are spiritual. So, in order to understand them, we need to read his epistles in this context.

The statements, ‘baptised into Christ’s death’, ‘buried with Him’, and ‘planted in the likeness of His death’, all pertain to getting saved. The moment we responded in faith to the grace gospel, we died. Not physically, but positionally, (or heavenly). Though we are still alive in the flesh, our carnal nature was buried, in a heavenly sense. In other words, God, in heaven, does not see our carnal, sinful state. Having buried that carnal state, He has replaced it with a new spiritual, and righteous state. How? He took the life and righteousness of Christ and freely imputed that to us when we believed in Him. Thus, after salvation, God sees us differently; He sees our carnal nature as dead, crucified with Christ, and our new nature, resurrected, washed, sanctified, and justified, 1Cor 6:11.

Notice what Paul writes in verse 6,

Rom 6:6  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.  7  For he that is dead is freed from sin.

So, this deals with the spiritual context of Paul’s message, and the fact that our old, carnal nature has died and is buried, and our new nature, the inner man, has been resurrected, or quickened within us. It’s in this spiritual sense that God does not count sin against us (2Cor 5:19) because of Christ’s completed work. Sin cannot affect our right standing with God in Christ. But how does this deal with the physical fact that we are still in the flesh and still under the curse of sin?

Our salvation is positional (or in spirit) and it will not change or affect our current flesh condition. We are still sinners, who are waiting for our glorified state. Will we ever be perfect in this world? No! We are born into sin. But, through salvation, we have become a new creature within (2Cor.5:17), and it is this new creature that will start to hunger after God, and seek out truth, and desire righteousness.

What does God expect of us while we wait for our redemption from the flesh? Is there a measure of responsibility that we have while we wait? Yes. Paul tells us in 1Tim 2:4 that it is God’s will for us to come unto the knowledge of the truth. By studying the Word of God, rightly divided, it will enable the word of God to renew our thinking, and through obedience to ‘the faith’, (Paul’s mystery doctrine), we can learn to overcome sins as we are lead by the Spirit of the Word within us, Gal 5:16.

Paul provides us additional advice in his epistles to fight the good fight of faith, encouraging us that we give in to the desires of the inner man (Eph.3:16) and the leading of the Spirit of Life within us, Rom.12:1-2. God's will for us is that we fill our hearts and minds with His living Word. That we follow our heart and live godly lives, 1Tim.2:3-4. That we aim to be an example for others to follow, 1Tim.4:12. That we train our bodies to submit to the Spirit, 1Tim.4:7, and that we remain faithful to Him, as we wait in daily expectation for the return of Christ to redeem us to Himself, (Rom.8:23; 1Cor.1:7; Gal.5:5; 1Thess.1:10; 2Thess.3:5).