6:6-11 What does Paul mean by what he says here?
6:6-11 What does Paul mean by what he says here?
Having just finished explaining in V1-5 how believers' identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection broke the power of sin over their lives and imparted the divine nature to them, Paul now exhorts believers to live out their new life in Christ and not to let their old sinful nature reassert itself.
"Our old man" in V6 refers to the unregenerate person we were, completely dominated by our old sinful nature, before we were saved (CP 17-18; 7:14-25; 8:8-10; 1Cor 6:9-11; 12:2; Col 3:5-10; Tit 3:3-7; He 10:22, 38-39).
But when we identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection our old unregenerate self was crucified with Him in a spiritual sense, resulting in our being liberated from the power of sin (CP Ro 6:6 with Ga 2:19-20; 5:24-25; 6:14-16).
The word destroyed in Ro 6:6 does not mean made extinct but rendered inoperative, inactive, ineffective. When we identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection our old sinful nature was made inoperative, inactive, ineffective. It no longer has dominion over us (CP Ro 6:14; 7:4-6; 8:1-2; Ga 5:18).
The old sinful nature still exists in Christians (CP 1Jn 1:6-10). But we are freed from its power and henceforth must not allow it to reassert itself in the life we now live in Christ (CP Mt 11:12).
This expresses the earnestness every believer must have in getting rid of sin and walking in obedience to God's word. It typifies the force required to take hold of the kingdom, and is presented as the life task of every New Testament Christian (CP Ro 8:1-13; Eph 4:17-32; Col 3:1-10).
If we have truly died with Christ then our old sinful nature cannot reassert itself in our life (CP Ga 5:16-26; Col 3:8-10). V17 in Ga 5 is one of the most misunderstood scriptures in Christendom. It has been taught as referring to constant warfare between the flesh and the spirit, making one a victim of the flesh and helpless to live right, but that is not what Paul is teaching at all.
Of course it does describe the condition of anyone who is walking in the flesh, but it does not refer to the normal life of a Christian in grace, living and walking in the Spirit, which is evident from V16, 18, 22-25 and numerous other scriptures (CP Ga 5:16, 18, 22-25 with Isa 40:29-31; 2Cor 4:16; Eph 4:21-24).
The central truth of Ro 6 is that sin no longer has a hold on Christians - God has delivered them from its power. But many Christians are failing in their endeavours to live out a victorious holy life over sin that would glorify God because they either do not know, or do not understand this truth. The key to a victorious holy life in Christ for Christians struggling with sin is to recognize as Ro 6 teaches, that sinning is a choice Christians make themselves.
It is not something they have no control over. Christians can, and must say no to sin (CP Mk 7:20-23). Those who accept Christ are made a new creation that belongs to a totally new world of God in which the Holy Spirit rules (CP Ro 8:14-16; 2Cor 5:17; Ga 5:18; Eph 2:10).
The emphasis of Paul's teaching in Ro 6 is on man's obedience to God and God's way of delivering man from sin. It is a teaching on how Christians are to live - not what kind of a life to live, but by which method to live it. In Ro 6:11 we learn that although Christ was sinless, He suffered and died for sin.
In His death He died to its influence, and in His resurrection He triumphed over its power. Christians are united with Christ in His death and resurrection and likewise are freed from sin's power.
So, as Christ died for sin once for all and dies no more, Christians should die to sin once for all and live evermore unto God. The cross and the resurrection of Jesus have broken the power of sin over Christians and now they can choose not to sin (CP Ro 6:19-22; 12:1-2; 2Cor 7:1; He 10:10-14; 1Pe 2:24).
The word reckon in Ro 6:11 (KJV) means to embrace by faith what God has revealed to be true. (See comments on all Ro 6 questions, also Ro 3:9, 5:12-14, 7:4, 7:7-23, 8:1-2, 8:3-4; Ga 5:17; Jas 4:5 and 1 Jn 3:6-9 and author's studies Romans 6 - a Study on God's Empowering of Believers through Jesus Christ to Overcome Sin in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1),
The Power of God in Christians to Overcome the Devil, The Doctrine of Grace and Regeneration and Sanctification Defined in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2), and What being Born Again Means in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith).