Read through Handouts #8 & #9 and Romans chapter 6 in order to respond to and an
Read through Handouts #8 & #9 and Romans chapter 6 in order to respond to and answer questions in this week’s lesson. Look close at the topic of sin, grace, and our involvement with this newfound ‘freedom’ Jesus Christ grants us.
We are still looking closely at Romans 6, specifically verses 1-14. Here we look closer at what it means to be under grace in Handout #8. We have looked at the implications of sin and what it means to be under the law, and why we need to come out from under the law. The key word looked at in this handout is the Greek word, charis or as we understand in English – grace. A familiar word – but a word that is key to understanding what it means to “reign” in grace through God’s righteousness (Rom. 5:20-21). We look at definitions for the word, ‘grace’ and what the meaning of the word is in the context of select passages of Scripture. Then, we will seek to establish our own working definition for our class.
In Handout #9 we look at how freedom becomes actualized in our daily lives. We connect how Paul insists that justification had inescapable moral implications in the life of a believer. This involves what those obligations in seeking righteous living entails (involving the ‘sanctification’ process). We follow this to look closer at ‘positional change’ or realm transfer – from death into life – separated from the ruling power of sin into the new life in Christ. We can resist sin because of Romans 6:14, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (NIV).
Handout #9 reveals three instinctive approaches to dealing with sin, which we will see are wrong ways of dealing with sin’s mastery. We try to reform ourselves, or we fight our sin, or end up coping with sin. These are rather common approaches, and understandably so, most of us will identify with these. This understanding reminds us that sin is not just a few moral mistakes or actions, rather “it is a powerful force (the ethical flesh/sarx), a self-centeredness that manifests itself in seeing no need for God and in someway using people, at any cost.” (Handout #9, pp. 49-50). Tragedies emerge from these approaches. We can become prideful and subtly arrogant in what we “control” and how we present ourselves to those around us. We can also end up frustrated or even despair, wearing “masks” and slowly drift out of fellowship or even leave the church completely. Needless to say, this is a topic that is worthy of our attention.
The final portion of our lesson describes the ways in which we can appropriate what Jesus Christ has purchased for us in terms of our no longer being under the ‘reign of sin and death’ but now under the ‘reign of grace.’ How to we grasp and lay hold of this new life in Christ? What responsibility to we have in this new life? Paul gives us a series of responsibilities in light of a believer’s new position in Christ. Romans 6:3-14 tells us four-fold responsibility to not permit sin to be our master. To ‘know’ of the truth, baptized into new life by His righteousness and now dead to sin. We don’t allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies (“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” 6:6). And we must offer ourselves then, to God (6:13).
Questions on Chapter 6 Part 3:
Q 1. What is it about “unmerited favor” that makes it an inadequate definition for grace?
Q 2. According to Handout #8 “unmerited favor” does define the word charis to a certain degree but is somewhat impersonal as a definition. John links grace to a person (1:16). This leads to our class definition of grace. Fill-in-the-blank:
“Grace is the ___________ of the ______ ________ ________ inexhaustibly meeting us at our point of need.”_
Questions on Chapter 6 Part 4:
Q 3. What does Romans 6:2 mean? What does Paul means when he says, “we are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
Q 4.What are three instinctive ways we tend to deal with sin?
Q 5. Looking at the bottom of page 50 fundamentally sin is not what? What is it fundamentally instead? Our real problem deals with what?
Q 6. What did you think of the dirt floor analogy? Was this helpful and how did this strike you at a personal level?
Q 7. Look at footnote #10 at the bottom of page 51. What does this say about the differences between Biblical discipline and fighting sin?
RESPONSE TO HANDOUTS 8 & 9:
Read the Summation section on what it means to be “under grace” in Handout #8, then respond to its claims. Do you agree that the Biblical data and theological evidence in these past four weeks of class leads us to these conclusions? If “Jesus Christ inexhaustibly meeting us at our point of need is our only hope of experiencing freedom from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:14) and the newness of life God promises” (Romans 6:4), that this is what it means to be under grace, then how should this impact the way you think about yourself? How would this impact how you set about your day? How would this understanding of being under grace impact setting goals?
It may be helpful to bear in mind what we read in Handout #9 about the positional change – a realm transfer.
11 “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.” (NIV).
When we read this section of Scripture, we must read the indicative as establishing the imperative (here is some insight into these fancy theological and Biblical terms: an indicative is a statement of fact, “Sin shall no longer be your master, [why?] because you are not under law, but under grace.” Verse 14 is the statement of fact about us in the grace of Jesus Christ. An imperative is a statement of a command, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.” Verse 12 is a command springing from the established fact mentioned in verse 14).
Write your initial response along with your answers to the questions on the handouts by Wednesday evening.
After your initial post, look to response to 2 or more of your fellow classmates’ responses by Saturday evening.
Be sure to look for similarities and points of agreement, as well as different perspectives and insights. I look forward to seeing your discussion! What a joy it is to read and study the Word of God together! I am praying over all our interactions with each other this week. God’s grace be with you in your time meditating on His word and studying our lesson.
Answer these questions in a post of 350 or more words by Wednesday, then respond to two or more of your fellow student’s posts with a minimum of 250 words by Sunday. In your replies to other students, please be kind and respectful showing the heart of Christ to our brothers and sisters, practicing a healthy online etiquette.