The Mission, The Meaning, & the Message of Jesus Christ -Romans Chapter 6

The Mission, The Meaning, & the Message of Jesus Christ

Romans Chapter 6

     by T. Austin-Sparks 

                                                                        

         

     "[Romans] Chapter 6 is not a new chapter, but is the continuation of chapter 5. In chapter 5 all men are dead, which is how God views the human race. 'In Adam all died', and the argument here is that it is the same with Israel. Israel is a part of the human race and is included in this position: 'all are dead'. What is it that we come to immediately we begin to read what is chapter 6? It is a baptism. And what is this baptism? Well, of course, it is the baptism of the Lord Jesus, but what does that mean? Jesus is the representative of the human race. He is the Son of Man. Why must He be baptized? That is, why must He die and be buried? Because He is taking the place of the whole human race. The Cross of the Lord Jesus is a demonstration of the fact that all men have died, and the Apostle Paul says here that when Christ died all men were represented. The Cross was a universal baptism. Perhaps you would think that I was preaching heresy if I were to say that every unsaved person has been baptized, but please understand me. All men have died in the death of the Lord Jesus, so it is the whole world that has been baptized in the Cross of Jesus Christ. In the death of Christ the whole world is dead IN THE EYES OF GOD, but, although all men have been baptized in the death of Christ, all men are not raised in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The death is universal, the baptism is universal and for the whole race, but the resurrection is selective. On resurrection ground only one Man in God's universe is in right standing with God. You remember how, after His baptism the heavens were opened and a voice came out of heaven saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). God did not say: 'This is My beloved world. In it I am well pleased.' On resurrection ground only One is in right standing with God.

This, then, is the message of chapter 6. To be in right standing with God men have to say: 'His death was my death. When He died I died. That is my natural position in the sight of God.' But then, secondly, men have to say: 'His resurrection was my resurrection.' You know the simple words of Romans 6:5: "If we have become united with him by the likeness of his death, we shall be also by the likeness of his resurrection; knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him." To be in right standing with God demands that we shall be, by faith in Jesus Christ, dead and raised. We have to accept His death as our death. The world will not do that, and Israel would not do that. Therefore the world and Israel remain dead in the sight of God, and it is only those who have accepted that by faith and have then taken their position in Christ risen who are in right standing with God. It is only with such people that God can go on.

And remember that this is not only an initial position; it is an abiding principle. Paul said: "Always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:10). In effect he said: 'I die daily. Every day the Cross of the Lord Jesus has a meaning in my life.'"

“Now let us go on with this letter. Chapter 6 shows the position of spiritual experience. We move on, without dividing into chapters, and presently we come on to what is shown as chapter 8, and here we find what has happened in chapter 6. A great divide has been made. First, the position is established: “There is therefore now NO condemnation to them that are IN CHRIST JESUS” (verse 1). All the condemnation has been exhausted in the death and burial of Christ. 

To those who by faith are in Jesus Christ risen from the dead there is no more condemnation. I wish we knew the truth of Christianity! If there is no condemnation, then we must be in right standing with God! There is no controversy between God and us. Do you not see how important it is for us to recover the true nature of Christianity? There are many Christians who live out their lives under condemnation. Even when they pray they bring their miserable selves to the Lord, and say: ‘Lord, I am no good. I am a miserable creature!’ And what does the Lord say? Well, sometimes He does not say anything at all. If He did say anything, it would be: ‘I told you that two thousand years ago in the Cross of Jesus Christ. I knew more about you then than you know about yourself, but if any man is in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation.’ But the Apostle goes on with a provision. He uses this little word: “Who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” (verse 4), that is, those who walk on the ground that they have died with Christ and risen with Christ. The great divide has been made by the Cross between flesh and spirit. What do we mean by that word ‘flesh’? The flesh is the self-life: MY will, MY desires, MY ideas, anything that is just ME. If you know anything about yourself, you know that you are not good, and you will agree with the Apostle Paul, who said: “I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing” (7:18). The flesh is the self-life in any, or all, of its forms. So that this statement in verse 4 of chapter 8 could be: ‘Who walk not after the self-life.’ ‘I am going to have what I want. I am going to take the way that I want to take.’ The self-life has very many complexions.

Now these people do not walk after the flesh. It says: ‘They walk after the spirit.’ What is that? That is the God-life—not the self-life, but the God-life. Now it is: ‘What GOD wills, what GOD desires. It is GOD’S thoughts that I want.’ There is no condemnation if we walk the God-life.

What does this word ‘walk’ mean? Well, we are on a spiritual journey. That comes out a little later. We are on the journey of a new nature, and on this journey there is a new discipline. The journey is not geographical, but from what we are in ourselves to what we are in Christ. You know, you can shorten that journey, for you get there sooner or later according to this discipline. What is the end of the journey, of this spiritual walk? Now that comes out at the end of this chapter 8: “Whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son” (verse 29). That is the end of the Journey. There are two conformities here in this letter. In chapter 8 it is “conformed to the image of his Son”, and in chapter 12, verse 2 it says: “Be not conformed to this world”. ‘Be not conformed to this world, but be conformed to Christ.’ That will determine how quickly you are covering the journey and how quickly you are getting to the end! Those who are conformed to this world are making very slow spiritual progress, but those whose hearts are wholly set upon being conformed to Christ make very quick spiritual progress. You can see these two kinds of Christians. I can see today many young Christians who have started on the journey but have either come to a standstill or are making very slow progress, and when I look to see why it is I see that it is because they are taking the fashions of this world. So the true nature of Christianity is to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. That demands our acceptance of His death as our death, and demands that we live on the ground of His resurrection. It also demands that we do not live the self-life, but that we do live the Christ-life. The life of the Lord Jesus is to be reproduced in us by the Spirit, and that is what it means to “walk after the spirit”. It does not say: ‘Standstill’, and it does not mean: ‘Take a first step.’ It means: ‘Keep on walking and do not allow this world to stop you going on with the Lord.’ Well, that, in brief, is the message of this letter to the Romans. This is the foundation of Christian experience. You have accepted the foundation position; now accept the foundation experience, and that foundation is standing in right position with God, seeking His grace that in every day, and in every thing we are in good standing with God. On THAT ground we shall reach the goal- conformity to the image of His Son.”

(Here is a link to the website where you can read more of T. Austin-Sparks writings: https://www.austin-sparks.net/)