Lord's Day 32 of the Heidelberg Catechism. Lord's Day 32 is found on page 273 in the Forms and Prayers book, or page 887 in the Trinity Psalter Hymnal. Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 32, page 887 in the hymnal, and page 237 in the Forms and Prayers book. Lord's Day 32. Question 86 asks, since we have been delivered from our misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works? The answer, because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also renewing us by his spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, and that he may be praised through us. And further, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and by our godly living, our neighbors may be won over to Christ. Question 87, can those be saved who do not turn to God from their ungrateful and underpentant ways? And the answer, by no means. Scripture tells us that no unchaste person, no idolater, adulterer, thief, no covetous person, no drunkard, slanderer, robber, or the like, will inherit the kingdom of God. That's the end of Lord's Day 32, and now I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, we're gonna read verses one to 14. We'll be focusing on verses one to 14 as well. Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, starting in verse one. This is God's word. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who die to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried, therefore, with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him, in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin, therefore, reign in your mortal body to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law, but under grace. That's as far as we're reading in Romans chapter six. Again, we'll be looking at these 14 verses together this afternoon. Dear people of God, one of the things that Canadians are generally known for is their politeness and their kindness. Canadians tend to have a good global reputation. And because of that, when you tell people in other parts of the world that you're from Canada, they'll often make positive assumptions about who you are as a person. This is a good thing, but the truth is that our identity is rooted in a whole lot more than just the country that we come from. As Christians, our identity isn't based on the country from which we hail. It's rooted in the fact that we are children of God and that we are in union with Christ, and people should be able to tell. That's exactly the focus and emphasis of Paul's words here in Romans chapter 6, verses 1 to 14. Paul doesn't just say that we're in union with Christ and then move on to talk about other things. Instead, the Apostle Paul defines what union with Christ means, and then he explains how our union with Christ impacts our lives in this world. And in that way, this passage really lays the groundwork and establishes the foundation for how we are all called to live in light of the salvation that we have received from our God in Christ. And really that fits with the general flow of the Heidelberg Catechism. Because here in Lourdes Day 32, we're entering into the third section of the Catechism. This is the section on gratitude and Christian service. And so let's look at Romans 6, 1 to 14, while keeping the words of Lord's Day 32 in the back of our minds. And as we do that, there's going to be four things for us to look at from these 14 verses. We're gonna begin by looking at the theme of this particular section. Backing up for just a second, in Romans 5, Paul has been talking about how we've been justified by faith alone. We read in Romans 5, verse 6, for while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. And because of that, we now have peace with God. Despite our sin, we've been reconciled to God by the death of Christ. And Paul says that we have also been saved by the life of Christ. And this gives us cause to rejoice. And then building on that, Paul begins to explain how all of this came about. Christ was appointed to be the second Adam. Adam was our covenant representative head. He was our ambassador. Adam acted on our behalf. So when he fell into sin, we fell with him. But God in his grace sent Christ as the second Adam to succeed where Adam failed. And so Paul says in Romans 5.19, for as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. In other words, because of Christ's life of perfect obedience to God's law on our behalf, we have been made and are considered to be righteous. This is why we use the language of being dressed in the righteousness of Christ. Because when our God looks at us, he doesn't see our sin, he doesn't see the filthy garments of our own transgressions. Instead, he sees the perfect obedience and righteousness of Christ, our Savior. And so to this point in the letter to the Romans, that's what Paul has been talking about. Then as he continues into chapter 6, Paul sort of shifts his focus a little bit. He moves from the corporate dimension of Christ's person and work on behalf of all of God's people to the more personal and individual dimension. He focuses on why Christ's person and work matter for us as individual Christians. It's in verses one and two of chapter six that Paul really lays the foundation for what he's going to talk about in the next section of his letter, a section that continues all the way until the end of Romans chapter eight. And the driving force behind his words is the doctrine of our union with Christ. Paul begins by asking a rhetorical question. Look at verse one. Actually, two rhetorical questions. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? Behind this rhetorical question lies a sinister objection that Paul anticipates. Based on what he has just said in Romans 5, Paul suspects that someone might ask why people don't just continue living in sin so that God's grace is manifested even more. The thinking behind this objection goes like this. If we're justified by faith, and if Christ has given us eternal life and his righteousness already, can't we just do whatever we want? Wouldn't that make God's grace seem all the more amazing? But in response to this anticipated objection, the Apostle Paul is both quick and emphatic at the beginning of verse two. He says, by no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it? And really this immediate and forceful response does two things. First, it points out the absurdity of living in sin in light of what Christ has done. For Paul, the idea of purposefully continuing in sin despite the person and work of Christ Jesus is both atrocious and ridiculous. He doesn't even want to give it the time of day. He doesn't even want to entertain that thought. But secondly, this forceful response also allows Paul to introduce what he's going to talk about more in the following verses. Because as he defines union with Christ, Paul's focus in the next section is this, believers are dead to sin, but alive to God. In other words, we don't live for sin anymore because we've died to it. Instead, we live to serve the God who saved us through the blood of Christ. And so that's what Paul is going to do in the verses that follow. He's gonna flesh out this argument. And he does that by laying the groundwork for a proper understanding of who we now are in Christ Jesus. In other words, Paul explains and elaborates on what union with Christ actually means. And to do that, he zeroes in on two particular parts of Christ's person and work, specifically his death and then his resurrection. And so we're gonna start by looking at our union with Christ in terms of Christ's death. Look at verses three and four. Do not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. You see, when people come to saving faith in Christ, they are plunged into a new identity. They are plunged into a new type of existence. While baptism, in some respects, is an expression of our union with Christ, baptism itself isn't necessarily the primary focus here for Paul. Rather, the focus for Paul is the life-altering shift that has taken place in the believer. One commentator says the most natural way to take Paul's phrase is less a reference to baptism than as a metaphorical reference for the placement of the believer at his or her conversion into the sphere of Christ's power. To help us here, listen to how Scottish Presbyterian theologian John Murray puts it. And just as it is true with reference to life in the sphere of this world, that the person who has died cannot be found, so it is with the sphere of sin. The believer is no longer there because he has died to sin. In other words, because we are in union with Christ, we have been crucified with Christ, and that means that our old nature, the self-centered, only-living-for-ourselves type of life that we used to live, has been put to death. we've been transferred into a new realm and into a new kingdom. And stemming from that, if we have died with Christ, if we've been crucified with Christ, then we've also been buried with Christ. Remember, Christ's burial was a testimony that he really died, as the catechism says. And so, if Christ was buried to prove his actual death, and if our old sinful lives were buried with him, then that means that our old sinful lives are actually dead. Again, we've been brought into a new kingdom. And stemming from that, if we are buried with Christ, then we will also be raised with Christ. Our bodies will be like, but not identical to, Christ's glorified body. Now obviously the final resurrection hasn't happened yet. It won't happen until Christ returns. But if we are in union with Christ, and if Christ has already been raised from the dead, then we know that we will be raised as well. That has a direct impact on how we live right now. Because Christ has already risen, we are now called to walk in newness of life because we've been brought by faith into union with our risen Savior. And so that leads us to look at our union with Christ in terms of Christ's resurrection. Look at verse 5. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. And notice the certainty with which Paul speaks. If we've been united to Christ in his death, then we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Again, our resurrection won't be identical to Christ's resurrection. He is both God and man, we're not. But there is a correlation, there is a connection here between the resurrection of Christ and our own resurrection as well. But what lies behind this certainty, the certainty with which Paul speaks, what lies behind that is an important point that we need to make. You see, we must never separate the elements of Christ's work. His birth, his life of obedience, his suffering, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, his intercession, and his return are all one cohesive unit. They all belong together and are intrinsically linked. And so based on what Paul said earlier in Romans 5, that all that Christ did was on our behalf and for our benefit, that means that if we are in union with Christ and connected to him with an unbreakable bond, then we share in his life, in his death, in his burial, and in his resurrection. Puritan theologian Thomas Goodwin said, whatever God does for us, he does first for Christ. In fact, in verses six to seven, Paul zeroes in on that even more. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Obviously, we didn't physically die when Christ died on the cross, but our sinful nature did. Why? So that we would be set free from sin. Think about it, when someone dies, their life of sin is over. As the Catechism says, their death puts an end to their sinning. And so our old self died when we were crucified with Christ. And that means that sin no longer rules us. Sin no longer owns us. Again, we've been transferred into a new realm and into a new kingdom. which leads beautifully in verses eight to 10. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all. But the life he lives, he lives to God. Remember, you can't separate the elements of Christ's work. It's all one unit. Because Christ rose from the dead never to die again, death no longer rules him. He died, but death couldn't hold him. Notice what Paul says, Christ's death to sin was once for all. So even though we do share in his death, the death of Christ was unique. One commentator says, Christ did not die in the same way that believers died to sin. Unlike them, he knew no sin. therefore had no need to die to it. Instead, his death with respect to sin was the climactic and final sacrifice for sin. As the author goes on to say, this sacrifice accomplished two goals. First, it atoned for the sins of believers, making possible their reconciliation with God. And second, it also opened a new era in which sin and death no longer dominated the lives of believers. Instead, they become free to serve righteousness and God. And so here in verses 3 to 10, Paul has very specifically and very carefully explained what union with Christ means. If we share in Christ, we receive all his benefits. His righteousness becomes ours. His death became the death of our old sinful nature. And his resurrection is the hope of our future resurrection and the reason that we are called to live resurrected lives even now. So let's review for just a second because this is a lot of heavy theological stuff. Verses one to two, Paul has made it very clear that we aren't to continue in sin so that grace may abound. That's absurd because we've died to sin. And then in verses three to 10, Paul explains why. Because we're in union with Christ. We've died to sin, we've been raised with Christ, we've been transferred to a new world. We're no longer slaves to sin. And that means that sin is not only contrary to God's law, it's actually contrary to who we now are in Christ Jesus. And so having established that, Paul then tells us how we're to think of ourselves in verse 11. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. And the verb that Paul uses, translated here as consider, sometimes means just to count or reckon or conclude. But here in this particular context, that word consider means to reckon and then treat accordingly. In other words, not only are we to first understand that we are dead to sin and alive to God, but secondly, that understanding needs to inform our lives and the things that we do. And so what that means is that verse 11 is the hinge between our union with Christ and our lives in this world. In other words, once we have a proper understanding of who we are in Christ Jesus, that should begin to manifest itself more and more in our day-to-day lives. Our identity has changed, our status has changed. So maybe an illustration will be helpful. Think about what happens when a woman becomes a mother. Let's say that before her child was born, she was working an office job, but now that her child has been born, this woman isn't working anymore. Instead of being at the office, she's at home. She's changing diapers. She's waking up in the middle of the night to feed the baby. And she's busy cleaning up and baby-proofing her house so that her child doesn't get into trouble. And on top of that, instead of going to Staples to buy office supplies for work, she's now going to Babies R Us to buy onesies, baby toys, and baby food. My point is that this woman's life has radically changed because a part of her identity has shifted from being a working woman to being a mother. And it's similar here. When we understand that our entire identity has changed, that we've been brought into union with Christ, that we've been brought into a new world and transferred to a realm where sin no longer rules us, that should have a significant and telling impact on how we live our lives. Even if we grew up in the church, even if we've been Christians our entire lives, Truth remains that a proper and a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ should and will manifest itself in our lives day by day. Obviously, we still deal with indwelling sin. There's still messes in our lives that need to be cleaned up. We have been dressed in the righteousness of Christ, we've died to sin, and now we're alive to live to serve our God, but we're still living in a world where the effects of sin manifest themselves every single day. So even as Christians, we kind of live in the time between the times. We've been translated to a new realm and our salvation has been accomplished, but we aren't perfect yet. And we won't be perfect and complete until Christ returns and until our bodies are resurrected on the last day. To say it differently, in other words, we've been crucified with Christ, yes. We're dead to sin, yes. And yes, the kingdom of God has broken into our hearts and lives. But at the same time, we still await the full consummation and full arrival of that kingdom, and that will only happen when Christ returns on the clouds of heaven. But while we wait for that day, we don't just sit back. We don't just sit back, do nothing, and wait for Christ to return. Why? Because remember, we're dead to sin, but we're also alive to God. And so even though the kingdom of God has not been fully realized yet, we have responsibilities and we have tasks that we're called to do. But now, because of our union with Christ, we do them for the glory of God. We don't do them to serve ourselves or whatever sinful desires we have anymore. And that's what Paul is getting at in verses 12 to 13. You see, what Paul is doing here is giving us a practical foundation. This proper understanding of who we are manifests itself in our lives. In other words, understanding our union with Christ, understanding who we are now is good, but the byproduct, the result of that proper understanding is a life of righteousness lived for God's glory. Sin is not to reign in our mortal bodies anymore because sin is no longer our master. We no longer live in that world. We have a new master. So we aren't to obey the sinful passions of our former way of life because it's our former way of life. The gospel teaches us to say no to ungodliness. And the spirit helps us resist the devil so that he flees from us. Maybe another illustration will be helpful. Imagine you have a job with a terrible boss, terrible pay, no health benefits, and no pension whatsoever. And then you get headhunted by another company. The boss is awesome, the pay is great, the health benefits are substantial, and the pension is unrivaled. Really, it's an irresistible offer. And so you accept the offer. Now you have a new boss. Let's say that for some strange reason, your old boss calls you up and tells you to finish some financial report by Friday afternoon. Would you finish that report? Of course not. You have no obligation to do that. That guy isn't your boss anymore. You don't work for him. You have a new boss. You have a better boss. and your responsibilities are to your new and better boss. It's similar here. Because of our union with Christ, we make it the goal of our lives not to serve sin, not to serve ourselves, but to serve our God. We don't present our bodies as instruments for unrighteousness anymore, because in Christ Jesus, we've been called and declared righteous. And that radical shift and change is because of the God who brought us from the death of our own sin to life in Christ. So now we live for the one who made us alive. We make the goal of our lives not earthly things but things above because we have died and our life is hid with Christ in God. That's related to what the Catechism says in Lorsday 32 question and answer 86. Since we have been delivered from our sin and misery by grace through Christ without any merit of our own, why then should we do good works? Because Christ, having redeemed us by his blood, is also renewing us by his spirit into his image, so that with our whole lives we may show that we are thankful to God for his benefits, and that he may be praised through us. And further, so that we may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and by our godly living our neighbors may be won over to Christ." As always with the catechism, it's helpful to look at how the question is asked. In fact, this question here, question 86, is very similar to the objection that Paul anticipated way back in verse 1 of Romans 6. The thinking goes like this, if we've been delivered from our sin and misery by God's grace and because of Christ's person and work, and if our good works contribute absolutely nothing to our salvation, then what's the point of doing good works? Can't we just live however we want because we know that all our sins have been forgiven and that we've been saved by God's grace? But in the answer, what the catechism emphasizes is the importance of recognizing the life-altering nature of the gospel. You see, the gospel isn't just something that we believe. The gospel has real-world, lasting, significant application and implications for our day-to-day lives. We don't live to please ourselves anymore. We are not our own. We don't live to serve our selfish sinful desires. We belong to Christ. And so now we give our lives as expressions of gratitude for God's amazing gift of grace. We live our lives for God because it's Christ who lives in us. That's what Paul is saying in verse 14, for sin will have no dominion over you since you are not under law but under grace. That word for have dominion means something that is domineering or negatively controlling. One commentator says, sin is a domineering master seeking to control those under its power in ways that harm them. But because of Christ, sin no longer rules over us in that way. Sin no longer calls the shots. Instead, the gospel determines how we live. Christ determines how we live. God's grace determines how we live because everything that Christ accomplished was accomplished on our behalf and for our sake. Christ lived a life of perfection on our behalf. He bore the wrath of God in our place. He died the death that we deserved. And he rose from the dead so that we would now live for the God who saved us. And all of this provides the foundation for what Paul says in Romans 12. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. One commentator summarizes all of this beautifully when he says, it's a bit of a longer quote, but I find it really helpful. One commentator says, summarizing this whole section, Romans 6, 1 to 14, God has united those who have been justified by faith with Christ's death of atonement for sin and will fully unite them in the future with the new immortal life that Christ has as a result of his resurrection from the dead. Since believers now have this new identity, they should live in a way that is consistent with it. They should consider themselves delivered from the power of sin and death and alive to God. In practical terms, this means placing their capabilities not in the service of sin with its illicit cravings and injustices, but in the service of God who fights for what is just. And so you can see how we've come full circle in these 14 verses. Paul began by anticipating an objection. Why don't we just keep sinning so that grace seems to be all the more amazing? But Paul's response is beautiful and simple and basically he says, look, that doesn't work. Because you're dead to sin and alive to God. And that has a direct impact on everything that you do. Sin doesn't rule you anymore. You've been set free, now you live to glorify and honor the God who saved you. And so we end this afternoon by asking a similar question to one we wrestled with this morning. Who are you living for? Because if we genuinely understand who we are in Christ Jesus, If we really get what union with Christ means, that we've died to sin and are alive to God, then that should have a significant impact on how we live. We live to serve our God. We live to bring all the praise and honor and glory to the King of Kings who called us out of darkness and into his wonderful light. Am I living for Jesus? Am I living to glorify my God? Is my life marked by gratitude to the God who has made me alive in Christ? Or something else calling the shots? Am I still living for myself? Am I still serving and submitting to sin? What areas of my life have I not yet committed to my Lord and Savior? Ask yourself those questions. But then look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Look to the cross and remember that in Christ you have died to sin. Look in the empty tomb and remember that in Christ you are alive to live for God. Remember your union with Christ. Remember that it is Christ who lives in you. Remember that you have been both called by God and equipped by his spirit to live for Jesus and to serve your savior in every single aspect of your life. Let's pray. Lord and Heavenly Father, we are so thankful for your grace. We are so thankful that by the Spirit you have brought us to faith in Christ Jesus, that you have brought us into union with Christ. That not only do we share in all of Christ's benefits, but we share in Christ himself. that he is now living in our hearts, that he is our Lord, that he is our master, because you have called us out of darkness into your wonderful light, that you have brought us from death to life. Father, we pray that you help us to live resurrected lives even now as we wait for the glorious resurrection of our bodies when Christ returns. We pray that our identity is rooted in who we are in Christ Jesus. The love of Christ compels us and spurs us on to love and good deeds. That you equip us by your spirit to sanctify us more and more. You help us to resist sin, to flee from the devil, and to pursue godliness and obedience in this life. Father, this is a tall task and we are too weak on our own to do this on our own. So Father, we ask for an extra measure of your spirit, for your rich grace to Wash over us to fill us up that we may serve you and glorify your name. May we give our lives as living sacrifices of praise. May we trust in you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. May we look to you for everything that we need for body and for soul. Keep us faithful, keep us strong. May we serve the Savior who died that we might live for you. We pray this all in Jesus' name, amen.