A New Pattern / Romans 6:1-14

Introduction: The Paradox of the Christian Life

The Christian experience is frequently characterized by a frustrating paradox: a genuine love for God coexisting with a persistent struggle against old patterns of behavior. Many believers find themselves trapped in a repetitive cycle of failure, guilt, and repentance, often referred to as a spiritual “Groundhog Day.” This struggle often stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of the gospel. While many rightly view the gospel as the means of initial salvation, they often fail to realize its power for ongoing sanctification. The gospel is not merely a historical transaction that secures a future in heaven; it is the present power of God that transforms the believer’s daily existence.

The Reign of Grace and the Problem of Antinomianism

To understand the transformative power of the gospel, one must look at the transition from the reign of sin to the reign of grace. In the theological framework of the New Testament, every human being exists under a specific authority or “reign.” Before faith in Christ, humanity exists under the dominion of sin and death. However, through Christ, a new reign is established: the reign of grace. This transition prompts a critical rhetorical question: if grace increases where sin increases, should a believer continue to sin intentionally to display more of God’s grace? The Apostle Paul rejects this notion with the strongest possible negative, asserting that such a lifestyle is fundamentally incompatible with the nature of the gospel.

Romans 6:1-2 (NASB)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?

The logic of the gospel dictates that a believer cannot habitually live in the very thing to which they have died. True faith produces a change in nature and orientation. As the scriptures suggest, those who claim to love Christ will keep His commandments, and those who claim to walk in the light while remaining in darkness are inconsistent with the truth they profess.

John 14:15 (NASB)

’If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

1 John 1:6 (NASB)

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and [yet] walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;

Understanding the Death to Sin

A primary point of confusion in the spiritual life is the definition of “dying to sin.” This death does not refer to the immediate extinction of sin’s presence or the removal of temptation. Rather, it refers to the breaking of sin’s mastery and legal obligation over the believer. Before salvation, a person is a slave to sin, lacking the spiritual capacity to please God. Upon entering into Christ, the believer is liberated from the authority of their former master.

An analogy can be drawn from the relationship between an athlete and a former coach. While under the coach’s authority, the athlete is obligated to obey every command, no matter how grueling. However, once the athlete graduates or the contract ends, the coach no longer possesses the legal right to demand obedience. The athlete may still hear the coach’s voice or feel tempted to follow old routines, but the obligation is gone. Similarly, sin no longer has the authority to command the believer; the power of the old master is broken through union with Christ.

Union with Christ and Newness of Life

The mechanism of this freedom is the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ. Through faith, the believer is spiritually united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. This union is symbolized by baptism, which serves as a public declaration of an internal reality: the old self has been crucified with Christ, and a new life has begun.

Romans 6:3 (NASB)

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?

Because the believer is identified with Christ’s resurrection, they are empowered to walk in a completely different manner. This is the essence of being a “new creature” in Christ, where the old identity has passed away and a new identity has been established. This resurrection power is not a future hope alone, but a present reality that enables a new pattern of living.

Romans 6:4 (NASB)

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, [he is] a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Romans 6:5 (NASB)

For if we have become united with [Him] in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [in the likeness] of His resurrection,

The New Pattern: Know, Consider, Present

The transition from a cycle of defeat to a pattern of victory involves three distinct mental and spiritual movements: knowing, considering, and presenting. First, the believer must possess the theological knowledge that the old self was crucified with Christ. This objective truth is the foundation of freedom. The mastery of the flesh is rendered powerless because the legal claim of sin was satisfied at the cross.

Romans 6:6-7 (NASB)

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with [Him], in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Second, the believer must “consider” themselves dead to sin. This is a term borrowed from the world of accounting; it means to calculate or audit the books of one’s life to ensure they align with reality. The believer must actively view themselves through the lens of their new identity in Christ, recognizing that the finished work of Jesus has made their freedom secure and definitive.

Romans 6:8-11 (NASB)

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Finally, the believer must “present” themselves to God. This is an active yielding of one’s faculties—the mind, the body, and the will—as instruments for righteousness. It is possible for a believer to allow sin to temporarily “reign” by choice, but they are no longer under any obligation to do so. Sanctification is not merely the cessation of bad behavior; it is the active pursuit of God.

Romans 6:12-13 (NASB)

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin [as] instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members [as] instruments of righteousness to God.

The Struggle with the Flesh

While the mastery of sin is broken, the “flesh” remains a persistent influence. The flesh can be described as a “traitor at the gates”—an internal resistance that seeks to return to old patterns of disobedience. It claims to assist the believer but actually resists the Spirit at every turn. Victory over the flesh is not achieved through simple behavior modification or sheer willpower, but through walking by the Spirit.

True recovery and transformation require more than just stopping a sinful habit; they require replacing that habit with a pursuit of God. When a person focuses solely on what they should not do, they remain obsessed with the sin itself. However, when they focus on presenting themselves to God through prayer, the study of scripture, and reliance on the Holy Spirit, the desires of the flesh lose their grip. The gospel provides a new trajectory where the windows of faithfulness grow longer and the power of the Spirit becomes more evident.

Conclusion: The Sufficiency of Grace

The ultimate assurance for the believer is that sin shall not be their master because they are not under the law, but under grace. The law reveals sin, but grace provides the power to overcome it. The gospel is sufficient for both the initial moment of salvation and the lifelong process of sanctification. By understanding their union with Christ and actively presenting themselves to God, believers can move beyond the cycle of shame and regret into the freedom and righteousness that Christ has purchased for them.

Romans 6:14 (NASB)

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.