[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passage: Romans 6:1–14
Discussion Questions: What do you think it means to “live to God”? What demands does this make upon our lives? In what areas of your life do you feel as though you are still living in chains and darkness? How might the message of the Gospel proclaim and provide freedom in those areas?
Food for thought:
United with Christ in His death, we also share in His resurrection. That power has been released even now in the new life we are given as believers. It will be manifested even more when broken and beaten bodies are raised from the dust incorruptible, immortal and imperishable.
[2]Being made “alive to God” is not temporary or reversible. As Christ shall never again die, neither shall we. Sin and death have lost their hold on us (Romans 6:6-7). We are free!
In essence, all sin is enslaving. As Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). But if we have died, then we are no longer under its inflexible and absolute rule. Instead, we have been set free. As Israel in the wilderness no longer had a quota of bricks to produce, so we are free from obligation to the flesh.
Again the exodus account is instructive for helping us understand what we have obtained in the life, death and resurrection of the Son of God. When the Israelites were set free, they were not given $100 and a bus ticket to wherever. They were not free to disperse over the face of the earth and eat, drink and be merry. Unlike movies where the good guy rescues people and then walks away into the sunset, God did not walk away from His people.
Instead, the Lord walked with them and led them through the wilderness on the way to the promised land. Israel was set free from slavery and death, but their freedom from those things necessitated a freedom toward something else — God Himself. The people were called to God Himself to be His people, to magnify His name, and to display His glory.
Likewise, as we are set free from sin, we are not liberated to sin again. In our death to sin, we experience life to God. The resurrected life means we are set free from the slavery of selfishness and redeemed to walk in obedience to Christ.
Having been set free and given life, we now find the first command in the entire Book of Romans. After this chapter, Paul doesn’t return again to commands for another six chapters, so this first appearance of a command is quite significant. Look at verse 11 again: “So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
To understand his meaning, consider the case of a woman whose husband goes off to war. As long as he is thought to be alive and she is faithful and good, she will wait. But what if she receives news that he has died? Does that news not change her status such that she is free to remarry? Likewise, if we truly consider ourselves dead to sin, we will no longer be under obligation to it. We will walk in freedom from its deceptive demands, if only we think of ourselves as having died to its tyranny.
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a Christ-centered curriculum that examines the grand narrative of Scripture and how the Gospel transforms the lives of those it touches. Through a three-year study plan, participants are immersed in the Gospel through stories, theological concepts, and calls to missions from Genesis to Revelation. Separate study plans for kids and students/adults ensure the proper focus and depth. The Gospel Project is designed to unify an entire church under a single Christ-centered curriculum. More information, free samples, and The Gospel Project blog can be found at gospelproject.com [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at
LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.