Scripture: Romans 6:1-11:
"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 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. 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. 6 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. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."
Have you ever noticed how some facts move us to take action while other facts leave us unresponsive? If your temperature hits 103, you don’t shrug, you take action. If your gas light flashes on, you don’t ignore it, you pull over and fill up. But other facts? They sit in your mind without ever touching your life.
For example, have you ever done anything differently or had your life changed in any way by knowing the circumference of the earth? Or rearranged your day because you discovered how many feathers the average bird has? Of course not.
And here’s my concern: many of us treat Easter like one of those harmless, non‑disruptive facts.
We believe the resurrection happened. We celebrate it. We affirm it. But it doesn’t move us. It doesn’t reshape our habits, our desires, or our battles with sin. But scripture never treats the crucifixion and resurrection as trivia or the same as other facts. It’s not museum pieces to admire or trivia to impress others with. The resurrection is meant to rearrange the entire landscape of your life. And today, Paul shows us something we often forget, that the resurrection destroys one of doubt’s loudest weapons — the lie that sin still owns you.
Paul begins with a question that exposes a deeper fear: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?” See, behind that question is a doubt many believers carry quietly that goes something like this: “Maybe I’ll never change. Maybe sin is stronger than grace. “Maybe this is just who I am.” And for some of you, the doubt isn’t just about sin — it’s about life. You’re a single parent doing everything you can, and you doubt you’ll ever catch your breath. You’ve prayed for years for an answer to prayer, and heaven feels silent. You’re carrying disappointment so deep you don’t even have words for it anymore. You’re trying to trust God, but you doubt anything will ever actually change.
Paul’s answer to you is a thunderous response, “By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Paul isn’t scolding you here. He’s reminding you of something you’ve forgotten, that Grace doesn’t just forgive you. Grace frees you. And when grace frees you, doubt loses its argument. I know that it doesn’t seem like there’s anything stronger than the grip of sin. We feel the pull and the tug that sin has on us. Like someone drowning in the ocean, sin seems to pull us under time and time again. Sin seems to put an identity on us that we can’t shake, and things can seem pretty hopeless. That is, until resurrection life breaks in. That is, until sin loses its grip by the power of Jesus.
We have a Savior who does not standby idly and watch us go under the water time and time again. He is actively fighting for us on our behalf. So are we to remain in sin that grace might increase? Certainly not. Resurrection grace has broken in to free us from sin’s power. As resurrection grace shines through, it speaks a greater truth than doubt could ever speak. If God had the power to raise Jesus from the dead, then it would be crazy for you to think sin is still in control. It would be a lie for believers to be under sin’s power. Now that may not feel true. It may feel as if sin has the ultimate say.
But the fact in the matter is that the death of Christ for our sins means that we have in a sense died with Christ. Christ's death means that we are no longer living in the power of sin. Jesus has delivered us with an even overwhelming power. None of this is abstract. The deep love of Jesus for you has been preparing what you need, even before you were born. And now, in the temptation or struggle that you are in, all that you need has been provided in Christ.
In other words, when Christ died, something in you died too. Not the presence of sin for that remains. Not the temptation to sin because that continues. But the power of sin. The dominion of sin. The ownership of sin. Your old self, the you that belonged to Adam, the you that was helpless, the you that could only obey sin — was crucified with Christ. And Paul says it plainly a little later on, “Our old self was crucified with him… so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
And here’s where our passage meets your doubt and your life. If your old self died with Christ, then your old story died too. Your old labels died. Your old failures died. Your old hopelessness died. Doubt says: “You’ll never change.” But resurrection grace says: “Your old self is dead — you are not who you were.”
Paul continues when he says, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life.” This is not in the future or in your dream world. This is not someday. And this is not for someone else. This is now, and this is for you. And then Paul adds, “If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.”
Paul explains why sin and death no longer have the final say: “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.” Death ruled because sin ruled. So the only way death could be defeated was if sin itself was conquered. And Christ did exactly that: “The death He died He died to sin, once for all…”
Jesus didn’t die as a sinner who had sinned. He died to sin, as the One who carried it, crushed it, and ended its reign. And because He defeated sin, He defeated death. And because He defeated death, you share in His victory. This means that your situation is not sovereign, your suffering is not sovereign, your sin is not sovereign, or your doubt is not sovereign. Not at all. Christ is sovereign.
Up to this point, Paul hasn’t told you to do anything. He has been reminding you of what God has already done. Now he finally gives a command, and it’s not what you expect: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The first step in fighting sin is not effort in trying harder. It is remembering. And the first step in fighting doubt is the same. You see, when you “consider yourself dead to sin,” you are also considering yourself dead to the lie that nothing will ever change, the lie that God has forgotten you, the lie that your situation is hopeless, or the lie that you are alone.
Make no mistake, this is not simply positive thinking. This is biblical thinking. Paul continues: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body…” He doesn’t mean temptation will disappear. He means sin no longer has the right to rule you. And neither does doubt. In this, every act of obedience becomes a declaration that sin is not my master, doubt is not my narrator, and Christ is my life.
How does this play out? It might be showing up for your kids when you’re exhausted or praying again even when you haven’t seen answers. It could be choosing hope when your situation hasn’t changed, or forgiving when it still hurts. Or perhaps getting out of bed when despair feels heavy. Please know that these are not small things. These are resurrection things.
Paul ends with a truth in verse 14 that is meant to silence doubt: “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Grace has broken in like daylight. Grace has changed the entire course of your life. Grace has given you power to obey God in ways you never could before. And because of grace, sin cannot rule you. And because sin cannot rule you, doubt cannot define you.
Romans 6 is not a burden for you. It is not a guilt trip. It is not a demand for perfection. No, it is a declaration of freedom for it tells you that sin’s grip has been broken. It tells you that resurrection power is at work in you. It tells you that you can fight, and you can win, because Christ has already won. So keep pressing on.
Not because you are strong, but because Christ is alive. Not because you have willpower, but because you have resurrection power. Not because sin is weak, but because Jesus is stronger. Sin has lost its grip. And when sin loses its grip, doubt loses its voice.
Pastor Josh
Where has doubt been telling you that nothing will ever change — in your habits, your circumstances, or your heart — and how does Romans 6 speak a louder word than that doubt?
Paul says to “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God.” What would it look like for you to practice this tomorrow morning before your feet hit the floor?
Which part of your life feels most like a drowning place right now — parenting, finances, loneliness, temptation, unanswered prayer — and how does the resurrection of Jesus reshape what is possible there?
Choose one area of your life where doubt has been loud — a sin struggle, a discouraging situation, or a place where you feel stuck — and write a short, specific declaration of truth from Romans 6 to speak over it each day this week.
