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Sermon #3097

No More in Realm of Sin and Death

A Sermon on Romans 6:10-11

Originally preached Nov. 28, 1958

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Scripture

Romans 6:10-11 ESV KJV
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. (ESV)

Sermon Description

When Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and felt anguish, it was because He knew that the crucifixion would cut Him off from the realm of God and He wanted to be spared of it. However, Christ came as a volunteer and prayed that the Lord’s will would be done and that He would be restored back to the realm of God. Christ died once unto sin and He is finished with sin once and for all. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones outlines this in his sermon on Romans 6:10–11 titled “No More in Realm of Sin and Death.” Christ came out of glory only once, but He did so for humanity’s sake. Now that Paul has finished emphasizing this point, he moves on to how this truth can be applied. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes that the truth about humanity has been shared repeatedly up until this point, but now Paul wants the listener to reckon this truth unto themselves. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains three principles that the Christian must bear in mind about these truths. He also explains the meaning and application of the word “reckon.” Therefore, may all reckon these truths day by day and live in thankfulness to the God who conquered sin and death.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle is asserting that what is true of the Lord Jesus Christ is also, in this respect, true of us, because we are joined to him.
  2. The statement in verse 11 is entirely nonexperimental. It has nothing to do with our experience.
  3. This verse does not deal directly with the question of our holy living and sanctification, but it does introduce us to a truth that will lead on to that, and which promotes that in a most wonderful manner.
  4. The word "reckon" means to regard one as something, to consider, or to conclude. It means accepting God's word and drawing the inevitable conclusion from it.
  5. "Ye yourselves" refers to our essential personality, our individuality and identity.
  6. The verse should read "in Jesus Christ our Lord," not "through Jesus Christ our Lord." We are in Christ, not just saved by him.
  7. We are to reckon not something that we want to be true about ourselves, but something that is true of ourselves: that we are dead to sin because we are in Christ.
  8. This truth is about our position, standing, and status, not our experience. We have been taken out of the realm of sin and death and now belong to the realm of God.

Sermon Q&A

What Does "In That He Liveth, He Liveth Unto God" Mean According to Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Romans 6:10-11, the phrase "in that he liveth, he liveth unto God" means that Christ now lives exclusively in the realm of God, having finished His temporary relationship with sin and death.

The key aspects of this teaching include:

  1. Christ's relationship to sin was temporary and purposeful - He entered the realm of sin and death voluntarily to accomplish our redemption.

  2. Now Christ has returned to His original glory that He had with the Father before the world began (John 17:5).

  3. Christ will never again come under the power of sin and death - "Death has no more dominion over Him" (Romans 6:9).

  4. This represents a complete contrast between Christ's temporary humiliation and His eternal exaltation.

What Is the Meaning of "Reckon Yourselves Dead to Sin" in Romans 6:11?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "reckon yourselves dead to sin" does NOT mean:

  1. That it's our duty to die to sin
  2. A command to be dead to sin
  3. That sin as a force within us is dead
  4. That sin has been eradicated from our lives
  5. That we are dead to sin while we have victory over it
  6. That our reckoning makes us dead to sin

Rather, it means:

  1. We are to recognize something already true about our position in Christ
  2. Because we are united with Christ, what happened to Him has happened to us
  3. This is about our standing and status, not our experience
  4. We are no longer in the realm of sin and death but in the realm of God

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes: "This isn't something that tells me anything about my experience. It tells me something about my position, my standing, my whole status."

How Does Romans 6:11 Relate to Christian Experience?

According to Lloyd-Jones, Romans 6:11 is entirely non-experiential. He points out:

  1. This is the first word of exhortation in Romans after 5½ chapters of doctrine
  2. The experimental aspect only follows in verse 12
  3. The word "reckon" proves it's not about experience - it's about accepting what is already true
  4. It's not psychological self-persuasion but drawing a logical conclusion from God's Word
  5. Our position in Christ is the foundation for our experience, not the other way around

As Lloyd-Jones states: "The whole tragedy about Christian living is that people will rush to the experimental before they've understood the truth. The experimental is the outcome of an understanding of the doctrine and of the truth."

What Is the Significance of Being "In Christ" Rather Than "Through Christ"?

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that the correct translation is "in Christ Jesus" not "through Christ Jesus." This distinction matters because:

  1. It reinforces the core doctrine that believers are united with Christ
  2. We are not merely forgiven because of what Christ did for us - we are joined to Him
  3. Just as Christ is in the realm of God, we are also in that realm through our union with Him
  4. This union is the basis for our reckoning ourselves dead to sin
  5. The "in Christ" language echoes Jesus' vine and branches metaphor

This teaching provides the foundation for believers to understand their true position before God as the basis for holy living.

The Book of Romans

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.