Now That You Are Saved

Introduction: Now that we are saved, we should maintain the proper attitude about our salvation. (Romans 6:1- 2a)
1. Question: "...Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" (In other words, " shall we continue in sin thinking that God's grace will abound?")
2. Answer: "God forbid..." - God has no more grace available (in terms of salvation from sin), if we turn away from Jesus Christ and His pan of salvation.
3. Perspective: We are not to abuse the grace of God by continuing in sin.
  1. We have no excuse for sin.
  2. We have no license for sin.
4. Conclusion: We should have the right attitude towards sin.
  1. That we don't have to sin.
  2. That we will no longer live in sin.

Let us now examine our precious salvation to gain deeper deeper insight and understanding as to what has taken place. (Romans 2b- 10)
1. We who are saved, have died unton sin and can therefore no longer live in sin by virtue of our death to sin and subsequent salvation. (Romans 6:2b- 5)
  1. Verse 2b- "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"
    1. Repentance is a spiritual death to sin.
    2. Jesus "died for our sins" and "we died unto sin" by repentance.
  2. Verses 3- 4a - "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death..."
    1. Water baptism is a spiritual burial of the "old man"
    2. Jesus was buried physically "for our sins", and we too were buried spiritually by baptism "for remission of sin."
  3. Verse 4b - "...that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life."
    1. The Holy Ghost has raised us ( we that have received the Holy Ghost) to spiritual life in Christ.
    2. Jesus was resurrected from death "with victory over sin" and we too are resurrected from spiritual death by the Holy Ghost, "with victory over sin".
  4. Perspective: In light of our spiritual death, burial and resurrection, we should now "walk in newness of life".
  5. Verse 5 further illusrates our salvation: "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be alson in the likeness of His resurrection."
    1. Illustration: A seed goes in the ground one way and springs forth different from the way it was when it was planted.
    2. We have been planted together in the likeness of Christ's death by virtue of the fact that we repented and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
    3. If we were planted in Christ's likeness, we shall also rise and live in His likeness.
  6. Verses 4-5 in Perspective: We have two parallels that illustrate clearly that a vital change took place when God saved us.
    1. Illustration #1: A spiritual burial followed by a spiritual resurrection to new life; we were buried with Him (baptism) and raised by God's Spirit to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
    2. Illustration #2: A spiritual planting followed by a spiritual springing forth to new life; we were planted with Him (baptism) in the likeness of His death, and sprang forth by God's Spirit in the likeness of His resurrection. (Romans 6:5)
    3. Critical Point: A change has clearly taken place in our lives.
2. Further illumination relative to our salvation. (Romans 6:6)
  1. When we were baptized into the death of Christ, we were brought into vital contact with the blood of Jesus Christ whereby we were cleansed from sin and loosed from the power of sin.
    1. Our old man is crucified with Christ (verse 6a)
    2. The body of sin has been destroyed (rendered inoperative). (verse 6b)
  2. Critical Point: Now that we are saved, we no longer have to be a servant of sin.
  (Note: "...henceforth we should not serve sin."
3. We have been freed from te power of sin to live in fellowship with God through the Holy Ghost. (Romans 6:7-10).
  1. We do not have to continue to sin. (verse 1)
  2. We do not have to live in sin. (verse 2)
  3. We do not have to serve sin. (verse 6)
  4. We do not have to be bound by the power of sin. (verse 7)
  5. We do not have to obey sin. (verse 12)

The proper attitude that we should have in response to our slavation (now that we are saved)m and the instructions to a victorious life in Christ. (Romans 6:11-13)
1. Step #1: Recon (count on, rely on) yourself to be dead indeed unto sin. (vs. 11a)
  1. Believe your death to sin.
  2. Claim your death to sin.
  3. Count on your death to sin.
1. Step #2: Recon (count on, rely on) yourself to be alive unto God through Jesus Christ Our Lord (verse 11b)
  1. Believe your life with Christ.
  2. Claim your life with Christ.
  3. Count on your life with Christ.
  1. Step #3: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in its lusts." (verse 12)
    1. Don't let sin have pwer, dominion, or control over you.
    2. You have been delivered from the power of indwelling sin; the sin nature is within, but has no power as you count yourself dead to sin.

Step #4: "Neither yield ye your member as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God." (Romans 6:13)
1. The key to victory after step three is yielding to God.
2. The life that is yielded to God is the victorious life.

Conclusion: Now that we are saved, let us live a victorious life that is yielded to God.