Overview:
So often Christians resign themselves to living as slaves of sin. They don’t realize the Great Emancipator, Jesus, has liberated them to live free from sin and under grace.
Join Pastor Chuck Swindoll in a message on Romans 6. Embrace your freedom in Christ. Refuse to yield to sin and, instead, offer yourself to God as an instrument for righteousness.
You are free! Live by that truth.
Message Summary:
In “Dying to Live,” Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the revolutionary truth of Romans 6: that a believer’s union with Jesus Christ has fundamentally changed their relationship with sin. Many Christians live as if they are still slaves to their old nature, unaware that the “Great Emancipator” has already broken their chains.
Swindoll explains that because we have been “buried” with Christ through baptism into His death, our old self has been crucified. This isn’t just a theological theory; it is a practical reality that allows us to walk in “newness of life.” This message challenges listeners to stop yielding to the impulses of sin and to start “considering” themselves dead to sin and alive to God. By presenting ourselves as instruments for righteousness, we can finally experience the freedom we were meant for.
Message Key Facts:
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The Principle of Union: The Christian life is based on being “in Christ.” What happened to Him (death and resurrection) spiritually happened to us.
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The Command to “Consider”: Swindoll emphasizes the Greek word logizomai, translated as “count” or “reckon”—it is an accounting term that means to conclude that something is true because God said it is.
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New Ownership: Grace does not mean we are free to do whatever we want; it means we are finally free to do what we ought because we serve a new Master.
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The Resurrection Power: Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we have been given a new power source for daily living.
Message References:
Primary Scripture References
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Romans 6:1–4: The foundational argument that we cannot continue in sin because we died to it, illustrated by the imagery of baptism.
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Romans 6:6–7: The declaration that our “old self” was crucified so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.
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Romans 6:11–13: The practical application: considering ourselves dead to sin and refusing to let sin reign in our mortal bodies.
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Galatians 2:20: A parallel verse regarding being crucified with Christ and living by faith.
Core Principles for Life
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Stop Living in the Past: If you are a Christian, your “old self” is dead. Stop trying to resurrect a person that God has already buried.
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Change Your “Accounting”: Start reckoning your identity based on Scripture rather than your feelings. If God says you are free from sin’s mastery, treat that as an absolute fact.
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Watch Your “Yielding”: You choose who you obey. Every time you are tempted, you have the opportunity to yield your “members” (your hands, eyes, and mind) as tools for God’s righteousness.
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Embrace Newness of Life: The Christian life isn’t just about “not sinning”; it’s about a vibrant, resurrected kind of living that reflects the glory of the Father.
