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AN IdENTITy yOu MuST EMBrACE

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If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?

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the Point

the bible meets lifePastor Nick had the sermon polished and ready to go. His tie was straight, his hair was neat, and his shoes were wiped clean of the mud from the parking lot. It was Sunday morning, 9:25 a.m.—time to preach. As Nick strolled down the hallway, still rehearsing his message, he failed to notice the man who lurked silently in the far corner who was rehearsing a plan of his own.

Following a few songs, Nick launched into his sermon. Meanwhile, the mysterious visitor made a beeline to the pastor’s office, forcing his way in. While the church was taking in a sermon, this man was taking out Nick’s wallet. Three minutes later, he drove off with a credit card and enough information to commit identity theft. It took Nick five days to even realize it was happening.

Your financial identity is important, but have you ever thought about the importance of your identity as a believer? romans 6 reminds us of the dramatic change that takes place at conversion. Through Jesus, we become a new person with a new identity. We are not who we once were. Don’t go back to your old way of thinking; believe what God says about you.

Sin is no longer your master; Christ is.

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What does the bible say?

Key Words

Consider (v. 11)—This is a command to believe or be of the opinion.

Reign (v. 12)—To reign is to rule as king. Paul exhorts believers to step aside from a path that leads to sinful actions.

Romans 6:8-18 (HCSB)

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him,

9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. death no longer rules over Him.

10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God.

11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.

13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!

16 don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of that one you obey—either of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?

17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin, you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred to,

18 and having been liberated from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness.

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Romans 6:8-11

In C.S. Lewis’ series, The Chronicles of Narnia, four kids stumble into a world where the White Witch reigns. Narnia is a land of splendor, but this domineering sorceress has cast a spell. The result is a frozen, cheerless habitat. Lewis’ allegory attempted to capture the picture the apostle Paul spent significant time painting in romans: the dismal picture of earth. Something has gone terribly wrong. This world has lost its joy and sits helplessly under a curse. Mankind trudges along with invisible chains of insecurity, inadequacy, doubt, guilt, anxiety, and fear.

romans 6 proclaims the good news—Satan’s hold has been ruined. The people of God may now run free! Through the love of Christ, we are more than conquerors. The curse of sin is broken. Does this imply that a growing Christian will always do good things? unfortunately, no. In the future, sin is extinct; in the present, it is not. In admonition and grace, the theologian Augustine, once explained the state of human beings this way:

] Before the fall, humans were “able to sin.” In Genesis 3, the tempter arrived and baited Adam and Eve with the fruit. They chose to listen, and they decided to disobey. They clearly had the freedom to choose sin.

] After the fall, humans were “not able not to sin.” No matter how much willpower they could muster, humanity has never been able to get it right.

] After salvation, humans are “able not to sin.” Jesus’ death defeated sin. Through Christ, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can resist sin and live in victory over it.

Do Christians still sin? Yes. But now we have the ability to overcome sin and to grow in righteousness. We do not have to give in. As we mature spiritually, we will sin less and less. And in the process, we’ll show the world our life-changing God.

If we’ve been given a new identity, why are we so tempted to serve our old master (sin)?

Q u e s t i o n 2

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Sin is no longer your master; Christ is.the Point

© 2013 LifeWay

Romans 6:12-14

A young woman once sent her pastor an email: “Dear Pastor: Are we sinners or are we saints? I frequently hear fellow Christians refer to us as ‘just a bunch of sinners saved by grace.’ It bugs me to hear someone call us a ‘bunch of sinners.’ Is this biblical?” The young lady asked a question Paul sought to answer. While Christians are certainly saved by grace, grace is not a blank check for recklessness. Instead, grace should compel us to pursue holiness all the more. Paul challenged the saints: “do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires” (v. 12).

In 1993, a group of milk producing marketers developed a new advertising campaign—one with a simple title: “got milk?®” The idea was to plaster famous people on billboards with a foamy white mustache. The campaign took off and sales increased dramatically. Milk leaves a discernable mark. So does salvation. When a sinner becomes a saint, his life is no longer marked by sin. Salvation leaves a discernable mark.

What does it really mean to be dead to sin and alive to Christ?

Q u e s t i o n 3

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Romans 6:15-18

People have become enamored by home improvement shows. You start with a run-down, old house, add a hint of colorful paint, throw in a few shelves, and roll out some fresh carpet. Voila! The before-and-after image is breathtaking. In these verses, Paul describes an even more dramatic revolution than any home makeover—the marked change that has taken place through the cross. Jesus Christ offers complete life change. We have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. The old way is gone; the new way has come.

According to Paul, all human beings are enslaved—we are either tied to sin or we are tied to God. It’s one or the other. What happens at conversion is remarkable—the chains are switched from one taskmaster to another. Thankfully, the new master is a merciful one. Notice Paul emphasized obedience to the teachings, applauding the roman Christians for holding firmly to the truth. They made the conscious choice to set their minds on the promises of God’s Word. This was, in some sense, an act of self-surrender as they rejected the lies of culture and focused their minds on the Word. Likewise, the Lord calls us to trust in a body of truth.

What does it look like to be a slave to righteousness?

Q u e s t i o n 4

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the Point Sin is no longer your master; Christ is.

© 2013 LifeWay

"We rejoice in our hope,

not in our circumstances."

— M a T T c H a N d L E R

New iN Christ

Sarah recently began attending your Bible study and shows genuine interest in growing in her faith. Her reputation isn’t exactly a Christ-like one.

I can let go of old labels and offer Sarah a fresh start by:

Choosing to let go of old labels demonstrates God’s love by:

Choosing to let go of old labels benefits my Bible study group by:

How does our new identity in Christ equip us to face the temptation and influence of sin?

Q u e s t i o n 5

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So, how can you put romans 6 into practice?

] Identify one sin you can’t seem to overcome. Ask God for wisdom, courage, and strength to help you resist it this week.

] Hold firmly to God’s truth by committing it to memory. Need help with that? Download a Scripture memory app for your phone for an on-the-go tool.

] Get tried-and-true advice on righteous living. Have lunch this week with a mature Christian who’s at least 5-10 years older than you. Ask them what they’ve learned about fighting sin and following Christ.

Through Christ, we can resist sin and pursue godly living. We’re graciously offered a new identity and life apart from sin’s shackles. This week, put off old habits that lead to sin and turmoil; put on the righteousness of Christ that delivers life-giving freedom.

Cut To The Chase: Your True Identity Is In

Who God Says You Are

Identity crisis. It’s easy to have one because we build our identities on things that move—things that aren’t dependable or constant. We chase the wrong things. To chase the heart of God, we must first figure out what other things we’re already chasing—things of the world, things that distract us, or things

that pull us from the heart of God.

To continue reading ”Cut To The Chase” from HomeLife magazine, visit BibleStudiesforLife.com/articles.

live it out

Cut~Chase~

to the

IIdentity crisis. It’s easy to have one because we build our identities on things that move — things that aren’t dependable or constant. We chase the wrong things.

To chase the heart of God, we must first figure out what other things we’re already chasing — things of the world, things that distract us, or things that pull us from the heart of God. One of the reasons why we chase the things of the world is that we’re looking for strong identities. We want to know that we matter and that we’re unique. We all need to know why our lives count and what sets us apart.

I remember innocently sitting in science class one day during my sophomore year of high school, waiting for class to start, when two guys known for bullying turned around and decided to make me their target. I don’t remember what they said, but I can still picture where I was sitting and what I was feeling. I felt like I was spinning and couldn’t put my feet down. As they laughed about who they perceived me to be, all I could think was, Who am I?

I knew they didn’t know me and what they were saying was care-less and untrue, but I didn’t know me, and I didn’t know what was true. Shortly after that experience, I met God. It wasn’t until He began to undo and define me that I finally could stop spinning and put my feet down.

In Scripture, David lived with a strong sense of identity. That self-recognition began by his believing fully what God said about him. He was

Your true identity is found in who God says you are.

By Jennie Allen

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the Point Sin is no longer your master; Christ is.

© 2013 LifeWay

My group's prayer requests

My thoughts

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Listen to “Hello, My Name Is” by Matthew West from the Winter 2013-14 playlist, available for purchase at BibleStudiesforLife.com/media/music.

© 2013 LifeWay