Romans 6:8-14 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead died no more; death has no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
‘Dead with Christ’ we are supposed to reckon ourselves dead with Christ, (6:8, 11) then only can we be alive in Him. Man must reckon or count himself to be dead to sin and alive to God; that is, he has nothing more to do with sin and everything to do with God. He is to reckon sin as a thing of the past and as non-existent as far as he is concerned. He is to reckon that God is all-and-all and the only thing that matters in his life. Just as parents can and sometimes do cast a child out of their home and cut him off from any further relationship or inheritance, and thus, as far as they are concerned the child is dead, so the believer must completely give up sin and count that he is dead to it. This can be done by reckoning it done by faith in Christ and by giving one’s self wholly over to God and a life of holiness in Christ.
The old man and the whole operation of the devil in life must be ignored and rejected once and for all. The old life, called our old man, which is nothing more or less than the devil working in us, must be done away with and renounced forever. We must reckon that we are new creatures in Christ and the old life dead and that we no longer live as we used to live in sins and lusts that damn the soul. The old life is past and the new life is here. The devil has no more part in us, so we reckon him dead (1 Jn. 5:18). The old sins are gone and are counted dead. We are alive to God and we recognize Him as our master.
‘Being raised from the dead died no more; death has no more dominion over him’ – what was it about Christ that died? Only His body (Jas. 2:26). Then this is what was resurrected to die no more. Death will have no more dominion over His body. This proves that Christ was resurrected physically, not as a spirit.
‘Dominion’ [Greek: kurieuo] “lord it over.” Used in Romans 6:14; 7:1; 14:9; Luke 22:25; 2Corinthians 1:24 and 1Timothy 6:15. Sin does not “lord it over” the believer in Christ. The believer “lords it over” sin (8:13; 2Cor. 10:4-7; Col. 3:5-10).
‘For in that he died, he died unto sin once’ literally, the death He died was on account of sin; for an expiration of sin; a sacrifice for sin (1Pet. 2:24; Heb. 10:10-14). ‘Once’ [Greek: ephapax] once for all.
‘Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord’ – as Christ died for sin once for all and dies no more, so we should die to sin once and live unto God forever (6:9-10). ‘Reckon’ [Greek: logizomai] to count, reckon, impute (2:26; 4:3-24; 6:11; 8:18).
Living the Word 