Part 1 – Romans 6:1-4
Fighting Sin During a Pandemic
What was the book that caused St. Augustine to repent of his sins and become the theologian of the early church? What was the book that opened the eyes of Martin Luther and lit the Reformation ablaze? What was the book that motivated William Carey to cross the seas and become the father of modern missions? And what is the book that countless Christians go to for comfort in difficult times?
It’s the book of Romans. The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is known as the most theologically comprehensive book in the Bible. It covers General Revelation, God’s Sovereignty, Election, Justification, Substitutionary Atonement, Salvation, the Work of the Holy Spirit, Sanctification, Ecclesiology, Christian Ethics, and some Eschatology.
But Paul didn’t intend for Romans to be a systematic theology. Actually, Paul’s letter to the Romans was a pastorally-oriented missionary letter. Paul’s desire was for the Roman church to be a gospel-centered engine for missionary outreach. (See Romans 15:14 and 16:26.) Paul wanted to spur on the church at Rome to be unified in their theology, fighting sin and contending for the gospel.
During this pandemic, the ordinary means of grace of meeting together, hearing live preaching and enjoying fellowship are not available for many of us. But God has given us his word, and this time of struggling is perfect for examining our hearts. So join me, as you’re trapped inside your home, in studying through Romans 6, a chapter all about the freedom that grace brings.
I encourage you to choose a particular sin that you struggle with and pray each day for the Lord to use what you learn in your study of Romans 6 to battle that sin.
There are three types of questions in this inductive Bible study. Observation questions are in plain type. Answer these questions directly from the text. Interpretation questions are in italics. These questions require deeper thought and analysis with the goal of understanding the meaning of the text to its original hearers. They are based on your observations of the text. Application questions are in bold. They are personal to you. Application questions will apply the meaning of the text to your heart and life today.
Begin by praying for insight into the Scriptures and for the Lord to help you fight sin.
Read Romans 5:18 – 6:14.
Romans 6:1-4
1. In Romans 5, Paul has emphasized the abundance of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. What question does he ask about that grace at the beginning of chapter 6?
2. Why does he ask this specific question? What argument is he anticipating?
3. What is Paul’s clear answer to this question?
4. What question does he add?
5. Rephrase the second question into a declarative statement:
6. What were all who were baptized into Christ Jesus also baptized into?
7. According to verse 4, what happened in baptism?
8. What was the purpose of being baptized into Christ’s death?
9. Is Paul referring to physical or spiritual baptism in these verses?
10. How does the physical act of being baptized present a picture of us dying with Christ and being raised with him to new life?
11. Why would being baptized into Christ’s death mean that we’ve died to sin? What would you point to in the previous chapter, Romans 5:12-19, to explain your answer?
12. What does it mean to “walk in newness of life” and how is Christ being raised from the dead related to our walking in this newness of life?
13. How was Christ raised from the dead?
14. What does it mean the Christ was raised “by the glory of the Father”? And how does that phrase apply to our newness of life? See John 11:38-44 and 2 Corinthians 13:4.
15. How do verses 1-4 serve as a warning for women who call themselves Christians but are comfortably continuing in sin?
16. What particular sin are you praying about this week; and, if you are a Christian, how does knowing that you have died to sin in Christ’s death and walk in newness of life by the glory of the Father affect how you deal with sin in your life?
*Look for a devotional this Wednesday on Romans 6:1-4. Questions will be posted weekly on Mondays.
Hi, just wondering about this. Do I simply sign up and I’ll be updated with the weekly study questions to work through at my leisure? Or is this a course to join in with weekly? I think I would struggle if it was the latter but would like to find out what the format is… just in case.
Thank you!
Yes, Cathy, just enter your email address, and you will get the questions and devotionals emailed to you when they post. Feel free to do the study at your leisure. But I do recommend working through the questions on your own before reading the devotional that corresponds. You will get more than I can give in a few words.