Destroy the house

Romans 6:1-23
If you spend any time studying the Babylonians, you will be left with two impressions. One, they were a brutal and bloodthirsty people who dominated and made slaves of everyone they conquered. Two, they had a pretty good way of doing business. Okay, maybe I should explain that further. First off, in sight of all the citizens they were conquering, the Babylonians would destroy everything in the city. Nothing would be left standing from the city gates to the palaces, and even the temples. Everything would be laid to waste. They would then kill the existing ruler so that everyone would know that they no longer had a king to defend them. After this, the Babylonians would relocate most all the inhabitants back to Babylon to use them as slaves. I know what you're thinking, this doesn't sound like a very good way of doing business. At least not with our modern fair business practices acts and labor laws being what they are. Nor does it sound very effective seeing how people, in general, don't like to be oppressed. Eventually the oppressed will rise against their oppressors and vie for freedom and happiness. Ahhhhh, but this is where the Babylonians differed from other world dominating powers. They never oppressed their slaves. Instead, when the inhabitants of the conquered land were relocated to Babylon, they were given places to live and raise families. They were given places to work and earn a living, and were even spared much of the brutal treatment usually given by other oppressors. In effect, the Babylonians were showing the people that they now had nothing to go home to, and even if you could leave, why do so? As a result, the Babylonians continued to grow in number, and power. You can see examples of this in 2nd Kings 25:1-15, Nehemiah 1:3, and Jeremiah 39:8-9; 52:12-16. The Israelites were free men, they had everything destroyed, they were relocated to a new land, and they were put under a new rule. Beyond that, not much changed in their day-to-day life. At times, they were even aloud to worship their own gods.

It may have come from their experiences with such people as the Babylonians that the Hebrews have derived their word for 'Repent'. The word is "Shoov" and it comes from the ancient letters that laterally translate to "Destroy the house." Similar to this idea of the Babylonians, the Hebrew's believed that when you repent from something you should not only relocate yourself away from it, but also should leave yourself nothing to go back to. In essence, destroy it; destroy the house of your oppression. In doing so, you free yourself from its rule. Paul discusses this very issue with the believers in Rome (6:1-23).

Context

At this point in the context, Paul is in full swing in his argument that we are saved by grace through faith (3:21 – 5:21). More immediately within the context, Paul explains that the Law was added so that God's grace might increase. Thus allowing grace to reign in righteousness as sin reigned in death (5:20). This raised the natural question, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? (6:1)." Paul answers, "May it never be! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer (v 2)?" From here, Paul takes us through a 'T-dious', yet rewarding, lesson on living as free men.

Tear down the old self

Paul starts off by saying, "don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life (vv 3-4)." Our old self is as good as dead, laid to waste through Christ Jesus. In death, nothing survives. Everything looses its grip on life and becomes but a memory, if that. This is how we need to view our old self. In Christ, it is as if we ourselves were put into the tomb, leaving our bodies behind as empty dwellings. It should be viewed as nothing more than rubble in comparison to the new self that we have in Jesus.

Terminate the old rule

Still, a destroyed house can always be rebuilt by a motivated rule, and we as sinners will occasionally return to our former ways of ignorance. Thus Paul reminds his readers, "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin (vv 6-7)." Not only has the old self been destroyed, but the ruler (sin) has also been rendered powerless by God's grace through faith. The house is destroyed, torn down, and left without a ruler to rebuild. The power of sin no longer has a claim to us. We are free in Christ to remove our self from its rule.

Transfer to the new land

Next, Paul assimilates our freedom in Christ, with the freedom He received through His death and resurrection. Just as Christ was raised from death to life, we too, through our baptism in Christ, have been brought into a new life (a new land). We have removed ourselves from the land of sin and started a new life with God, "the old has gone, and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)." Now, just as Christ has overcome the powers of sin and death, we too shall live this victorious life in Him. Thus, Paul said, "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus (vv 8-11)." We are now in Christ, and everything we were before is left behind in ruins. There is nothing there worth going back for. The ruler is powerless and the house is destroyed, and life in Christ is wonderful. Why return?

Tend to the new ruler

Now in Christ, we lay waste to the old man, put to rest the old rule, make the decision to live as free men, and live under the new rule of righteousness. This freedom does not come without labor. It is the cross that we bear daily when we choose to live for God. Otherwise, we risk falling slave to the old rule and moving away from a spirit filled life we have with God (v 16). Look at what Paul said, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness (vv 17-18). Did you see it? They were slaves to sin, they obeyed the teaching, and they are now slaves to righteousness. This is important. The relocation to the land of freedom is positional, in that it is our position in Christ that makes us free. For this reason, we need to make the decision to live as free men. This is why Paul said, "Count yourselves dead to sin," "Do not let sin reign in your mortal body," and "Do not offer the parts of your body to sin." RATHER, count "yourselves alive to God," "offer yourselves to God," and "offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness (vv 11-14)." We are still sinful man, and as sinful man, we need to stay the course with diligence. Therefore, we are reminded that we need to choose daily to live as free men.

We were ruled by sin, oppressed by the law, and separated from God. You have to wonder why anyone would return to such a dark and lifeless homeland. Yet, many do. Now, I charge you today, pay attention to the word of God speaking to you. Our old self is left forlorn in ruins by the power of the gospel. Choose now to never again stand amongst the dying remains, offering yourselves to a conquered monarch. In Christ, our new land, the old self has been put to rest forever. The house is destroyed, now live as free men; and relocate to a home prepared for you in Heaven, under the new rule of a Mighty Mighty King.  [mp]

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Michael D'Urbano
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