Walk in Newness of Life
"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." — Romans 6:4-7 (ESV)
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Introduction
There is a tension that many believers know all too well: knowing they are saved, yet still feeling the weight of the same old chains. They walk through the door of grace but carry the baggage of the past right along with them. They sing songs of freedom with their lips, but on the inside they still feel like prisoners. If that resonates with your heart, know that Paul wrote precisely for you.
In the two previous sermons in this series, we saw that baptism is not merely an outward ritual — it is a powerful symbol of our union with Christ in both his death and his resurrection. Today we go deeper into that glorious truth: the old self was crucified. It is not on vacation. It was not rehabilitated. It was put to death. And that death opens the way to a radically different life. This is the third part of a five-part series, and today we arrive at the very heart of this message of freedom.
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1. The Old Self Was Not Reformed — It Was Crucified
Paul does not say that God improved the old self. He does not say God sent it to therapy. He says it was crucified — a hard, final, irreversible word. The old self is everything we were in Adam: rebels, slaves to sin, dead in our transgressions.
Many Christians live as though God simply painted over the rust. They try to reform their habits, discipline their will, become better versions of themselves. And they fail. They always return to the same point of frustration. Why? Because they are trying to improve someone whom God has already declared dead.
The practical application is this: stop negotiating with the old self. It has no rights. It has no future. When sin comes knocking and says, "Remember me?" — the response of faith is: "You don't know me. The one you knew is dead. I am a new creation in Christ." That is not arrogance — that is biblical theology lived out.
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2. The Death That Sets Free: Understanding Union with Christ
Paul uses an extraordinary expression: we have been united with Christ in the likeness of his death. The Greek word carries the image of growing together, like a graft joined to a vine. Our story has been woven into the story of Christ. When he died, we died. When he rose, we rose.
This is not merely poetic language. It is an objective spiritual reality that does not depend on our feelings. On the day God regenerated us and united us to Christ by the Holy Spirit, something real took place. Verse 7 gives us a statement that should stop us in our tracks: "one who has died has been set free from sin." Sin has power over the living. But what power does it have over the dead?
Practically speaking, this means that freedom does not begin with effort — it begins with faith in what has already happened. It is not "I am going to try not to sin." It is "I die to sin because I have died with Christ, and I live for God because I have been raised with him." That is not an academic distinction. It is the difference between a life of perpetual defeat and a life of growing victory.
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3. Walking in Newness of Life: Resurrection Made Practical
Death is not the destination — it is the doorway. Paul points us beyond the tomb: "just as Christ was raised from the dead… we too might walk in newness of life." The verb walk in the Greek refers to the pattern of everyday life — the daily rhythm of our choices. Resurrection is not only a doctrine for the end of time — it is an invitation to a different life, right now, today, this week.
This newness of life shows up in very concrete ways: in how we respond when we are hurt, in what we choose to look at or look away from, in what we say when no one is listening, in how we treat people who have nothing to offer us in return. The new self is not perfect — but it has a new direction, a new center, and a new source of strength.
The question I am putting to you is direct: is there any area of your life where you are still treating the old self as though it were alive? A relationship? A habit? A pattern of thought? Christ did not die so we could live at half-capacity. He died so that you might walk in newness of life — full, free, and transformed.
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Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, the message of Romans 6 is not a distant ideal. It is your reality in Christ. The old self was crucified. Freedom is not something to be conquered — it is something to be received by faith and lived out with intention. Today, make a concrete choice: identify one area where you have been giving ground to the old self, and speak the truth of this passage over it. Die to it. Live for Christ.
In the next sermon in this series, we will look at how to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God — the decisive weapon Paul hands us in Romans 6:11.
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Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying so that our old self might be crucified with you. Teach us to live in the reality of our resurrection — not by our own strength, but by faith in your finished work. May we walk today, and every day, in genuine newness of life. Amen.
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