You and Jesus Are Holy

I. You must be holy as a Christian because you are united with Christ.

A. Our union with Christ as Christians is stated in 1 Corinthians 1:30. Sanctification in this verse means holiness. Jesus is holy, and because we are united with Jesus, we are holy. The Christians in Corinth had already been fully sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2). God considered them completely holy. They were holy because they were united with Jesus by faith. Six times in Romans 6:4-8 we are said to have done something with Christ. We have died with Christ and been raised with Christ.

B. Whatever is true of Jesus is now legally true of us. Jesus died. So, you died. So, Paul says in vs. 7, “For one who has died has been set free from sin.” Since we have died to sin with Jesus, we then are free from sin. We are free not only from sin’s penalty of death and hell. We are also free from sin’s power over us. Since Jesus rose from the dead, we too have risen from the dead. We are a new creation. We are now holy.

II. You must be holy as a Christian because you are a new person.

A. When you received Jesus into your life by faith, you became a brand new you. What happened to the old you? Verse 6 says, “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.” Jesus was raised to eternal life. He can never die again (vs. 9). If what is true of Jesus is now true of us, what does that mean for us? Sin and spiritual death have no power over us.

B. Because of our union with Jesus, we died to sin legally when Jesus died on the cross. Jesus signed the emancipation proclamation for us when He died on the cross. We are free people. Jesus died for us so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin (vs. 6). You are no longer a slave to sin. You no longer must obey Satan’s orders and give in to sin. You have a new power in you. Now, you have the power to resist sin. So, stop acting like a slave!

III. You must be holy as a Christian because you have new accounting software.

A. What is the new accounting we Christians do regarding sin? “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (vs. 11). The word consider can also be translated with the word count. Romans 4:3: “For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Abraham had faith in God, and because of his faith, in God’s accounting system, God counted or considered him righteous. God has already counted us holy. Be who you already are! Be holy as God is holy.

Application:
Your union with Jesus has made you holy. Live a holy life.

Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by G.K. Beale, Tim Keller, Colin Kruse, Tom Schreiner & Frank Thielman

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) What difference does it make in your life that you have died with Christ and been raised with Christ? Since what is true of Jesus is now true of you, how is it true of you that you have died and been raised?

2) Do you really believe that you don’t have to sin? What difference would that make as you fight temptation?

3) How will you know more clearly and regularly that you have died with Jesus to sin (Romans 6:6)? How will God’s grace in this matter change you?