Alive to God!

Sermon June 21, 2026 Romans 6:1b–11

Alive To God!

Reverend Fred Okello

Think about a prisoner who has spent 30 years in jail. One day, the jailer arrives and tells him he is free to leave. Instead of leaving the jail, the prisoner runs back to his old cell. He locks the door behind him and continues to live as a slave.

“But I’m free!” you say. “Would anyone willingly live like a prisoner?”

Spiritually, countless Christians do it every day. Christ freed us from sin, but many believers continue to live like slaves.

We fight temptation, wrestle with old sins, fall prey to old fears, and try to live out old identities. We forget what Christ did when He died and rose again for us.

Today, we come to a passage that directly attacks this problem. After explaining how great God’s grace is, Paul asks, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Verse 1).

His answer? Absolutely not! Why not? Because you are no longer a slave to sin. You’ve been radically changed through Christ. In Romans 6:1b-11, Paul gives us three truths every believer needs to know.

The first truth Paul says is that we as believers have died with Christ! 

“How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (v. 2)

Paul’s point is that: If we have died with Christ, then…

• Sin no longer has authority over us. We are united to Christ in His death.

• By faith, we are identified with Christ.

• Baptism symbolizes this death.

• Our old life is buried with Him.

Paul says we are to stop living like condemned people. Our old self died with Christ on the cross!

Countless Christians have been freed from sin’s power and continue to go back to their old stomping grounds like nothing has happened.

The addict who continues to define himself by his past.

The guilt we try to hold on to even though Christ has forgiven us.

The desire to be accepted by the world instead of God.

Friends, our old selves died with Christ. Sin may assault us, but it no longer has power over us! What area of sin am I continuing to give in to even though Christ has forgiven me?

The text reminds us also that we have been raised with Christ. “Even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (v. 4)

The Christian life isn’t just about dying to something; it’s about living for Someone!

Because Christ was raised from the dead:

• We have a new nature. • We have new desires. • We have a new power. • We have a new purpose!

The resurrection is our current reality. Christ defeated death once and for all! Death no longer has authority over Him, and neither does sin have authority over us!

When a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, it doesn’t just improve itself; it transforms into something new. It’s created anew and lives a whole new lifestyle. The resurrection of Christ from the dead changed us from the inside out.

Start asking yourself, “How can I live for Christ today?” We spend so much time focusing on not sinning that we never learn to live for Him.

Our culture tries to tell us…

• That we need Facebook and Instagram likes to feel accepted. But you are accepted in Christ.

• That we should live a life centered around ourselves. But Christ calls us to die to ourselves.

• To pursue success, wealth, and status. But Jesus tells us to seek His kingdom first.

Here are some of the reflection questions to live for Christ!

• Are we using our talents to serve Him?

• Are we investing in eternity or temporal things?

• Does our schedule reflect our resurrection life?

The final thing the text reminds us is that we must consider ourselves alive to God (v. 11)

“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The word reckon means to consider something true. Paul takes us from theological facts to everyday life. He says three significant things:

• Know what Christ did on the cross. The child of God needs knowledge; where do we get that knowledge of the cross? The bible.

• Believe what Christ did on the cross.

• Live like what Christ did on the cross is true!

Victory begins when we consider ourselves to be what God says we are, and not how we feel or what life throws at us.

I have watched some movies of millionaires who don’t realize they are millionaires. They have endless wealth, but they live their entire life in poverty. The money is there, but they will never enjoy it because they don’t think it’s theirs to enjoy.

Many Christians live far beneath their spiritual riches. They don’t record that God has set them free.  

“…alive unto God” means that:

When faced with temptation, don’t say “I hope I can stay strong.” Instead, reckon “That sin no longer defines who I am in Christ!”

When you get angry, reckon that “I am alive to God, I don’t have to sin in my anger.”

When you feel inferior, reckon that “Christ who lives in me is a risen savior!”

When you’re tempted to cut corners at work or school, or hang out with the wrong crowd, reckon that your acceptance comes from Christ, not from man.

Take time every morning to remind yourself:

“I died with Christ.”

“I no longer live for myself. My old life is dead.”

“I have been raised with Christ!”

“I will live for God today.”

Romans 6 teaches us that the battle for holy living is won when we see ourselves as God sees us.

Brothers and sisters, Christ has set us free! The jail door has been open for a long time. Stop living like prisoners and live for God!