Friday 9 June, 2017

6 What should we say then? Should we keep on sinning so that God’s grace can increase? 2 Not at all! As far as sin is concerned, we are dead. So how can we keep on sinning? 3 All of us were baptized into Christ Jesus. Don’t you know that we were baptized into his death? 4 By being baptized, we were buried with Christ into his death. Christ has been raised from the dead by the Father’s glory. And like Christ we also can live a new life. 5 By being baptized, we have been joined with him in a death like his. So we will certainly also be joined with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that what we used to be was nailed to the cross with him. That happened so our bodies that were ruled by sin would lose their power. So we are no longer slaves of sin. 7 That’s because those who have died have been set free from sin. 8 We died with Christ. So we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ was raised from the dead and will never die again. Death doesn’t control him anymore. 10 When he died, he died once and for all time. He did this to break the power of sin. Now that he lives, he lives in the power of God. 11 In the same way, consider yourselves to be dead as far as sin is concerned. Now you believe in Christ Jesus. So consider yourselves to be alive as far as God is concerned. 12 So don’t let sin rule your body, which is going to die. Don’t obey its evil desires. 13 Don’t give any part of yourself to serve sin. Don’t let any part of yourself be used to do evil. Instead, give yourselves to God. You have been brought from death to life. So give every part of yourself to God to do what is right. 14 Sin will no longer control you like a master. That’s because the law does not rule you. God’s grace has set you free.

Paul here stops to address the concern that greater grace might lead to greater sin in the lives of the Roman believers. Paul points out that if we truly profess faith in Jesus, continuing in sin won’t be an option for us because we will realise that we are dead to sin and cannot continue in it any longer (v2). Paul teaches us that we can make a clean break with sin because it longer has mastery over us (v6). Amazing. Nonetheless, the idea of being ‘dead to sin’ is something I struggle to comprehend. Death is such an all encompassing concept, and the fact that I still face temptation each day and feel the allure of sin makes it hard to believe that I am ‘dead’ to it.

However, while we still experience the presence of sin here on earth, God promises us freedom from the power of sin here and now (v6). Living free from the power of sin is something we need to take hold of actively in the way that we think and live. This involves considering ourselves dead to sin (v11) and offering our bodies for God’s glory (v13).

Stop for a moment. How do you think about your sin? Is it something you try to manage or do you truly consider yourself dead to it?

God has broken the power of sin in Jesus. Let’s together consider ourselves dead to it and offer our bodies for God’s glory as ‘instruments of righteousness’.

Thank you God because of Jesus we are dead to sin but alive in you. Give us new hearts aligned with your desires and power by your Holy Spirit to live new lives for your glory. Amen.

Written by Sam Liu