August 23, 2022

Romans 6:1-14 (HCSB)
The New Life in Christ
6 What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life. 5 For if we have been joined with Him in the likeness of His death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of His resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin, 7 since a person who has died is freed from sin’s claims. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him, 9 because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over Him. 10 For in light of the fact that He died, He died to sin once for all; but in light of the fact that He lives, He lives to God. 11 So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.

Garnett Cothern
Paul had previously related sin to death and grace to eternal life. As believers, having received grace, should we keep sinning even though we have eternal life through Jesus? NO!! As believers, we died to sin. God, through Christ, has wiped away all our sins – AND – we are now a new person with a new life. Our old self is crucified and we are no longer a slave to sin. Having made this choice to follow Jesus, we have thus chosen to live this new life for Him with Him as our guide. The “first” death does not have dominion over us. Daily, we should deliberately live for Christ, offering ourselves to Him and His will for us. As believers, you and I are under God’s grace. Do we really know what that fully means? I accept His grace, though I don’t really comprehend all that entails. But this I do know, it is from God and in truth that I get eternal life with Him. Why would a person not trust and believe our God? I heard a mature Christian say about the Christian life, “WEAR IT and SHARE IT” – that others might receive this beautiful gift of grace from God. Amen and amen.

HOW CAN I APPLY IT?