Romans 6:1-14
Thursday, 25 March 2021
“So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.- Romans 6:11 NLT
Through Christ, the believer is freed from the power of sin! In Romans, one of the topics Paul deals with is the problem of sin. In the first two and a half chapters, he demonstrates that all have sinned (Rom 3:23). In the next two and a half chapters, he declares how we can be justified (set free) through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1-2). Today’s reading tells us how we can live freed from the power of sin.
Many Christians live their lives as though there is no need to be diligent in overcoming sin. Perhaps rationalizing that, "If I sin, I can simply confess and God will forgive", i.e., continue in sin that grace may abound! (V.1). On the contrary, we are called to live in the power of the Holy Spirit being partakers of the life of Christ so that we no longer continue to live with besetting sins, for a believer is no more under the power of sin.
Let us take a look at two reasons why we have no excuse to live in sin:
We have died to sin. (Romans 6:2)
When we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we have been baptized into His death and burial. So having died with Christ, we have died to sin. Rom 6:7 says: “for he who has died is freed from sin.” Having been buried into His death and burial, we are now raised up with Him and called to walk in the newness of life because we are now “….a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We now have the mind of Christ. However, many are not able to walk in the newness of life because we do not understand our union with Christ. Verse 5 literally means we are inseparably joined with Jesus. In Christ, we should allow ourselves to experience the death and burial of the self. Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
We are now alive to God (Romans 6:11)
The new life in Christ is to be lived in an unbroken relationship with Him. Ephesians 4:2-6 says: - But God, … even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ …., and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” So if we are in Christ Jesus, then sin should not reign over us because Christ was freed from death and made alive to God. How can we make this possible in our lives? We who live for Christ, should live no longer for ourselves, but for Him who died for us and rose again. (2Cor.5:14-15)
We see in Genesis 4:5 when Cain allowed sin to master him and the consequence that followed: “….And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” ……..And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” The same danger lurks today, if we do not master our fleshly desires we will end up committing unrighteous acts.
Remember: Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. “For whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36) So let us hold on to our freedom and not allow ourselves to become slaves of sin, instead become slaves of right living!
Quote for the Day: “The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.” -Corrie Ten Boom