Death Becomes Life

A Living Faith
What is Faith?
Faith Empowers Endurance

Romans 6:1-11

The Message

When Death Becomes Life

6 ^1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

^3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
^6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.

For Reflection

When we commit to God it is as though we have died and risen to a new person, confident in the Lord, trusting in his grace, and full of courage to risk this new life.  But this isn't instantaneous.  It is not like taking a before picture and immediately transformed into the after picture.

Dying to your old self is a slow sometimes agonizing death.  Parts of you seem to hang on and haunt your new life in Christ.  However, with God at your side, you can recognize and reject the creepy ghosts of self-past and live the life God intends for you; armored in God's protective shield of grace. 

Pray

that you will resist the urge to retain the elements of your old self-centered person that are not consistent with your God-centered self.  Pray that you will listen for God's voice to guide and comfort you.