Walk In the Newness of Life

Our Love for God

Loving God, Trusting Christ

Submit to God in Love

Romans 6:1-14 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.
12-14 That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.

For Reflection

Yes, you have to die to your old life. Some write their obituary, listing all the dissatisfactions the old life caused.  Good riddance! The slate is clear. As a newborn enters the world, re-enter seeing all the promise of life anew. Free to act in the manner of Christ.  Free to love in the way of Christ. Free to claim your independence from the demands of ordinary secular existence.  Free to be courageous.  Free to reject sin.

Pray

Pray so that your transformation in Christ will be lasting.  Pray so that you will allow the Holy Spirit to influence your life.  Pray so that you are comfortable with saying no to your old life. Pray so that you find courage. Pray in the fellowship of believers and find rest in God's will.

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