Scripture: Romans 6:1-14
In this, our 7th
lesson from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, we consider the question “If,
for our eternal life, we have been justified and cleansed by God’s grace through
faith in Jesus Christ, why should we be worried about our ethical and moral
activity in the here and now?”
In the gospels, Jesus talks
about the “Age” we are living in, but which “age” is He referring to? Is it the age of sin and death, or is it the
age of grace and righteous living? The
truth is that we are living in both, that they are running parallel to each
other, and we have to choose which one we will align with! It’s all dependent upon our “free will” and
the direction that we decide to take!
Just how deep IS our
commitment to Jesus Christ? I won’t say
that there is some objective marker that tells us when our faith is
strong enough, because we have never been given one. However, since there is no measurable “faith
goal” for us, the goal must actually be one of divine perfection which we will
probably never quite attain! So the goal
is more about our desire for, and commitment to, following God’s commands in
the very best way that we can, as well as loving them more than this life
itself.
In today’s lesson from
Romans, Paul gives us some thoughts on this very issue, each of which should be
of immense importance in our examination of the life we are leading, and how we can live a life that more closely reflects
the love that our Lord Jesus has shown, and continues to show, to each and every one of us.
Read Romans 6:1-4
As we concluded chapter 5
last week, we read that when the law was introduced to the world, it had the
effect of increasing the transgressions that humanity committed, as well as the
grace that God desired to show to all sinners.
In this, sin continued to bring about death, and grace, by faith in
Christ, continued to grow us in righteous living and trust in eternal life.
And now as chapter 6 opens,
Paul anticipates the question that others may ask regarding the relationship
between sin and grace – does the Lord want us to sin more, so that He can
provide even more grace for our lives?
And the apostle responds with the thought that there is little grace for
those who continue to be immersed in sinful living, but that grace is for those
who die to sin, and live again though faith in Jesus Christ!
And as the Apostle continues,
he describes the significance of baptism, that it is a sign that by faith, we
die to who we were in the world, and are raised into new life in Christ! In the style of immersion, where we are
lowered beneath the water, and raised up out of potential harm - the implication may be more obvious, but
through any of the other forms of baptism – through pouring or
sprinkling – the fact remains that baptism signifies that a radical change has
occurred in our life, from one that honors the ways of earthly death, to a life
that strives to live eternally by faith, and in the teaching and ways of our
Almighty God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Read Romans 6:5-10
Here, Paul is making the connection
between the death, burial and resurrection that Jesus received, to our death of
worldly allegiance through baptism, and eventual resurrection in the life and
grace of Christ. His point is that when
we give our lives to God in Christ, we also accept and receive all that Jesus
has experienced and obtained through both His humanity and divinity! In 2 Timothy 2:11-12 we read “11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If
we died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we
endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;”
Faith in Christ is that
important for us – without life in Him, there will only be a worldly existence,
and eternity will be lost to us. But not
only that - the glory and blessings that come through faith while we live in
the here and now will also be missing, for the Holy Spirit will only work
within those whose life is in Christ! (John14:23-27) And in John 16:14,
Jesus reminds us that the Spirit provides us with only the words that he
receives from the Lord! Baptism is the
beginning of our Hope in Christ, and without Jesus in our life, we will be
eternally lost through all of time.
Paul writes that since Jesus
died once, He will be alive forever more!
I have little doubt that any of us would have a problem with that
statement. However, we also know that
when Jesus received human birth, he was surrounded by the realm of sin! But when He died, sin in the form of Satan’s
temptations, in the form of worldly desires, in the form of human failure and
lies, no longer held any meaning for Him. He had escaped from the ravages that the “age
of sin and death” held for Him, and by faith in the Lord Jesus, so shall we,
one day!
Read Romans 6:11-14
Dead to sin but alive in
Christ! Aren’t those words of promise marvelous and
encouraging to our tired and struggling souls?
As such, sin no longer has any hold on our lives, but unfortunately, we
still have the capacity to allow sin back in to beat us up and wear us down,
over and over again. But, by God’s
grace, it can never defeat us as long as our faith in Jesus holds strong. The best part, though, is that by the power
of the Holy Spirit and by our calling upon the name of Jesus, we can drive the
world’s sin out and away from our hearts, and minds, and souls. That’s what the love of God, and the love we
show to Him, can do beyond all that the hatred of Satan will try to do to all
who live in Christ!
But then, we have to ask what
Paul meant by the phrase “offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument of righteousness”! Through Christ, we now have the authority to
reject the temptations that sin will always try to bring against us! Paul is calling us to use that authority
whenever Satan begins his attack, and to send him packing right back to the pit
of condemnation where he so rightly belongs!
Remember verse 7 – “anyone who has died [with Christ] has been
set free from sin”!
We have to make the choice,
usually every single day, of whether we will allow sin back in, or reject it
wholeheartedly. When we read the call to
“not offer ANY part of yourself to sin and its wickedness”, it doesn’t
mean that our thoughts are the only area of concern, but rather that every
aspect of our entire being must be aware of sin’s approach. This means our tongue, our hands, our feet,
our ears, our eyes, and especially our heart, must constantly be on the alert
for the world’s attempt to break the will within us that holds us in the love
of Jesus Christ!
Are you familiar with that
great Christian praise – “Except for Grace”
Hear the words of the final verse:
“Except for grace and our
faith,
And knowing that God's love will forgive mistakes.
There's nothing that can clear our painful pasts,
Bear our bitter pain, or will ever take our place
(Nothing else will take our place)
Except for grace!
Except for grace!”
And we can be strong and safe
and blessed, through the grace of our Almighty and Loving God. May He be praised, now and always. Amen!
