Romans 6
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!
16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Power over sin and the ability to do things right of ourselves were proven to be impossible, necessitating Jesus’ sacrifice for all sin. Sin’s wages had to be accounted for. The effect of His work, though, does not eliminate any participation on our part. Determining what that participation is, though, becomes critical. Paul uses the most helpful word in this – present (verb). It’s not about what we try to do or not do in emulating Christ, but who or what we present our bodies to in service. To continue in sin is to willfully present the body to the bondage and consequence His sacrifice delivered us from. By drawing near to that Heart that was broken for us, though, and presenting our whole lives in obedience to His will, the power over sin and harmful actions is enabled by His Spirit in delivering power from the inside. It’s no longer us failing to choose what is right, but it’s His righteousness being walked from that new life in Him. The change will never be effective from observing and attempting actions, but it will be inevitable when we present our bodies as He did as sacrifices to the will of God. It’s in beholding Him in worship that those changes are made. To attempt righteousness apart from the presentation of our bodies to Him in relationship is to fail yet again in ourselves.
Everything changes for an employee or child when the thing that’s expected of them is no longer just something they’re doing apart from what they really want to do. When they are accepted, appreciated, and rewarded, the vision of the house is embraced along with whatever it takes to get there. God, through Jesus’ sacrifice, has accepted, appreciated, and rewarded us with eternal life even while we were still presenting ourselves as servants to sin. It’s now up to us who we will present our bodies to and what the effect of that will be. Sin will be the result to drawing close to the passions of the flesh and will override any personal attempts at righteousness. There will yet be wages for those parts that have not been presented to Him. True freedom from sin, though, will be lived out in the one who doesn’t make their actions their focus but the One who will transform everything about them including their actions. This is true rising with Him from the death of sin to walk in newness of life, quite apart from anything that would not reflect His vision.
Romans 6 is such an amazing chapter in the Bible! If you’re not happy by the time you’re done reading the chapter, I don’t think you have gotten what Paul is saying! This is a victory chapter!!!
I like verse 11 in the Passion translation, it says, “So let it be the same way with you! Since you are now joined with him, you must continually view yourselves as dead and unresponsive to sin’s appeal while living daily for God’s pleasure in union with Jesus, the Anointed One.”
There is a daily choice, in fact there is an every moment choice to either live to sin or live to Jesus. That’s a humbling and hard concept, but it is true. Pastor Stephen said “Every decision moves you closer or further away from God’s calling on your life.”
The beautiful thing is that we have not been left to do all of this on our own. Jesus made a way, gave us the example and then sealed us with a Guide on the inside that will help us with every moment of our natural life, if we will allow Him to. We are dead to sin, and not just dead, but unresponsive! We have been made alive to Christ, alive for His leading and plan. Praise God we are not held to the sin, the shame and the results of death that sins enables. We have the VICTORY! 🎉