Let’s pray: Lord I come to you humbled that by Your grace I may have a new life . Please use me as your vessel to be your Disciple reaching out to all as the light on the hill. Please clear my mind & spirit as I listen to your words so that my words & actions become a symbol to all that I come into contact with today & in the future until I sit at the right of Jesus. Amen.
Romans 6:1-4
New International Version (NIV)
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
As I read these verses several words jumped out at me: sin, Grace, buried with Him in baptism and walking in the newness of life. I have sinned and (much to my chagrin) continue to sin. I think & pray that I sin less now than I did previously. But the fact remains I still sin, whether it be by gossiping or doing things that I know I should not be doing. I know that Jesus died for my sins & if I confess them, my sins will be forgiven.
So does that mean I should just continue sinning & confessing & not worry about it because of God’s Grace I will be forgiven? Paul, in verse 2 says “By no means!” With an exclamation mark! Obviously Paul wants me to understand that just because God’s grace abounds to provide a remedy for sin, that doesn’t give me carte blanche to continue sinning. I should not think that the more I sin, the more grace I will receive from heaven. God never intended that His grace would become an encouragement for me to sin.
The whole purpose of God’s grace in sending his Son to die was not to enable me to continue sinning, but to enable me to be forgiven, to get out of sin and to walk in the newness of life. Yes, He will continue to forgive me when I screw up (which unfortunately is more often than it should be) but that doesn’t mean I should not try harder to walk in the newness of life, doing His will & preparing for His kingdom.
Instead of defending any continuance of sin, I must change! I must try harder and continue to pray for God’s hope & grace that I become His disciple in all areas of my life. I will pray daily for the Spirit to convict me & change me to refrain from gossiping, & committing future sins. I have been baptized into Christ and baptized into His death. I pray that I can exhibit this “new life” to everyone that I come in contact with. I pray that HE will use me as His vessel. He has given (& continues to give) me opportunities to share His kingdom with others. He invites me to His kingdom. Can I be a beacon of light for others to want to be a part of His kingdom?
I strive to live day by day, seeking to follow the example of Christ, doing God’s will from my heart (without thinking) and walk in the newness of life that Christ has made possible for me.
How do you feel about this newness of life that was made possible through our baptism into Christ’s death & resurrection?
With Faith & Hope,
Jerry