May 6, 2017
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Reading along with us in Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Romans 6 (ESV)
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus… Continue Reading
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Are we to continue to sin that grace may abound.By no means!
Interesting
Looking at death on a daily basis in my career as a Hospice nurse, I take so much comfort that Jesus conquered death and that He set us free from the fear of death.
10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
With that realization we have become obedient from the heart ❤️
When I read Romans 1-5 last night, I read it out loud to the pug, dramatically, as it would be spoken, and it made such a huge difference not only in my focus, but in my “absorption” (not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for).
This morning, I’m listening to Romans 1-6 read aloud from the dramatized NIV at BibleGateway.com, practicing disciplined listening, because my mind wanders when there’s no visual stimulation to keep me focused (like Pastor Peter’s preaching style). The dramatized reading is absolutely a huge help, but not nearly as good as what I experienced reading aloud myself last night!
Does anyone else struggle with focus when reading God’s Word? If so, try reading it aloud, dramatically, as if you were speaking it to someone. Or try listening to a dramatized reading of it from BibleGateway.com.
I got distracted from reading/listening to Romans 1-6 the other day so went back in this afternoon, again listening to Romans 1-5 read aloud to me (beautiful), then reading Romans 6 today. Such a hard-hitting, powerful, life- and faith-changing chapter Paul writes about our being dead to sin and alive to Christ (Romans 6:11)! Buried with Christ in His death, our sin was also put to death, and we are raised to NEW life in Him. No longer slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness, slaves to God. Set free from sin! Alive in Christ!
This made me stop and really remember who I was before Christ:
“…For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.” Romans 6:19
And now:
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…” Ephesians 2:1-5
Immediately I thought of all the ways the different “members” (parts) of my body were used for unrighteousness, for sin, for impurity. And now, how God’s grace has transformed the way I use the many different parts of my body for righteousness, for His glory. Take the tongue, for example. My words when I was a slave to sin were used to harm, curse/swear, make empty promises, slander, gossip, lie, deceive, tear down, destroy, set myself up against others, complain, and all manner of other unrighteous things. In Christ, as I present my tongue to be used as an instrument of righteousness for God, my words are used more and more (I have far to go!) for gracious speech, to build up, to encourage, to comfort, to exhort, to speak peace. When I stumble, I know it immediately and hate my sin, praying for God to change me and to even mute me if need be!
This work of God in us is by His grace, according to His Spirit at work in us. There is still NO room for boasting. We are HIS workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)!
Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming me from sin and death, and transforming me into a vessel for Your glory, a temple where Your Spirit now dwells. Teach me how to honor You with every part of this physical body while I’m still alive to do so. Thank You for making me dead to sin and alive in Christ! Help me — by Your grace! — to live only for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
As I read this 6th chapter a couple of nights ago, I thought, maybe we should take 2 days to read these chapters in Romans. They are so thick with meaning and provide so many opportunities for further meditation on the significance of Christ’s work and it’s implications on my/our lives. It would certainly be fitting to read and digest half the chapter, but even better to read it 2 nights in a row.
How often do I/we live in the positive presumption of v2? How can we live in sin any longer if we have died to it? It should be so automatic, shouldn’t it?
How glorious that we are identified in both Christ’s death and His resurrection so that sin has no power or satisfaction for us and we can walk in newness of life…as long as we reckon it to be so, right?
And sin leads to a slavery that destroys while slavery to righteousness leads to life because the nature of sin is death and the nature of God brings life!
I agree, Pastor Peter, that Romans is far too rich to just move on to the next chapter each day. And I found the same with several chapters of John! Reading each previous chapter again each day has been an incredible experience.