To Sin or Not to Sin – Romans 6

A text – Romans 6:1b-11

6:1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?
6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
6:7 For whoever has died is freed from sin.
6:8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
6:10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

A reflection:

In Romans, Paul is making his best arguments for people to believe in Jesus. In this chapter he says in many ways that nothing we can do will save us – it is God’s love and mercy that save us. Works of the law and obedience are not what we bank on. We bank on God’s keeping God’s promises.

So the follow-up question comes: If we are not saved by following the law, why not break it all the time and just claim God’s mercy? Paul will answer that question in several ways; this passage is the first of those ways. Paul claims we died to sin when we were baptized, in order to live eternally with Christ. It doesn’t mean we will never stray, but our future heavenly life with God will be free from sin and death. So why go around now sinning all the time, when we are walking with God toward a sin-free future?

Have you ever quit a bad habit and then a little while later really want to do that bad habit again? What happens when we say, well it’s OK. I can do it. It really doesn’t matter very much. What happens is that after we have strayed back into bad behavior and then we come to our senses again, we have to go through all that deciding to quit and then ridding ourselves of the cravings, and it is a lot of work. Why bother? Paul asks. Just turn your face toward the future you really want and then live that way from now on. Is deciding not to stray going to save you for eternal life? No, because God has already done that. What it might save you for is a lot less mental and physical work coming and going from habits that really just distract us. And it might save you for anticipating your life in God’s future.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for saving us. Thank you for helping us to keep to the right path. And most of all, thank you for walking through this life with us every day.  Amen.