6 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.

Romans 6:1-11

Hello! We are back from Lent and jumping right into Romans 6. We are jumping into the perfect place to begin reading and studying again right after Resurrection Sunday. This section of scripture deals with what happened at the resurrection. It is of great importance to every believer.

So the question that seems to be coming up for Paul as he wrote this letter to the Roman Christians was, “If grace abounds all the more then what does it matter if I sin?” Basically, they are asking, “if Jesus’ blood just keeps on covering then does it really matter if I keep on sinning?” It is a valid question for the one who does not want to change what he is doing or become responsible to live differently. Or for the one who does not understand what had taken place at the resurrection.

In this section we see Paul unpacking what this new life in Christ is about. He asks the question, “Are you unaware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” The fact that he is asking if we are aware of this tells us that this is important to know! Baptism means to be immersed or covered over by something. When we are baptized with water we go under the water and it covers over us. Here Paul is asking, “did you know that you were baptized into Christ Jesus and that baptism is the visual of you being baptized into his death?” When we are baptized in water we are declaring something very specific and something that we ought to keep in mind as we walk with Jesus through our lives. Baptism is a picture of and a declaration of the fact that we were baptized into His death, we were buried with him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life.

Paul is explain to them and to us that we don’t have to live like sinners just so that grace will abound. Grace has abounded all the more! Grace has abounded all the more by baptizing us into His death and raising us to new life (with Him) when He rose. For those who believe, Jesus took us from here to there. He translated us into something new.

This is crucial and something that every believer must come to understand. When Christ died, so did you. That death, He died, He died in your place. He took your sin upon Himself so that just as He rose, so did you. You were born again into a new life. He took you with Him from here in sin to there into newness of life!

This is why we celebrate Easter! It is called Resurrection Sunday for a reason. When we remember His death, burial, and resurrection – we can remember and put ourselves there too. We are those who identify with Christ. We died when He died and sin lost its power over us.

Can you feel the freedom in that? Sin and death have lost their grip on me.

Hallelujah, praise the one who set me free. Hallelujah, death has lost its grip on me. You have broken every chain. There’s salvation in your name. Jesus Christ, my living hope.

Living Hope – Phil Wickham

From death to life.

From being buried with him to being raised with Him.

From united in the likeness of His death to united in the likeness of His resurrection.

The old self was crucified with Him! The body that is a slave to sin has been made powerless!

We are no longer slaves to sin.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

So just as the scriptures above say: CONSIDER YOURSELF DEAD TO SIN AND ALIVE TO GOD!

Think meticulously about that!

Thanks for Listening,

Starla