What, then, shall we declare? That we may be persisting in sin that grace should be increasing? May it not be coming to that! We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?
Romans 6: 1-2, Concordant New Testament
One of the greatest moments in the life of many believers is that moment where they come to accept Christ Jesus into their lives. Up until that point they had been living a wayward life unsure of their future. Questions like eternal life and salvation often brought a nervous reaction. When asked about God, they were not sure what to expect from Him after living on the other side of the fence for so long. Was there really forgiveness for their sin? Was God really prepared to bestow His mercy and grace on someone who had, by all accounts, lived a life in bad behavior? Unfortunately, the sell job of convincing people that God awaits them with open arms has fallen on the mainstream church. The very same people who proclaim that we are all but sinners saved by the Lords grace are the same characters who will tell those supposed sinners that their sins can be forgiven. Does anyone else see an issue with this line of thinking? The truth is, God is more than willing to accept any and all of His children, wayward or not, into His presence. There is no litmus test to prove our worth to God. He who knows us better than we know ourselves already knows we are more than worthy. After all, He created us {Genesis 1:27}. For someone who has been told repeatedly that they are a dirty sinner, the prospect of having those sins wiped clean is a very welcoming thought. No longer will they need to live under the bondage of bad behavior. Or do we? I remember making the decision to follow Jesus and immediately knowing that what God had promised was true. That Christ had died that my sins would be forgiven. That Jesus had bore the burden of sins punishment in my place {2 Corinthians 5:21}. I could finally be free of the guilt I had been carrying. My sins were put to death by Christ Jesus at the cross. Or were they?
Knowing this, that our old humanity was crucified together with Him, that the body of sin may be nullified, for us by no means to be still slaving for sin, for one who dies has been justified from sin. Now if we died together with Christ, we believe that we shall be living together with Him also, having perceived that Christ, being roused from among the dead, is no longer dying. Death is lording it over Him no longer, for in that He died, He died to sin once for time, yet in that He is living, He is living to God. Thus you also, be reckoning yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, yet living to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6: 6-11, Concordant New Testament
It didn't take me long after my acceptance of Jesus into my life where I realized that although my sins had been forgiven, from my human perspective, those bad behaviors I so wanted to leave in the dust would all too often come knocking once again. What's with that? Perhaps the apostle Paul could share some insight into what we all too often see as sins triumphant return gig. In the words of Paul, "We, who died to sin, how shall we still be living in it?"{Romans 6:2}. Can anyone see what's going on here? Yes, we see sin as still having a place in our life. However, Paul asks the question, if you have indeed died to sin...how is it that you can continue to see it? The answer to this might be as simple as our faith in our belief. Do we trust God at His word that He has removed sin from our life? Do we trust that the death of Christ Jesus on the cross paid the debt that we ourselves owed? I have read the scriptures, and I have not yet come across a passage that proclaims that the death of Jesus has been nullified. That sin is alive and well once again. The death of Christ on the cross plays a critical role in all of this. For without it, He would not have become sin, and sin would have survived to this day. By faith we understand that through Christ Jesus not only are our sins forgiven, but we are now dead to it. And how can someone who has died continue in sin?
In Whom we are having the deliverance through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses in accord with the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1: 7, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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