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?
Romans 6:1-2
Obituaries have changed a lot through the years. If you read an obituary from several decades ago, it would probably tell a story of the deceased’s life. It would start with their young life and work chronologically through many of the highlights the person lived. After reading their life story, you felt like you knew something of the person.
Today, obits have changed a lot. Newspapers once printed an obituary for free, but now they can be fairly costly and charged by the word. Many people choose to offer only a short synopsis of the person’s life, including where he or she worked and if they went to church or were members of an organization; gone is the lengthy life story of accomplishments. But one thing will never be lost from an obituary – the date of death.
When we die it’s obvious; it’s a day of marked change in our state of being. We no longer live in our flesh. We can’t keep doing the things we used to do because we’re dead to our flesh. St. Paul is telling us in verse two it’s the same with our spiritual life. IF we died to sin, how then can we continue to live in it? It just can’t be, or perhaps we weren’t really dead? Perhaps we didn’t really understand the mercy of God to give us such a new chance at real life?
The grace of God is so merciful that some people may be tempted to continue living in sin in order to enjoy His grace all the more. But, Paul makes it clear such taking of God’s grace for granted is “By no means!” acceptable. While it’s true God’s grace flows in waves of everlasting mercy, if we’re really “dead to sin”, we won’t take His mercy for granted. In mercy, God causes those who truly die to be re-born into a life that doesn’t accept sin as a way of living. Yes, we are capable of committing sin, but Paul is speaking to our intentionally choosing a life of sin.
Everyone who is truly alive in Christ has an obituary in God’s newspaper and it must have the date of our death. But, the good news of the gospel is that the date of our death is also the date of our birth, our new birth into the life of Jesus Christ.
Grace and Peace,
+Pastor Brad
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for ever taking your grace and mercy for granted. Through Your mercy and grace help me to live out the death of my flesh as one who is truly dead to my sin, and alive in You. Amen.
Image credit: http://sovjoy.com/the-ruthless-progression-of-sin/