Dead men - walking in newness of life

Romans 6:1-4

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:11

"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord"

At the end of Romans 5 Paul makes the point that where there is sin, grace abounds, but then immediately goes on to explain that since dead men cannot sin, there is no chance that we can continue to sin just because God's grace is abundant.  We cannot live in the fallacy that we can do as we like, and there will just be more grace for whatever sin we choose to do.  Grace is not a license to sin, it is a call to holiness.   

He explains that when we believe Jesus is our saviour, we are saved from the punishment of sin AND we are victorious over sin at the same time.  The key is that we need to reckon ourselves dead to sin.  We need to believe that we are dead to sin.  Jesus triumphed over sin.  He has dominion over sin.  If we believe we are only set free from the punishment of sin, then we in actual fact give ourselves permission to continue sinning without being held accountable for the consequences thereof.  We need to understand that Jesus changed our relationship to sin from being dead IN our sin to being dead TO sin.  When we see ourselves as baptized into His death, then we see ourselves as dead to sin and having victory over sin because we are also raised into the newness of life with Him.  He made us free to choose life or death.  We can choose to go back to the slavery of sin - or to live in newness of live.  

 We are a people - dead to sin and walking in newness of life!  

Points to ponder:

Do you believe Jesus saved you from the punishment of sin?

Do you believe you are dead to sin and walking in newness of life?  

Death was arrested - North Point

Peace with God

 Romans 4:2-3,13b

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

"...but through the righteousness of faith."

Romans 5:1-2

5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 4 and 5 really are such huge chapters.  It helps us understand that our right standing with God is not based on the family lineage I am born out of, or how well I can manage to live a 'good' life by doing 'good things'.  If these things were to bring right standing with God, it would mean that we would be able to boast and become prideful, either of our family lineage, or our own abilities to 'do good'.  The Word of God says that faith is counted as righteousness, that we are justified by faith and the result of this is that we can have peace with God.  We are introduced into the grace of God by faith, and that means that we can celebrate in hope of the glory of God.  

So let us just have a closer look at what all this really mean.  

• Being justified means: 'Just as if I never sinned".
• Grace means to get what I do not deserve to get - in other words to get the unearned favour of God, whereas mercy means to NOT get the negative consequences of our actions that we did earn and therefor do deserve.    
• Access means to have the privilege of approach.  Meaning that we have the privilege to approach God and receive His grace and favour.  
• Faith is to have complete trust or confidence in someone, in this case in God.
• Hope is to expect and trust to receive something that still lies in the future.
• Peace means to be re-united to God in perfect harmony, it also means wholeness and completeness in the sense of nothing missing.

Thus, if we look at the above definitions of words, then I would like to summarize it in this paragraph:  

Jesus took my sin upon Himself, therefore it is as if I never sinned.  This means that He gives me His favour that I do not deserve, in stead of giving me the eternal consequences of my sin, which I do deserve.  He gives me the privilege that I can now approach Him without fear or reserve.  I have complete trust and confidence in Him that He will, and wants, to receive me into His presence in perfect peace, harmony, wholeness and completeness, where nothing is missing, being perfectly re-united to Him. Therefore, while I have fallen short of the glory of God before, I now can rejoice in the fixed trust and expectation, the hope of standing, being present, receiving in my spirit - His Glory!

Point to ponder:

I want to encourage you to summarize this for yourself in your own words with your own name in there and ask yourself - Do I  really believe this?  God has done everything He could for us - imagine how much it must hurt Him if we do not believe Him?  Do you believe Him?  

Charity Gayle - Thank you for the blood

Fallen short of God's glory - restored by grace

Romans 3:23-24

“There is no righteous person, not even one;

11 There is no one who understands,

There is no one who seeks out God;

12 They have all turned aside, together they have become [i]corrupt;

There is no one who does good,

There is not even one.”

13 “Their throat is an open grave,

With their tongues they keep deceiving,”

“The venom of asps is under their lips”;

14 “Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,

16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,

17 And they have not known the way of peace.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

23 "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus... "

In Romans 3, Paul makes the point that we are all sinners. That we have all missed the mark, fallen short of the glory of God, and he spells out the seriousness of sin in no uncertain terms in vs 11-18.  It's quite a daunting thing to put your own name into those statements from Paul in 11-18, thinking it is about ME that he is talking there, because I am included in the 'ALL have sinned...'

But what glory to rejoice in when we get to verse 24, where Paul then says - it is a GIFT OF GRACE that we are justified by the redemption of Jesus Christ, meaning that it is "just as if we never sinned" when we are in Christ.  

"Just as if I never sinned"  what a profound thought for this week... 

Point to ponder:

Are you confident that you are in Christ?  That it is "just as if you never sinned?  

This is Amazing Grace - Jeremy Riddle

The Kindness of God leads us to repentance

Romans 2:4

4 ...Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

This verse really stood out for me this week.  I think we very often repent out of a fear of the wrath of God - but this verse says it is His Kindness that leads us to repentance.  It made me think - if we 'measure' or 'compare' our own kindness against His kindness, what would it look like? It would be pale against His brightness to say the least.  

It really is God's kindness that makes us see our sin.  To know how far we have fallen short of His glory and then still receive His grace and kindness - that leads us to dig deep in true repentance.  

Point to ponder:

Do you really know God's kindness?  The kindness that leads to true repentance of a sinful heart?  If not ask God to give you a supernatural revelation of His kindness toward you this week, and see what happens to your heart in terms of repentance. 

Lovingkindness 

 Matt Redman et. al.