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