David Bahn – Reflections

Today’s readings are Romans 6; Psalm 119:129-136; Proverbs 10; Ezekiel 18. I’ll be away for the next few weeks. I will, however, attempt to post a link to the readings for the 49 Week Bible Challenge so you can follow the plan easily. During this time there will be no audio versions of these blog posts.

Romans 6:1-11

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.

More sin? More grace. That’s the message of Romans 5:20. Then comes the logical question, “If there is so much more grace than sin, why not sin more so that we may receive more grace?” We know better than to buy into that idea. We know sin is destructive. We know that sin kills. And although grace abounds more than sin, we know better than to follow the false logic of gaining grace by sinning more.

Paul’s answer to the false notion is not that grace won’t abound, it’s because we’ve died to sin. We know it’s danger and deception. We also know the grace of God. And we want to live in that grace.

So comes the conclusion by which we live in grace: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. It’s a matter of intentionally embracing God’s grace, considering ourselves to be God’s people, alive in the grace and goodness of God.