1 "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?”

 

There are two dangers in reading this passage. When Paul talks about grace and living in the freedom that we have in the works of Jesus Christ alone and not our own efforts or works, some people run to the side of license. When he talks about living in the power of the Holy Spirit and sanctification in living to please Christ, some people run over to legalism.

How do you give the truth of grace and holiness, that are imputed to us through Christ by faith, and the call to live as children of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, doing works of righteousness, that brings glory to God?   How do you live your life in victory over law and withstand the lusts of license by doing whatever we want since we will not be judged by it?

When Jesus comes into our lives our old sinful nature is put to death by the works of Jesus. Going into the water symbolizes His death and burial. But here is the problem; we aren’t dead. No, we are very much alive and demanding our own ways, refusing to change, to be loving and considerate, because the old nature doesn’t want to give an inch. The death of Christ ended an era in our lives. It closed that ugly chapter of our lives marked by sin and destined for death. It was but one event ending the death-grip of sin on our lives. If you are a Christian and you have been dead to sin, you will think, “Wait a minute pastor. This week I have sinned, had evil thoughts, and yielded to temptation. Something is going on that doesn’t fit here.” It does not say sin is dead to us, but in Christ we are now able to be dead to sin’s power. Justification was not intended as a license to sin, but as liberation from sin's power over us.

The significant thing about burial is that it is the seal that death has occurred. People die before they are buried, but when they are buried, the body is placed in the grave and death is real. That is the symbol of baptism, to die to our old nature and make it dead to the power of sin. We have been saved from the penalty of sin and now are being saved from the power that sin has over us.

Prayer:   O Lord I want to bathe in this sanctification process to strengthen my ability to live from Your Spirit overcoming my flesh.  

Dale