Romans 6:8-14

8: Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9: knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
10: For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11: Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts,
13: and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

*** 

If we have died with Christ—which we have, represented by our baptism into His death, our body of sin crucified so we are free from it—we now believe that we will also live with Him, for we’ve been resurrected with Him as well. Death, sin, and bondage go hand in hand just as life, righteousness, and freedom do. Death no longer has any control over Jesus. The death that He died was a death to sin, once and for all. He now lives to God. In the same way, consider yourself dead to sin and alive to God.

Yet we see that sin will try to resurrect itself. Paul said not to let it. Don’t let sin rule. Don’t obey its lusts. Don’t let your physical body be used to commit acts of unrighteousness. Instead, use your body parts as instruments of righteousness to God. Present yourself to Him as one who is alive from the dead—just like Jesus. Sin does not have to rule over you. You are not under law, but grace.

When you follow Jesus into death you also follow Him into a resurrected life, which is far better. Don’t mourn sin as a loss. It’s not a loss you’ve experienced; it’s freedom. If you were held in chains for twenty years, were rescued, and your chains were removed, would you mourn the loss of the chains or would you walk out of the prison you were in and enjoy your freedom? We need to change our thinking so we may enjoy the life of freedom Jesus has rescued us for.



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