©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 6:5-14 (ESV) - 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. 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. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Question to consider: How does the accuser use the Law against us?
In yesterday’s passage, Paul argued that we are united in Christ’s death and resurrection through baptism. Since we have experienced death through Christ, Paul argued in today’s passage that we are no longer in bondage to sin. Christ became sin for us and thus experienced death, for the wages of sin is death. Once that penalty was paid, Christ was raised to life and will no longer die, for death has no control over Him. The life He lives He lives to God, and He has shared with us His righteousness so Paul said that we must consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
It is because of this that Paul tells us to disobey our fleshly passions. As we continue in this letter, we’ll find out why this can seem like such a difficult task, but the important thing is that we have been given the good news that sin no longer has dominion over us. The power of sin is the Law. Why? Because when we were being judged by the Law, every infraction carried the death penalty. However, we are no longer able to be judged by the Law because we are covered by grace. As Paul already said, all of the sins of the world before and after the cross have been covered by the abundance of grace given to us through Christ.
I hope this revelation frees you from whatever burden the accuser has tried to place on you for your sin. Whatever you have done in the past; whatever reputation people have tried to place on you, or whatever is trying to get you to give up on life no longer has a hold on you. You have now been set free to live as a child of God— someone who is dearly loved by the creator of the universe.
Dear heavenly Father, help us to experience the freedom of knowing that we can no longer be judged according to the Law but are the recipients of Your abundant and marvelous grace and mercy. Instead of pursuing things that wish to harm or destroy us, help us to seek after those good things You have given us to experience life and salvation. Amen.