Scripture: Romans 6:1-5 [The Message]
1-3So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
Observation(s): Will I be forgiven if I keep on sinning? No, according to Paul. When we leave sin behind we enter a new life. Paul compares our baptism to the selling of a house. Can we continue to live in an old house if we’ve packed up and moved out. That is what baptism into Christ means. We leave the old life behind; we enter a new life of grace, “a new house”. Our baptism further compared to the death of Christ. Lowering into the water is the burial of Jesus and the raising from the water the resurrection of Jesus. We are able to see things in a different perspective–”enlightened” as we head in a new direction that is grace-centered.
Application(s): Do I continue to separate myself from G-d? Do I believe that I can continue to make excuses for sinning and that I will be “let off the hook”? Am I a new creature in Christ? Am I connected? Am I headed in the right direction? Is my faith grounded in His grace?
Prayer: Lord, you know my fallibilities–Let your grace fill and lift me up when I separate myself from you. Give me your spirit to stay connected, even when I fall down. Thank you. I love you.
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