Dead, Now Alive
Opening Prayer
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Reflect on this verse, and then pray.
Read Romans 6:1-14
[1] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? [2] By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? [3] Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? [4] We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. [5] For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. [6] For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- [7] because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. [8] Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. [9] For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. [10] The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. [11] In the same way, count yourselves 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 evil desires. [13] Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. [14] For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What should a believer think about sin?Earlier, Paul had gone to great lengths to explain the work of the cross. Here he reminds the Romans that this work of salvation is more than one event that permits them to return to their old way of life (2). The old life is dead, crucified: all its bondage, shame, wrongdoing, and guilt. The power of sin in their lives is completely broken and finished. That would be enough good news, but there’s more! Through the resurrection there is also the power to live a new life with Christ (4,5,8, and 11). Our relationship with God doesn’t just mean the absence of sin, but also the presence of God to empower us for each moment of each day. Do we know that every part of us has been crucified with Christ? Every part? The self-centeredness, the greed, the past, even the addictive patterns that have enslaved us? Yes! And do we know that in every part of our life where we’ve felt like a hopeless failure or a hypocrite, we can now find hope? Yes, because since we died with Christ, we also live with him. We walk each day with his presence and power transforming us, enabling us to live a different way.
Apply
How would you explain to someone the clear difference that Christ has made in the way you live?
Closing prayer
Thank God for his power in you today, and ask him to make an even greater difference in your life!
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