Romans 6:1-7

There will always be those who like to play “devil’s advocate,” and Paul anticipates what some might try to argue: If grace abounds more and more, then why not keep on sinning so we can experience even more grace? If salvation is a free gift and is not earned through obedience to the Law, does that mean our behavior no longer matters?

What kind of crazy thinking is that? We have died to sin, so why would we continue to live in it? Grace is not permission to sin; it is the power to live free from sin’s dominion in our lives.

As a reminder, we do not stop sinning in order to become righteous; rather, because we have been made righteous through faith in Christ, we should no longer continue living under sin’s dominion.

Paul brings up the symbolism found in water baptism—that when we were baptized into Christ Jesus, we were baptized into His death.

This is a profound spiritual truth.

Through faith, we have been united with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. Water baptism outwardly illustrates this inward spiritual reality.

Consider the symbolism:
* Going beneath the water represents our identification with Christ in His death and burial.
* Coming out of the water represents our identification with His resurrection and the new life we now have in Him.

Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, we too are now able to walk in newness of life.

Our old selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives, and we would no longer be slaves to it. We have been set free from the power of sin, so again, why would we choose to continue walking in that which produces death in our lives?

Grace does not make sin acceptable—it makes living free from its clutches possible.

The question then becomes, “Have we truly died with Christ?”

And if we have, are we living as those who have been raised with Him?

There is a difference between knowing that Christ died for us and understanding that, through faith, we have died with Him. The first speaks of what Jesus did for us; the second speaks of what His sacrifice has accomplished in us.

We are no longer who we once were. Sin no longer has the right to rule our lives. We have been given a new life in Christ, and now we must choose to walk in it.

We have been set free from sin's dominion. This is a truth that must be received by faith. The question is, are we living like it?