Romans 6:1-14

I want to thank those of you whom have prayed for me these past few weeks.  I made it to Colorado for the funeral and I am home now.  I need to get back into a routine which will include this blog.

Romans 6:1-14 NIV

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.

In the previous chapter Paul mentioned that where there is great sin, grace becomes greater.  I could see myself coming up with the very argument above.  My sin makes God look good, so I'll sin a lot to make him look great.

We are "dead" to sin.  When a police officer arrives on the scene when a body is found, what would happen if he started questioning the body?  What would happen if he started threatening the body with arrest if it did not answer his questions?  NOTHING.  It's dead.  The body no longer obeys the officer because it is dead.

Like wise we are dead to sin.  When temptation comes along to entice us, it has no power or authority over us.

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.

Christ cannot die again.  He lives to God.  We to are to live our lives to God.

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.

Since since is not hour master anymore, the only way one sins is to willingly offer their parts to sin.  It a choice that we make.  If we are in Christ then HE is our master and not sin.

God Bless.