Live in Him, Be Set Free from Sin

One of the points Paul made in chapter 5 is that God’s grace abounds much more than the sin in our life. This message was and still is interpreted today by some that you should continue to sin because the more you sin, the more God’s grace will fall upon you. Clearly, that is not what Paul is teaching in his letter to the Romans and addresses the misunderstood remarks accordingly in (Romans 6:1-2). Paul asks and answers the question with a resounding ‘no’ we cannot continue in sin because grace abounds. He further substantiates his argument by giving us a compare and contrast of what Jesus sacrificed for us and what we should sacrifice to live for Christ. God has already mapped out the path we should follow and the actions that we should be taking for us to become more Christ like.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ we all have to make a decision sooner than later with respect to how are we going to live our new life with Christ? How does that differ from our old life living in the world? It is not difficult to understand what we are being taught through scripture that our life will change for the better if you decide to go all in for Christ. What does going all in look like? This is a very important question we need to use as a check and balance for the way we live our lives. The results should indicate, as we grow closer to Christ, we should be growing farther away from our sin. Paul uses terms like baptized, buried with Him and newness in life to describe the transformation each Christian will go through as part of our conversion process.

Paul further addresses the argument that some Christians are making and believe to be true which states that you can live for Christ and profess to be like Christ and become a Christian, but still live a worldly life believing that God’s grace is sufficient for you in your life. As we read in Paul’s letter he attacks this notion quickly and with precision to deter any further misunderstanding of what he is conveying to the Roman church.

I remember when I decided to go all in for Christ. I loved to play guitar, I loved to play live music and I loved playing in a band. As my relationship was growing closer to Christ, I felt the enemy coming in with a full frontal attack to try to convince me that my guitar playing days were over. Little did I know that God had a much greater plan for me and my playing. I had no idea where God was going to take me. To make a long story short, I was able to get involved in the church to serve with some outstanding musicians. I never enjoyed playing so much as I did when I was playing worship music. I was getting more involved in writing and recording Christian music. It was invigorating and it allowed me to grow so much closer to Christ that I could ever imagine.

The point is that when we allow God to drive our lives, there will be so much more we can do for Him. Our understanding should be that God has so much more waiting for each of us if we can only get out of our own way and let go, but let God. In today’s world there is a resounding cry to do it on your own, that success comes from within and only you can take care of yourself. Nothing can be farther from the truth. With God all things are possible and we can achieve so much more when we allow him to lead our life.

What does living for Him, being crucified with Him, being united together in the likeness of His death mean to you and me? It should mean that when we invite Christ into our life we should know who He is and what He desires, His commandments. We should strive to learn who Jesus is and develop a closer personal relationship with Jesus when we agree that our life is greater with Him in it.

Jesus died and was risen from the dead. When we receive Christ we will die and we will be risen from this wretched life to be born again in Christ. Death has been abolished through Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 1:10). We are no longer bound to sin or the world. God is holding us in His hands so we may be His children. God calls us into holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7) so we may make it to heaven. So we may live free from the sins of the world. So we may be separated from the evil one.

We should want to have a change of heart and mind. Our desire to seek approval from the world should diminish and should be overtaken by our desire to serve the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 2:15-16). God knows our hearts and our desires. He knows what motivates us and what will entice us to fall away. If we present ourselves in such a way that our actions and our words will point others to follow Christ then we have succeeded in doing God’s will. It is through our relationship with Christ that we find the strength to change our lives and separate ourselves from the world. When we die to ourselves and exercise the gifts God has given us we become true instruments of righteousness to God.

My prayer is that we would get out of Jesus’ way to let Him lead our lives. I pray that sooner than later that we will give over to God what is Gods. That we would recognize that God’s plan, His gifts and His ability to save our lives outweighs the pressures of the world. That each one of us who have a dream, would put God first recognizing that through the power of Christ we can achieve so much more for Him and His kingdom. That we would receive the blessings God has for us that we may share these blessings with others. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray Amen! Amen!